Ridge Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Ridge Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains is a dry, full-bodied red from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc (Santa Cruz Mountains, United States), in the rich, smooth reds style. Tannins are moderate and acidity fresh; oak influence is some. Good with steak, lamb, roast chicken, roast pork.
| Wine | Sweet | Body | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malartic Lagraviere 2009 Château Malartic Lagravière · Bordeaux | £86.00 | |||
| Andrew Will Sorella 2020 Andrew Will · Washington | £82.31 | |||
| Flam Noble 2022 Flam · Judean Hills | £82.31 | |||
| Giusto di Notri Tua Rita 2022 Tua Rita · Suvereto | £74.00 |
Ridge's Monte Bello is one of the most famous vineyards in America - the Santa Cruz Mountains estate whose Cabernet stood alongside Bordeaux's First Growths at the 1976 Judgement of Paris and beat them outright at the thirty-year rematch. The Estate Cabernet comes from that same mountain vineyard: the blocks that drink beautifully years sooner, bottled under their own name since 2008. The vineyard climbs to around 2,600 feet on rare limestone soils, above the fog off San Francisco Bay, and that cool, slow mountain ripening is the whole character of the wine. Cabernet Sauvignon leads a classic Bordeaux-style blend with Merlot and a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, fermented on native yeasts and aged in American oak - the Ridge way, unchanged in spirit since 1962. Don't expect a big, jammy California Cabernet - this is the other thing entirely: medium-weight, fresh and savoury, built on fine tannin and bright acidity rather than sheer ripeness. A wine for the table rather than the sofa, and one that repays a decanter. Serve at 16-18°C.