Ridge Vineyards: Current Releases from the Top of the Santa Cruz Mountains
Located in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, Ridge Vineyards is one of America’s most historic and unique wine estates. It sits at 2600’ near the top of Monte Bello Ridge overlooking Silicon Valley with limestone soils, a rarity in California. A San Francisco doctor discovered the site in 1885, terraced the slopes, planted vines and in 1892 constructed a winery dug out of the limestone bedrock. That winery is still in use today, producing some of California’s most distinctive wines. We recently visited Ridge where winemaker Trester Goetting led us on a barrel tasting tour of the winery followed by a tasting of bottled wines. While we’ve tasted Ridge wines over the years, it has been two decades since we had our last tasting at Ridge with Paul Draper, the person most responsible for the lofty reputation of the winery today.
Since its late 19th century creation, Ridge has had its ups and downs. Like most American wineries, it was shut down by Prohibition, after which it passed through several owners until William Short, a Stanford University theologian, purchased what is known today as the Torre Ranch Vineyard. He replanted the vineyard to mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, including the self-rooted vines shown here, purported to be cuttings from Château Margaux and planted in 1949. Today, these vines sit opposite the Ridge tasting room.
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Planted in 1949 [©drwinkler]
In 1959, four engineers at the Stanford Research Institute purchased the old Torre Ranch from Short, and three years later, Ridge Vineyards was established. In subsequent years, the owners purchased the original winery and vineyard at the top of the mountain. Under owner and winemaker David Bennion, Ridge became known for its single vineyard wines made with native yeasts, no commercial enzymes or nutrients, and minimal amounts of sulfur. In 1971 he was succeeded by Paul Draper, who made the next 47 vintages of Ridge including the Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon that was one of the entrants in the 1976 Judgement of Paris where it came in 5th sandwiched between Château Montrose and Château Leoville Las Cases. In a 30th anniversary redo of that competition in 2006, the 1971 vintage Monte Bello Cabernet came in first overall. Ridge’s reputation extends far beyond California or even the US. While I was visiting famed South African winemaker Eben Sadie recently, he praised the Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon.
In 1986, the Japanese pharmaceutical owner Akihiko Otsuka purchased Ridge, and in 2022 Trester Goetting was named head winemaker at Monte Bello, moving from Napa’s Robert Biale Vineyards where we first met him while preparing our Zinfandel report. John Olney is head winemaker for all of Ridge’s winemaking operations.
Ridge makes 35 different wines, but only 8 are in distribution. Others need to be ordered online and several are only available to club members. Ridge wines are also exported to 51 different countries.
The Wines
Ridge Vineyards 2021 Estate Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains ($75) 94 Opens with aromas of citrus and wet gravel. Lovely creamy mouth feel with bright acidity and stone fruit flavors with toasty oak and tropical fruit accents. Sourced from Monte Bello Vineyard, whole cluster pressed and fermented with native yeasts and natural malo and matured 15 months in 24% new oak barrels (60% air-dried American ok, 40% French oak). pH 3.36, 14.3% alc.
Virginia Oak Barrel [©drwinkler]
Ridge Vineyards 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains ($90) 93 Opaque ruby showing ripe dark plum, dark cassis, and tobacco leaf on the nose. Silky, soft texture with superb balance. The full-bodied palate has good depth and richness and finishes long with firm tannins. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot from lower parts of the Monte Bello Vineyard, whole berry fermented using native yeasts and matured 19 months in 50% new American oak. 13.3% alc.
Ridge Vineyards 2021 Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains 97 Opaque ruby. Complex, expressive bouquet of black currant and lavender with touches of cigar box and earth. Polished and focused on a dark fruited, exotically spiced palate with firm round tannins and a persistent finish. Delicious now, but this is a wine to buy and hold; plan to drink some time over the next two decades. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot destemmed with whole berry fermentation using native yeasts and malo and matured 19 months in all new oak, 92% American and 8% French. 2021 was a drought year, so berries were small, yields low, colors dark and flavors concentrated. 13.5% alc.
Ridge Vineyards 2021 Zinfandel Jimsomare Santa Cruz Mountains 93 Ridge is famous for its Zinfandels, but this is the only one sourced from its home vineyard, Monte Bello. It reveals an expressive nose of brambly boysenberry and dark cherry along with underbrush and wild herbs. The softly textured palate reveals the cool climate site of the vineyard with juicy acidity and fresh red and black berries, finishing with firm tannins. Sourced from a 19th century vineyard, destemmed and fermented on native yeasts and natural malo. Matured 16 months in 17% new American oak. 13.9% alc.
