1973 Monte Bello Chardonnay

73 Chardonnay, Monte Bello, bottled January 1975. For the relatively heavy crop of 1973, the malolactic followed soon after the primary fermentation, and the wine settled for several months before being racked to small cooperage. The fruit is somewhat muted, but the creamy quality of the malolactic, the varietal, and the oak comes through. Although the wine should develop further with bottle age, it certainly can be tried this Spring.

Ridge wine is made with an emphasis on quality and naturalness that is rarely attempted. Our grapes are grown in select vineyards (usually identified on the label), where they are left to ripen to peak maturity, often at some loss of quantity. We let the wine settle and age in small barrels, with only rare cellar treatment other than racking. Varieties are not blended unless indicated on the label. Near Black Mountain on Monte Bello Ridge, our main vineyard is 10 miles south of Palo Alto, 15 miles inland from the ocean, and over 2000 feet in elevation.

See all food pairing recipes we have created specifically for this wine.