| Region of production: | Santa Cruz Mountains AVA (Monte Bello Estate) and Sonoma County |
| Winery Location: | Santa Cruz (Monte Bello Estate) and Healdsburg (Lytton Springs Estate) |
| Year Established: | 1962 |
Vineyard Holdings
- Monte Bello Estate: approximately 52 ha
- Torre: 13 ha
- Perrone: 7 ha
- Klein: 22 ha
- Rousten: 10 ha
- Lytton Springs Estate: 124 ha
Top Wines Produced
- Monte Bello (100% Cabernet Sauvignon through the 1974 vintage, now a Cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blend)
- Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (approximately 80% Cabernet Sauvignon)
- Klein Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Inaugural Vintages
- Monte Bello: 1962
- Monte Bello (Chardonnay): 1962 (vintages from 1985-1998 were not produced under this designation)
- Geyserville (Zinfandel-based blend): 1966
- Lytton Springs Zinfandel: 1975
- York Creek (Napa Valley AVA) Zinfandel: 1975
- Jimsomare Cabernet Sauvignon: 1978 (discontinued after the 1997 vintage)
- Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: 2008 (previously released as „Santa Cruz Mountains“)
- Klein Cabernet Sauvignon: 2010
Average Total Production
- N/A
Summary
The current Ridge Monte Bello Estate lies at 2,300 ft. elevation, some 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean, and comprises four separate parcels: Perrone, Torre, Klein, and Rousten. The original „Monte Bello Winery“ was founded by Osea Perrone, a San Francisco doctor who purchased his land along Santa Cruz Mountains‘ Monte Bello Ridge in 1885, and produced his first vintage in 1892. Pierre Klein, John Torre, and Charles Rousten acquired neighboring ranches in 1888, 1890, and 1903, respectively. Each of them produced wine during the early years of the 20th century, but the vineyards were mostly abandoned during the Prohibition era. In the 1940s, William Short purchased the Torre property, and in 1949 planted Monte Bello’s first Cabernet Sauvignon vines – four acres of the original 1949 old vines survive today. Short sold his fruit to the now-defunct Gemello Winery in Mountain View, and was bought out by three Stanford scientists in 1959. In 1962, they formed a partnership as Ridge Vineyards, and released their first commercial vintage of Monte Bello Cabernet and Chardonnay with the help of winemaker Dave Bennion. By 1968 Ridge had acquired the Perrone Ranch and its 19th-century stone winery. In 1969 the partners hired winemaker Paul Draper, who would bring international recognition to Ridge’s wines over the next four decades. Today, Ridge has long-term lease agreements with the current owners of the Klein (renamed „Jimsomare“) and Rousten parcels.
Ridge’s most famous, iconic bottling is the Monte Bello, a graceful and age-worthy Cabernet-based blend, but the producer is really a Zinfandel house. In 1991 Ridge purchased the Lytton Springs Winery and vineyards in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley AVA, and today produces a number of vineyard-designate Zinfandel wines, plus a range of other whites and reds. Paul Draper remains as CEO and presides over winemaking, but separate winemakers have assumed most day-to-day responsibilities at both the original Monte Bello Estate and the Lytton Springs property. In 1986, Ridge was purchased by a Japanese pharmaceutical tycoon. The estate’s vineyards, leased and owned, are farmed sustainably; almost 200 acres are certified as organically farmed.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Grapes for Ridge’s Monte Bello red are typically harvested at under 25° Brix, and are fermented with ambient yeasts. The wines undergo a short maceration and age for 18 months in 96% American oak and 4% French oak – all new.
Producer Website: Ridge Vineyards