New Scores from Vinous

Vinous

October 2024

In his Fall 2024 Santa Cruz Mountains report, Billy Norris at Vinous touts Ridge Vineyards as “the stalwart of distinctive, site-driven blends from across California” and awards several outstanding scores, including 97 points for our 2021 Monte Bello.

Monte Bello Estate Wines

2016 Monte Bello

Santa Cruz Mountains | 100 Points

“The 2016 Monte Bello is a masterful expression of this lauded site in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It’s powerful, broad and infinitely layered, but it also possesses an incredibly finessed tannin structure that speaks clearly and forcefully but yields dutifully. Saturated blueberry, gravel, eucalyptus, charcoal, cedar and India ink build gradually and steadily through the long and sizzling finish. Just beginning to soften and develop beyond the primary stage, it wouldn’t be a crime to open a bottle now, but this has many, many lives left to live and should be even better (if you can fathom) in a few more years. This is what Monte Bello is all about.”

“Precise, laser-focused and propulsive…This is everything Monte Bello should be.”

2021 Monte Bello

Santa Cruz Mountains | 97 Points

“The 2021 Monte Bello is a top-tier wine from this reverential site in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The blend contains quite a bit more Merlot than usual (31%), which is a reflection of reduced Cabernet yields stemming from the drought-riddled 2021 growing season. Broad, infinitely layered and rooted in deep spice tones, the 2021 opens with a forceful kick of wild blackberry and orange peel, delving deeper into complex layers of black olive, new leather, violet and sweet pipe tobacco. Surprisingly giving and undeniably fresh, the 2021 is precise, laser-focused and propulsive, stationing the midline of the palate with an army of well-honed tannins and culminating in a finish that seemingly never ends. This is everything Monte Bello should be.”

2017 Monte Bello

Santa Cruz Mountains | 97 Points

“The 2017 Monte Bello is fully in the zone. You can pull the cork today without a single qualm or fear that you’re arriving at the party many years too early. The aromas and flavors have developed really nicely, and it’s in a beautiful spot for drinking. A more exotic, voluptuous, exuberant Monte Bello, it oozes with an array of spices and sweet black fruit, accented by toasted sugar, spearmint, cedar and crushed rocks. The tannins have laid down their swords and jumped in the pool with everyone else. Delicious.”

2015 Monte Bello

Santa Cruz Mountains | 96 Points

“The 2015 Monte Bello is still a well-protected fortress of a wine. A more red-fruited and tobacco-laden Monte Bello, it’s mouthwateringly juicy and stubbornly tightly wound, giving rise to the question of whether it will ever let its guard down. Even so, the stuffing is undeniably there, so you might as well just keep waiting. Of course, the risk is that this wine may outlast all of us before it ever truly gives up the goods. Check on it again in five years.”

2021 Monte Bello Chardonnay

Santa Cruz Mountains | 94 Points

“Rich, flinty and nutty, the 2021 Chardonnay Monte Bello is a voluptuous, curvaceous, rounded wine. It oozes with flickers of reduction, diving into ripe yellow plum, toasted hazelnut, sweet cream butter and a salty core of mineral tension. It could really use a bit more energy to help shoulder all that weight. Nonetheless, it’s admirable in its concentration and richness. The 2021 is an excellent, though not exceptional, edition of Monte Bello Chardonnay.”

Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Estate Wines Club Releases

2022 Estate Chardonnay

Santa Cruz Mountains | 92 Points

“Ridge’s 2022 Chardonnay Estate is full-bodied, deeply flavored and ready to play. Still reductive and overtly displaying American oak’s vanilla/dill hallmarks, there’s a tempting sweetness to its honeyed peach, chamomile and wood spice tones that makes this very satisfying today. Ample textural harmony rides through the finish, embracing the palate like a warm hug. That said, it lacks motivating energy and verve, falling ever-so-slightly flat on the close.”

2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Santa Cruz Mountains | 92 Points

“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot, is tight and compact, boasting a stern mineral core and a truckload of spiced black fruit. Plum, blackberry, tar, eucalyptus and iodine all live behind a wall of searing tannins, but there’s a nice airy, floral lift and a balancing proportion of creamy oak that implies roundness For now, hands off, but this is a serious wine.”

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Zinfandels & Rhône Wines

2022 Geyserville

Alexander Valley | 94 Points

“A blend of 67% Zinfandel, 20% Carignane, 10% Petite Sirah and 3% Mourvèdre, the 2022 Geyserville is packed to the gills with purple fruit and a ridiculous amount of spice—exotic spice, brown spice, baking spice, you name it. Blueberry, black plum, new leather, menthol and tobacco explode from the glass, all wrapped up in forceful, imposing tannins. A kick of mocha/espresso-scented toasty oak rounds out the finish. This is a take-no-prisoners rendition of Geyserville that will definitely benefit from some sideways time in the cellar.”

2022 Lytton Springs

Dry Creek Valley | 94 Points

“The 2022 Lytton Springs 50th Anniversary is a characterful edition of this classic cuvée, notable for its élevage in only American oak. Exuberant cherry/berry fruit and licorice meet with grilled herbs, tanned leather, vanilla and dill, all energized by juicy acidity. This is a large-scale wine that will certainly stand the test of time. The clarity and precision here are commendable, especially packaged in such a broad-shouldered frame. Fabulous.”

2022 Rockpile Zinfandel

Rockpile | 94 Points

“The 2022 Zinfandel Rockpile is a blend of 68% Zinfandel and 32% Petite Sirah from Botticelli Vineyard in the far northern reaches of Sonoma County. It presents a lovely, sumptuous interplay of dark fruit and savory notes. Blackberry, black olive, tobacco, thyme, sage, blood orange and leather lead to a deftly balanced, deceptively mid-weight palate full of calibrated tart acidity and chewy Petite Sirah tannins. The balance here is nothing to shake a stick at. This is another standout in the Ridge stable this year.”

2022 Pagani Ranch Norma’s Block

Sonoma Valley | 94 Points

“The 2022 Pagani Ranch Norma’s Block is a fantastic wine off this historic site. Surprisingly only medium in body, it portrays a great depth of site character in its gravelly minerality and spicy, brooding charm. Red/blue fruit, clove, gravel and black licorice wrap around a sensual yet muscular wine. Chalky, powdery, cocoa-like tannins march through the finish, wrapping this up in style. The 2022 is a blend of 78% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah, 7% Alicante Bouschet, 4% Grand Noir and 4% Lenoir.”