2023 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.1%
pH 3.34
Total Acidity 4.5 g/L
Grape Varieties 100% Chardonnay
Region Santa Cruz Mountains
Soil Limestone soils
Harvest Dates 26 Oct 2023 and 2023-10-27
Brix at Harvest 24.1°
Estate Grown Yes
Fermentation Vessels Oak barrels
Pressing Method Whole-Cluster Pressed
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Types American oak and French oak
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details Hand-harvested, organically grown estate fruit was whole-cluster pressed and barrel fermented. Lees were stirred every two weeks for six months, followed by another eight months on the lees. The wine spent twenty months in barrel: 90% American and 10% French oak, comprising 15% new, 20% one-year-old, 10% two-year-old, 30% three-year-old, and 25% five- or six-year-old barrels. Ridge records sulfur at 35 ppm when the juice went to barrel and 102 ppm added over the course of aging; these are process additions, not a finished-wine sulfite analysis. Bottled without filtration.
Tasting Notes Flinty reduction, toasted sesame, brioche, lemon curd, key lime, ripe stone fruit, pineapple and hazelnut; medium-bodied, focused and balanced, with a long, rich finish.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
2021 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 13.9%
pH 3.52
Total Acidity 7.43 g/L
Grape Varieties 100% Chardonnay
Region Santa Cruz Mountains
Harvest Dates 26 Aug 2021 to 8 Sep 2021
Brix at Harvest 23.5°
Estate Grown Yes
Fermentation Vessels Oak barrels
Pressing Method Whole-Cluster Pressed
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Types American oak and French oak
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details Hand-harvested, organically grown estate fruit was whole-cluster pressed, fermented in barrel on native yeasts and matured for eighteen months in barrel. Cooperage was 82% air-dried American and 18% French oak: 18% new, 22% one-year-old and 60% four-year-old. Ridge records sulfur at 35 ppm when the juice went to barrel and 128 ppm over the course of aging; these are process-addition figures, not a finished-wine sulfite analysis. Bottled without filtration.
Tasting Notes Pear, honeysuckle, dried apricot, lemongrass, wet stone, baked apple and brioche; full-bodied with refreshing acidity and a juicy, vibrant finish.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
2020 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.3%
pH 3.55
Total Acidity 5.88 g/L
Grape Varieties 100% Chardonnay
Region Santa Cruz Mountains
Harvest Dates 1 Sep 2020 and 2020-09-03
Brix at Harvest 23.4°
Estate Grown Yes
Sites Rousten and Perrone lots
Fermentation Vessels Oak barrels
Pressing Method Whole-Cluster Pressed
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Types American oak and French oak
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details Hand-harvested, organically grown estate fruit was whole-cluster pressed, fermented in barrel on native yeasts and matured for seventeen months in barrel. Cooperage was 90% air-dried American and 10% French oak: 10% new, 30% three-year-old, 30% four-year-old and 30% five-year-old. Ridge records sulfur at 35 ppm when the juice went to barrel and 105 ppm over the course of aging; these are process additions rather than a finished-wine sulfite analysis. Bottled without filtration.
Tasting Notes Pear, apple blossom, lemon and wet gravel; full-bodied, with a weighty entry, lively acidity and a long, juicy finish.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
2014 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.2%
Grape Varieties 100% Chardonnay
Region Santa Cruz Mountains
Soil Fractured limestone overlain by decomposing franciscan greenstone mixed with clay loam
Harvest Dates 26 Aug 2014 to 4 Sep 2014
Brix at Harvest 23.6°
Estate Grown Yes
Fermentation Vessels Oak barrels
Pressing Method Whole-Cluster Pressed
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Types American oak and French oak
Bottling Date May 2016
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details Four Monte Bello Chardonnay lots were assembled and returned to older barrels. The wine matured for nineteen months in barrel at 92% air-dried American and 8% French oak: 8% new, 46% one- to two-year-old and 46% three- to six-year-old. The vineyard elevation is reported as 1,400–1,900 feet and grape yield as 2.6 tons per acre; neither range has been converted into a canonical numeric field. Ridge records sulfur at 30 ppm at pressing and 74 ppm over aging, which are process additions rather than a finished-wine sulfite analysis. Bottled without filtration.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
2013 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.5%
Grape Varieties 100% Chardonnay
Region Santa Cruz Mountains
Harvest Dates 8 Sep 2013 to 15 Sep 2013
Brix at Harvest 23.8°
Estate Grown Yes
Fermentation Vessels Oak barrels
Pressing Method Whole-Cluster Pressed
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Types American oak and French oak
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details Estate fruit was whole-cluster pressed and fermented in barrel on native yeasts. After the selected parcels were combined, the wine matured on its lees for seventeen months in barrel. Cooperage was 88% air-dried American and 12% French oak: 6% new, 33% one- to two-year-old and 61% three- to six-year-old. Ridge records sulfur at 25 ppm at pressing and 154 ppm over aging; these are process additions rather than a finished-wine sulfite analysis. Bottled without filtration.
Tasting Notes Apricot, pear, citrus blossom, crème brûlée, dried fig, quince, grapefruit, wet stone and ginger root; lively acidity, elegant texture and a very long finish.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
2011 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.5%
Grape Varieties 100% Chardonnay
Region Santa Cruz Mountains
Soil Fractured limestone overlain by decomposing franciscan greenstone mixed with clay loam
Harvest Dates 17 Oct 2011
Brix at Harvest 24.2°
Estate Grown Yes
Sites Two Acre parcel
Fermentation Vessels Oak barrels
Pressing Method Whole-Cluster Pressed
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Types American oak and French oak
Bottling Date Feb 2013
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details Hand-harvested estate fruit from the Two Acre parcel was whole-cluster pressed and naturally fermented in barrel. The wine matured for eleven months in 90% air-dried American and 10% French oak: 32% new, 22% two-year-old and 46% three- or five-year-old barrels. Vineyard elevation is reported as 1,400–1,900 feet and grape yield as 2.4 tons per acre; neither range has been converted into a canonical numeric field. Ridge records sulfur at 25 ppm at pressing and 20 ppm over aging, retained as stated and not treated as a finished-wine sulfite analysis. Bottled without filtration.
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2010 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.4%
Grape Varieties 100% Chardonnay
Region Santa Cruz Mountains
Soil Decomposing franciscan greenstone mixed with clay over fractured limestone
Harvest Dates 28 Sep 2010 to 19 Oct 2010
Brix at Harvest 23.6°
Estate Grown Yes
Sites 60% Middle Block, 30% Upper Block, 10% Two Acre
Fermentation Vessels Oak barrels
Pressing Method Whole-Cluster Pressed
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Types American oak and French oak
Bottling Date Feb 2012
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details Fruit from three Monte Bello parcels was whole-cluster pressed; the juice was aerated and racked to barrel for natural primary and secondary fermentations, with biweekly barrel stirring as malolactic fermentation began. The wine matured eleven months in barrel: 90% air-dried American and 10% French oak, comprising 14% new, 31% one- or two-year-old and 56% three- or four-year-old barrels. The vineyard material covered 18.3 acres planted from 1976–1996, at elevations of 1,400–2,028 feet, with a grape yield of 2.4 tons per acre; these ranges were not converted into canonical numeric fields. Ridge records sulfur at 30 ppm at pressing and 45 ppm over aging, not as a finished-wine sulfite analysis. Twenty-seven barrels were produced; the wine was unfiltered.
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2008 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.1%
Grape Varieties 100% Chardonnay
Region Santa Cruz Mountains
Soil Decomposing franciscan greenstone mixed with clay over fractured limestone
Harvest Dates 2 Sep 2008 to 8 Sep 2008
Brix at Harvest 23.4°
Estate Grown Yes
Fermentation Vessels Oak barrels
Pressing Method Whole-Cluster Pressed
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Types American oak and French oak
Bottling Date Jan 2010
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Fining Agents Isinglass, 5.3 mg/L
Production Details Two of ten Monte Bello Chardonnay parcels were selected. Each parcel was whole-cluster pressed and separately barrel fermented on naturally occurring yeasts; weekly stirring accompanied uninoculated malolactic fermentation. The assembled wine matured for sixteen months in barrel: 90% air-dried American oak (10% new, 66% one- or two-year-old and 24% three-year-old) and 10% French oak, followed by four months settling in older barrels. Vineyard elevation is reported as 1,400–1,900 feet and grape yield as 2.4 tons per acre; neither range was converted into a canonical numeric field. Ridge records sulfur at 25 ppm at pressing and 84 ppm over aging, not as a finished-wine sulfite analysis. The wine received 5.3 mg/L isinglass before bottling and was unfiltered.
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Producer Information
Website
Address
17100 Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435, USA
Phone
+1 408.867.3233
Owner
Private ownership (founding families)
Cellarmaster
John Olney (Head Winemaker & CEO)