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Ridge York Creek Late Picked Zinfandel (Spring Mountain) 1999

I am probably the wrong person to be reviewing this wine. I am not a fan of late harvest zinfandel. Even at their best, I find them the ogres of wine. They are big, hot, high alcohol wines that age gracelessly. This Ridge zin, unfortunately, is far from a good example of the type. Very high alcohol with modest residual sugar (about 1%). Sweet enough to cloy, but not sweet enough to use as a dessert wine. Earthy and funky flavors dominate both the nose and palate, with a strong element of sweaty saddle leather. Brett contamination? Drinkable (just) but not enjoyable. An oddity, given Ridge's status as one of the great zinfandel houses. N.B.: The Wine Bork reviewers liked it a lot better than I did, but even they concluded that it was "not our cup of tea." Grade: C-