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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.3 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 38 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by WetRock on 8/15/2023: Without the obvious American oak influence you could easily mistake this for a right bank Bordeaux in a more modern sense. Not the ripe, oaky things but the newer school. The plentiful secondary characters really enliven the plushness and emerging fruit sweetness. Terrific wine. There is plenty of flesh here still. There's fruit for decades but I'm not confident the tannin and backbone really support lengthier aging. It's good for a long while though. (488 views) | | | Tasted by NiklasT on 5/28/2020 & rated 93 points: After half an hour in the decanter we are greeted by a wide-open and generous scent of dark sweet berries, vanilla and tertiary tones of sweet tobacco and cellars. The flavors flow into the mouth with blackberries, plum compote, dark cherries and more vanilla. Wonderfully fine-grained tannins that grip the teeth and the wine is very well-balanced, quite long finish as well.
2002 was a great year in all of California which comes through in intensity and length. It may not match well-respected cousins in Bordeaux in complexity, but in fruit depth and sheer enjoyment, this is hard to beat. Can certainly be stored for at least 10 years more but it is fully developed and really good now. (1279 views) | | | Tasted by ricard on 5/23/2018 & rated 92 points: Lovely brambly blackberry nose. Hard to tell the difference between this and a £15-20 Left Bank claret, quite frankly. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Remarkably acidic, still quite tannic, tight and inward-looking. Mint and eucalyptus. Undeniably good but would I know it's from California in a blind tasting? It's just too much like a claret to interest me. It's professionally made, and quite pleasant, but there's no sense of place... (2155 views) | | | Tasted by wino121 on 5/13/2018 & rated 91 points: Still vibrant, nice integration,
Drink now thru 21 (1924 views) | | | Tasted by bravo.solares on 3/5/2017 & rated 92 points: More youthful than previous bottle or two. Should have cellared for a bit longer, to see if/how it evolved. Still, very enjoyable. The Merlot in the blend was singing (50pct Cab Sauv, 48pct Merlot, 2pct Petit Verdot). Very fine, well integrated tannins. Tobacco notes, cedar, menthol and forest floor coupled with black fruit. (2511 views) | | | Tasted by bravo.solares on 11/17/2016 & rated 93 points: Exceptionally good. Amazingly, still youthful - visually and on nose and palate. Deep black fruit. Fine tannins. Oak not in the way. Balanced. Paired beatifully with blue cheese. Have (sadly!) only one more bottle. Will cellar for 2 more yrs to see where it goes. (2464 views) | | | Tasted by bravo.solares on 6/1/2016 & rated 93 points: My best bottle of the four I have had. Slow ox'd for 60 mins (strongly reccomend), and drank over the next 90 mins. Terrific nose. Initially leather and cigar box were more prominent, then cassis and blueberry came to the fore. After 60-70 mins of breathing, the nose was simply spectacular. An explosion of black and blue fruits, and creme de casis. Fine grained tannins on the palate, and some minerality with a herbal touch. This wine will probably remain in a good place for a couple of yrs. (2213 views) | | | Tasted by bravo.solares on 5/22/2016 & rated 91 points: Splash decanted (Chez Panisse). Drank over 90 mins. Delicious nose. Initially leather and cigar box were more prominent, then cocoa, cherries, casis and blueberry gained force. Fine grained tannins. Nice mouthfeel. Drinking well. Will open another bottle in 3-6 months. (1689 views) | | | Tasted by bravo.solares on 1/10/2016 & rated 90 points: Not quite as good as the previous bottle (same storage conditions). Probably the lack of a two hr decant explains the variation. This bottle was simply opened for two hours and then recorked before heading out to a restaurant. Wine was enjoyable but did not come across as balanced and complex as the previous bottle. (1891 views) | | | Tasted by bravo.solares on 12/2/2015 & rated 92 points: Decanted for 30 mins. Drank over 90 mins. (Next time I will decant for 60-90 mins). Beautiful nose. Initially leather and cigar box were more prominent, then cocoa, cherries, casis and blueberry came to the fore. After 60-70 mins, the nose was simply intoxicating. Memorable in fact. An explosion of black and blue fruits, creme de casis, some caramel. Fine grained tannins on the palate, and ample minerality with a touch of menthol. In a very good place. Have 5 more bottles. Will likely revisit every 4-6 months to see how this evolves. I suspect this wine will remain in a good place for a few more years. Wish I could buy more! (1435 views) | | | Tasted by ProfBainbridge on 11/26/2015 & rated 88 points: Purple shading to ruby color. Modest sediment. Jammy bouquet suggesting saddle leather, cocoa, cherries, prunes, and casis. Although it's below 14% alcohol, you notice a slightly hot element in the bouquet. Likewise, the finish is a bit hot. Otherwise, the palate follows the nose. (1321 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 5/16/2014 & rated 91 points: A Ledbury lunch: Quite a savoury nose. Blackcurrant with a menthol mineral edge. Rich fruit on the attack. A touch of Madeira cake (in a balanced way). Nicely balanced. Again, a touch of heat but it wears it well. Again, needs time. ***(*) (2543 views) | | | Tasted by NiklasT on 4/19/2014 & rated 90 points: Had with steak after lagrange 2003. Very nice and evolved with juicy fruit and grainy tannins while a bit hot at the end. Could not match lagrange complexity but never the less very enjoyable! (1989 views) | | | Tasted by GrandeSerataFuori on 2/13/2013 & rated 90 points: Has matured elegantly. The crumbling cork scared me. Brambly fruit and leather quelled my fears. This was in a nice place. Baker's chocolate and cardamom emerged in the nose later. (2391 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 11/16/2011 & rated 91 points: Great nose of smoke, pipe tobacco and black currants. Sweet black currants on the palate, with a leather edge, soft integrated tannins that turn slightly bitter on the finish. A little hollow on the mid-palate, but quintessential Ridge Montebello flavor profile in a more accessible but less complex wine. Some what short but delicious finish. Still great for the price and very easy to drink. Nice QPR compared to Napa cabs. (2877 views) | | | Tasted by MVSP on 10/21/2010 & rated 89 points: First bottle from case. Deep ruby red with no sign of age. Bordeaux like nose but not so on the palate - seems richer, fruitier? Maybe the difference is the american oak? Nice vanilla notes and good weight of fruit with good balancing acidity. Lacking the subtlety and complexity of similarly priced Bordeaux, but it does offer something different and I enjoyed it. 13.5% abv on the bottle but it felt like there was a bit more in there. Still lots of life in this - no rush to drink and I will be interesting in seeing how and if it evolves. (3243 views) | | | Tasted by peterseville on 3/14/2010: Quite sweet, excellent nose, very approchable. Tannins soft, still lots of ripe fruit. (2714 views) | | | Tasted by Lrucker on 6/13/2009 & rated 92 points: Pinot like fruit. A bit herbal. Smooth tanins. Very enjoyable. (3019 views) | | | Tasted by sonakul_t on 5/6/2009 & rated 88 points: nice enjoyable bottle, nothing special (2570 views) | | | Tasted by winegr on 1/3/2009 & rated 86 points: 86+ pts. A bit flabby. Not a lot of structure. Still plenty of ripe fruit and appropriate oak, but doesn't seem connected. A bit grapey on the attack and then a bit of oak on the finish. Seems to not be as good as a few years back, but it hasn't gone downhill in terms of fruit, the tannins and structure have softened and the wine seems clearly worse.
From memory, i thought this was around 89-90 pts last time, so this one is disappointing. May want to hold and see if it gets better, but i doubt it. (2349 views) | | | Tasted by peetee on 10/10/2008 & rated 90 points: Lovely colour - deep ruby red. Typical bordeaux blend nose of blackcurrant, earth and spice. Very soft ripe fruits flavour. Warming and satisfying albeit a somewhat loose structure. Very good value for money. (2418 views) | | | Tasted by RPerro on 8/25/2008 & rated 92 points: Decanted 30 min+. Very nice Bordeaux-esque nose or earth and cherry. Flavors of strawberry on the attack, with some more earthiness and cherries coming into the midpalate, and on into the finish. Ample tannins, which cause some dryness in the mouth. This is still quite smooth and drinking nicely right now. (2458 views) | | | Tasted by bwaverley on 6/15/2008 & rated 90 points: THis remains a great bottle of wine for the money. Evolved nicely over the last six months, with softend tannins and good complexity. Spice and earth on the nose with dark fruit on the palate. Finish had medium depth. (2488 views) | | | Tasted by dukapaducah on 6/1/2008 & rated 88 points: Very subtle fruity nose, but nice rich currant finish. We should have let it breath a bit more since the first glass had a little bite.. not bad, but the second glass was very smooth. (2622 views) | | | Tasted by Frommen on 4/10/2008 & rated 84 points: Distinct black currant flavor, with some tannins that probably need some more time to evolve. Feels a bit flabby and sweet. (3093 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Ridge Producer website | Wikipedia
Ridge Vineyards is a California winery specializing in premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay wines. Ridge produces wine at two winery locations in northern California. The original winery facilities are located at an elevation of 2,300 feet (700 m) on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA near Cupertino, California. The other Ridge winery facilities are at Lytton Springs in the Dry Creek Valley AVA of Sonoma County.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
Once referred to by wine writers as the Chaine d'Or -- or "golden chain" -- the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA sits above Silicon Valley, running along the craggy range next to the Pacific on some of the prettiest parts of Northern California. The area supports more than 75 wineries, despite being limited by geography and high land prices.
In 1981 the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation became federally recognized, one of the first American viticultural areas to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors. The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the south. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west. |
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