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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.5 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 52 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by depechemoroder on 12/26/2020 & rated 91 points: This was decanted and made all the difference. Surprisingly youthful, at times even a bit restrained. Waxy lemon, some stone fruit and a touch of caramel hinting at tropical fruit. Very polished, even lean, on the palate, with a dusty minerality on the mid palate. That caramel finish is quite sublime. (1201 views) | | | Tasted by JS1056 on 6/7/2019 & rated 89 points: The oak was more integrated than the last bottle a few years ago. Clean and crisp, this was a solid wine. Nothing spectacular but solid. Not a bad value for the price. (1477 views) | | | Tasted by JS1056 on 2/14/2016 & rated 87 points: Green apple on the nose.
Probably a little too cold at first sip as the oak was like a 2x4. As it warmed a little bit the fruit came out a bit but was still restrained by the oak.
Baked apple with just a touch of spice (cinnamon?), citrus in the background. Decent finish. A crisp, fresh wine with some minerality.
Not bad, but just the oak never seemed to intergrate with the wine. Instead of adding nuisanced flavors it was "wood".
Not the wine I remembered tasting at the winery. (2999 views) | | | Tasted by John McCabe on 12/27/2015 & rated 91 points: Pretty rich and buttery but with a bite and some spice. Slightly sharp. (3023 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 11/13/2015 & rated 89 points: Notes of apple, banana and coconut. Rich and heavy with orchard fruit, toasty oak and a nice finish. Feels a little clumsy. Guessed Napa Chardonnay.
I usually enjoy the Ridge Chards quite a bit, but the oak seemed a bit heavy-handed in this particular vintage. Part of me wonders if it will age as nicely as the 2005 had; I suppose time will tell. (3110 views) | | | Tasted by mdefreitas on 8/10/2014 & rated 92 points: Round and buttery entry, with notes of lemon curd, vanilla, cream and oak spice. While the oak is evident, it is in the background and the acids pick up nicely on the finish. Finishes clean, citric and crisp. Lots of persistence here. (2930 views) | | | Tasted by salil on 7/17/2014 & rated 93 points: Absolutely seamless. Poured blind, this fit in perfectly with a lineup of white Burgundy, and was one of my favorite of the night. Lots of depth here, layers of citrus, riper orchard fruits, chalk, spice, and deft vanilla butter accents coming together, and conveyed on the palate with great elegance and finesse. Outstanding balance and length, just a fantastic wine and a reminder that I really should drink more Ridge. (2090 views) | | | Tasted by WMWG on 7/17/2014: CT Tasting Group (My House): Complex nose of apples, baking spice, vanilla and yellow fruit roll into a full-bodied, rich mouthfeel. Very layered and complex on the palate showing a warm richness upon delivery that is backed up by spice, chalk and yellow fruit. Very long finish that still shows a distinct butteriness. Very Good – Drink Now. (2972 views) | | | Tasted by jmht on 1/18/2014 & rated 92 points: Simply outstanding! And I am giving it a "low" score because it has more oak than I like, but even then, all aromas and palate are so balanced, elegant, and structured, I am sure some tasters will find it somehow less than thrilling because it does not scream BIG! (1440 views) | | | Tasted by Mattshank on 8/13/2013 & rated 92 points: Nose: Really complex aromas of spiced apple, caramel, fig and pear. Palate: Very evolved but still a good acidity presence with fig flavors, nuts and pineapple showing. Spicy finish is medium to long. This is very balanced and drinking at peak right now IMO. Drink up now and over the next 6-9 months. Solid effort from Ridge. (2728 views) | | | Tasted by vine20 on 4/28/2013 & rated 91 points: Light yellow color with a soft citrus nose. Some lemon and honey with minerality and a brace of acidity. (2934 views) | | | Tasted by patespo1 on 12/8/2012 & rated 90 points: Needs time in the bottle, will round out in 5 years. Slight butter now, a little too much acid (3429 views) | | | Tasted by winebratsf on 5/30/2012: This is a parcel selection, and is intended for longevity and complexity. It is more vibrant than the Jimsomore, and has a bright acidity and is refreshingly ful of stone fruit and Meyer lemons, with some tropical influences. (4508 views) | | | Tasted by Scott Butler on 2/22/2012: Wow, what an interesting wine. My first Ridge chard. Nice nose of florals and minerals. Incredible acidity for a chard, which it a bit shocking at first sip, and then becomes a wonderful treat at it sinks in. Lots of complexity going on, with wet stone, hay, apple, pear, peach. Clearly built for the long haul, but feel free to back up the truck. (4191 views) | | | Tasted by mgstull on 2/17/2012 & rated 90 points: Pale gold. Tropical fruits, toasty but well-judged oak and a hint of cinnamon. Nice long finish. Good QPR. (2541 views) | | | Tasted by KVM on 9/22/2011 & rated 89 points: a real nutty character in the nose. Tasty, some bitterness on the finish. (3007 views) | | | Tasted by ews3 on 8/7/2011 & rated 93 points: really impressed with this bottle -- in the past, i have found the oak overly aggressive. here, it was strong, but well integrated with lemon, tropical fruit, and a nice acidity that kept it fresh. medium finish is outstanding. good value. (2762 views) | | | Tasted by MatthewJEd on 7/17/2011 & rated 90 points: My wife likes it too - and so do I. (2935 views) | | | Tasted by chefpete on 7/11/2011 & rated 92 points: My wife loves this. (2885 views) | | | Tasted by bboy on 6/18/2011 & rated 85 points: Fresh, quite vibrant with acidity, lemon and honey (3102 views) | | | Tasted by Dive Shark on 6/13/2011 & rated 98 points: There is so much going on with this one. What a treat! The nose showed a sweetness of vanilla, honeysuckle and caramel. This was balanced by very mild light-colored cigar, wet hay, fresh green leaves. The mouth-feel was incredibly viscous which, combined with the tart acidity, coated the whole palate and gave a very long finish. There were mild flavors of honey, caramel and even roasted marshmallow, but had a much brighter flavor than the smells indicated due to some pear, tart green apple peel and a small amount of citrus. (3347 views) | | | Tasted by vine20 on 5/29/2011 & rated 91 points: Notes consistent with 3/12/2011. (3135 views) | | | Tasted by chefpete on 5/21/2011 & rated 92 points: The wife loves it. very clean and wonderful. (3260 views) | | | Tasted by dchisholm on 5/6/2011 & rated 92 points: Golden appearance. Green apple, molasses on the nose. Buterly, green apple and banana with a long creamy finish. An excellent, balanced well integrated wine. Top knotch (2649 views) | | | Tasted by MattTM on 3/31/2011: Wine Festival Tasting Room, quick notes. Tangy nose of lemon peel, red apple, and a touch of oak. Nice fruit on the round palate showing pear, apricot, and some smokey oak. Very dry, with tons of acidity. Very nice. (3377 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.2008 Ridge Chardonnay Estate2008 Chardonnay, bottled January 2010
An unusually warm February prompted an early start to the growing season. Set finished by late April, but yielded less fruit than usual; a mild summer ripened the grapes for an early-September harvest. The whole clusters went directly to our gentle membrane press. Natural primary and secondary fermentations took place in barrel. All lots spent ten months on their lees, and were stirred weekly during malolactic for added richness. Assemblage combined the most elegant and fruit-forward wines for this superb chardonnay. A portion was returned to barrel for continued aging and settling; the rest remained in tank, to balance freshness and complexity. The two were racked off the lees and reassembled for unfiltered bottling. The wine's abundant fruit and refreshing acidity will be most enjoyable over the next five to six years. [EB 11/09]Ridge Chardonnay Estate‘Ridge produced its first chardonnay in 1962 from fully-mature vines planted in the late 1940s on the Monte Bello estate vineyard. Production never exceeded ten barrels, and Monte Bello chardonnay was sold principally at the winery. Several great vintages, among them the 1973, ‘74, ‘79, and ‘84, showed that our cool climate and fractured limestone sub-soils were well suited to the varietal. By 1985, the old vines were producing less then a half-ton per acre and were taken out. The younger vines, planted in the ‘70s, provide the majority of grapes today. Initially these newer plantings were on the “lower” vineyard—not yet farmed as part of the Monte Bello estate—so the wine was called “Santa Cruz Mountains” and these vines have long since been included. Since 2009 the wine has been designated Ridge Estate Chardonnay. In years when differences among lots are sufficient to warrant a separate bottling, we make a limited amount of Monte Bello Chardonnay as well.’ – Producer’s noteChardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeEstateIn the United States, "Wines with “estate bottled” designations must: a) also designate an appellation of origin or an AVA, and both the vineyards and the winery must be located there; b) the grapes must come from vineyards owned or controlled by the winery; and c) the wine must have been produced, from crush to bottle, in a continuous process without leaving the winery’s premises."
- WINE LABEL FAQS: A QUICK SUMMARY OF LABEL DESIGNATION RULES" by David E. StollUSAAmerican 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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