Ridge Estate Chardonnay
| Vintage: | 2017 |
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| Description: | Tasting Notes\r\nSun-bleached straw color. Pineapple, melon, honeysuckle, and citrus. Appealing fruit entry, refreshing acidity, with an elegant texture. Long, smooth finish. Has a Burgundian reductive quality as well as first-rate notes of caramelized orchard fruits, crushed rock, and subtle toasty, nutty notes. Rich, medium to full-bodied, with bright acidity, it has beautiful mid-palate depth, and well as the class and structure to keep for 15+ years. This\r\nFood Pairings - Steamed Mussels with Garlic Toasts, Crab Fondue with Spiced Pumpkin Flatbreads, Dates Stuffed with Brie and Herbs, Easy Dungeness Crab Souffl\u00e9, Linguine alle Vongole (Linguine with Clams), Shrimp & Grits, Smoked Trout Mousse with Cr\u00e8me Fraiche, Dill and Apple, Waldorf Sonoma Salad.\r\nJeb Dunnuck 94 Points \r\nWine Spectator 92 Points\r\nAbout Ridge Vineyards\r\nIn 1962, Ridge made its first Monte Bello, and two years later its first zinfandel. Since that time, Ridge has championed single-vineyard winemaking, searching California for those rare and exceptional vineyards where climate, soil, and variety are ideally matched.\r\nRidge Vineyards: Property in the 1800\u2019s\r\nThe history of Ridge Vineyards begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor who became a prominent member of San Francisco\u2019s Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge. He terraced the slopes and planted vineyards; using native limestone, he constructed the Monte Bello Winery, producing the first vintage under that name in 1892. This unique cellar, built into the mountainside on three levels, is Ridge\u2019s production facility. At 2600\u2032, it is surrounded by the \u201cupper vineyard\u201d, now referred to as the Perrone Ranch.\r\nThe 1940\u2019s: Restart of the Winery\r\nIn the 1940s, William Short, a theologian, bought the abandoned winery and vineyard just below the Perrone property; he replanted several parcels to cabernet sauvignon in the late 1940s. From these vines \u2014 now the \u201cmiddle vineyard\u201d and referred to as the Torre Ranch \u2014 new owners Dave Bennion, Hew Crane, Charlie Rosen, and Howard Ziedler, all Stanford Research Institute engineers, made a quarter-barrel of \u201cestate\u201d cabernet. That Monte Bello Cabernet was among California\u2019s finest wines of the era. Its quality and distinctive character, and the wines produced from these same vines in 1960 and \u201961, convinced the partners to re-bond the winery in time for the 1962 vintage. Dave Bennion left his role at S.r.i. to oversee winemaking duties full time.\r\nThe Zinfandel Introduction\r\nThe first zinfandel was made in 1964, from a small nineteenth-century vineyard farther down the ridge. This was followed in 1966 by the first Geyserville zinfandel. The founding families reclaimed the Monte Bello terraces, increasing vineyard size from fifteen to forty-five acres. Working on weekends, they made wines of regional character and unprecedented intensity.\r\nA New Era of Winemaking\r\nBy 1968, production had increased to just under three thousand cases per year, and in 1969, Paul Draper joined the partnership. A Stanford graduate in philosophy\u2014recently returned from setting up a winery in Chile\u2019s coast range\u2014he was a practical winemaker, not an enologist. His knowledge of fine wines and traditional methods complemented the straightforward \u201chands off\u201d approach pioneered at Ridge. Under his guidance the old Perrone winery (acquired the previous year) was restored, the finest vineyard lands leased or purchased, the consistent quality and international reputation of the wines established. Cabernet and Zinfandel account for most of the production; Syrah, Grenache, Carignane, and Petite Sirah constitute a small percentage. Known primarily for its red wines, Ridge has also made limited amounts of chardonnay since 1962.\r\nRecent History and Expansion of Operations\r\nLytton Springs, in Sonoma County, became part of the Ridge estate in 1991. A quarter century\u2019s experience with this vineyard had convinced us that it was an exceptional piece of ground. Forty consecutive vintages of Geyserville attest to yet another stunning combination of location and varietals. Though born in the early sixties to the post-Prohibition world of modern California winemaking, Ridge relies on nature and tradition rather than technology. Our pre-industrial approach is straightforward: find intense, flavorful grapes; intrude upon the process only when necessary; draw the fruit\u2019s distinctive character and richness into the wine. |
| Price: | $ 49.99 |
| Price in original currency: | None |
Available from BASSER’S Fine Wine
| Address: |
6240 Coral Ridge Drive Coral Springs, FL 33076 United States |
|---|---|
| Telephone (regular): | 954-840-3122 |
First added to 1000 Corks on December 31, 2020.
