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 (Napa Valley, 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. Cheapest offer £85.00 at Fulham Wine Company.
| Wine | Sweet | Body | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Will Sorella 2020 Andrew Will · Washington | £82.31 | |||
| Flam Noble 2022 Flam · Judean Hills | £82.31 | |||
| Malartic Lagraviere 2009 Chateau Malartic Lagraviere · Bordeaux | £75.00 | |||
| Betz Family Winery Pere de Famille 2021 Betz Family Winery · Washington | £73.79 |
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.