Today we focus our attention on one of the greats for the Santa Cruz Mountains. Not only fabulous in terms of its range of wines, Ridge is one of the oldest marquee producers in the state, producing everything from mineral-driven Chardonnay to inky Cabernet Sauvignon. Paul Draper helped put this winery on the map back in the 1960s. Draper saw the potential to make a range of varietals in the Santa Cruz Mountains as this high-elevation site is set at 2300. This is a must-visit for any lover of great California wine. Ridge Vineyard's 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon achieved international fame for its fifth-place finish in the 1976 “Judgement of Paris” wine tasting.
Don’t miss out on the 2023 Ridge ‘Estate’ Chardonnay (OB, 95) which is coming from the Monte Bello Vineyard and is a total stunner in terms of texture, flavor range and value. I am completely enamored by the 2022 Ridge ‘Monte Bello’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 99) which flirts with perfection and really needs another year or two of bottle age. This beauty will go for decades. Learn more about this historic winery at ridgewine.com Here are the amazing new release wines from Ridge Vineyards.
2023 Ridge ‘Estate’ Chardonnay- The 2023 ‘Estate’ Chardonnay is entirely sourced from the famed Monte Bello Vineyard. Coming from this cooler vintage, the wine was stored in a combination of American oak, French oak and Amphorae before bottling. Challah bread and vanilla creme brûlée all mark the nose alongside banana and hints of ripe mango. The palate is plush, ripe and laden with minerality. Very seamless throughout the drinking experience, with a light dusting of salinity and fat mouthfeel, this combination of richness and freshness really makes it sing. Glorious now, enjoy over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2025-2033- 95
2023 Ridge ‘Three Valleys’ Red Wine- The 2023 ‘Three Valleys’ is mainly Zinfandel (71%) with the remainder Carignane, Petite Sirah, Mataro and Alicante Bouschet. Bright red fruits and bramble notes with green herbs mark the nose alongside shades of milk chocolate. This is a fresher edition of this wine, showing great tension from this slightly cooler vintage, alongside salty and stony undertones and a dense core of red fruits. Drink 2025-2031- 91
2023 Ridge ‘Paso Robles’ Zinfandel- The 2023 ‘Paso Robles’ Zinfandel is sourced from the Dusi Vineyard, as this wine was first made by Ridge in the 1960s. 100% varietal, this offers graphite and dark chocolate shavings mingle well with cardamom dusted orange peel and menthol notes on the nose. The palate is very fresh and lithe on the mouth, with terrific tension and texture, as well as salty undertones. Complex and delicious, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2025-2035- 94
2023 Ridge ‘East Bench’ Zinfandel- The 2023 ‘East Bench’ Zinfandel is sourced from a small site in the Dry Creek Valley, the Funstein Ranch, set on volcanic iron rich soils. This is plush and rich Zin, offering a gorgeous body, salinity and core of red and dark fruits. Full-bodied and showing chocolate and graphite accents, with shades of sagebrush, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2037- 94
2023 Ridge ‘Pagani Ranch’ Zinfandel- Ultra-dark in the glass, the seriously impressive 2023 Ridge ‘Pagani Ranch’ Zinfandel is sourced from this location in Sonoma County that dates all the way back to the 1890s. This edition has a fairly large amount of Alicante Bouchet and Petite Sirah blended in. This is sumptuous stuff and very nervy on the mouth, offering cocoa powder dusted dark cherry and black licorice notes that combine with shades of blackberry cobbler, iron and lighter beef brisket notes. Very complex and nuanced, with serious density coming from the Alicante and Petite Sirah, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2025-2040- 96
2022 Ridge ‘Lytton Estate’ Petite Sirah- The 2022 ‘Lytrton Estate’ Petite Sirah is 100% varietal and stands very brooding in the glass. Alluring dark rose petals mark the nose alongside pencil lead, creme de violette, tar and sweet pipe tobacco leaf aromatics that all meld in the glass. The palate is fresh and viscous, showing a great push-pull, loaded with black and blue fruits. A gorgeous wine that has some great aging potential, enjoy now and over the next twelve to fifteen years. Drink 2025-2038- 95
2023 Ridge ‘Geyserville’ Red Wine- The 2023 ‘Geyserville’ is a marvelous, silky blend of mainly Zinfandel (70%) with 18% Carignane, 9% Petite Sirah and a touch of Alicante Boushet. Very dark in the glass, this delivers beautiful violet rose petals alongside mocha, tar, Cuban cigar and notes of garrigue with loganberry compote. The palate is fresh and refined, with an elegant mid-palate mouthfeel and light dusting of salinity. Well-structured and weighted, offering plenty of depth and flavor density, this is a marvelous effort that has yet to fully hit its stride —- but the incredible potential is there. The combination of weight and tension suggests this will be very long-lived. Give this another year in the cellar before uncorking. Drink 2026-2045- 96
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2023 Ridge ‘Lytton Springs’ Red Wine- The 2023 Ridge ‘Lytton Springs’ Red Wine combines manly Zinfandel (76%) with 14% Petite Sirah and the remainder Carignan, Mataro and Alicante Bouschet. The nose offers great potpourri notes with milk chocolate, fresh herbs and shades of ripe strawberry. The palate is smooth and silky with a refined mouthfeel and a great sense of tension and salinity that runs through the core of red and dark fruits. Every bit as gorgeous as the ’22, and slightly less burly and more mineral-driven, enjoy this beauty over the next twelve plus years. Drink 2025-2038- 95
2022 Ridge ‘Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The glorious 2022 ‘Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon has 9% Petit Verdot and 5% Merlot blended in. Stored in American oak barrels, this delivers dark florals and red currants that parade with chocolate, pencil lead and suggestions of coconut dusted sandalwood aromatics. The palate is rich and viscous with a terrific sense of mouthfeel and tension. Smooth and refined, this really needs another year in the bottle to fully be aroused. Drink 2026-2040- 94
2022 Ridge ‘Monte Bello’ Cabernet Sauvignon- A totally stunning wine from a warm vintage, the 2022 Ridge ‘Monte Bello’ combines nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (86%) with 10% Merlot and small parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from their estate vineyard high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains. Silky tannins frame a generous core of dark currants, roasted figs, dark chocolate shavings, anise seed and shades of black licorice on the palate. The remarkable power, intensity and minerality leads to a mouth-watering effect on the palate. A dazzling and dense wine that has some great cellaring potential, try to resist this beauty for another year. Drink 2026-2046- 99