Old-vine wine from some of the greatest sites in the US
'In California wine circles we sometimes entertain ourselves with questions such as, what would you argue is the most American wine? Or, which wine do you think most successfully placed California wine on the world stage? Or, what do you think is the most respected winery in the United States? Inevitably, one winery - Ridge - is an answer, if not the answer, to each of these questions. - Elaine Chukan-Brown, 'Ridge Vineyards almost before they had any', jancisrobinson.com, May 2019
It is one of the great, defining names in American wines. For over 50 years Ridge Vineyards have released an astonishingly consistent series of world-class wines. Their Monte Bello was part of the winning line-up in the 1976 Judgement of Paris, the event that forever changed the world's view of American wines - and in the 2006 rematch, the Monte Bello shot up to first place.
No one who has driven along the winding mountain road on the eponymous ridge, and who has then stood in the Monte Bello vineyards looking one way down on Silicon Valley, another out to the fog-wreathed bay, could deny that these must be among the most impressively sited vineyards in the world. But that wasn't what drew winemaker Paul Draper to put down roots here in 1969; it was the Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet that grew here made wines of a complexity that he had almost never encountered outside Bordeaux. The model of wines he went on to make, wines built on freshness as much as structure, wines that are built to last, has been emphatically endorsed by time. After a lifetime's service, Paul officially retired in 2016, but remains a guiding hand on the tiller.
But Ridge is not just the home site high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Two hours to the north, in Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley, they maintain a completely separate winery focusing on single-vineyard Zinfandels. Paul Draper recognised almost before anyone else that California possessed a unique treasure trove of old vine Zinfandel. These vineyards tend to be field blends mixed with varieties like Carignan and the very American Petite Syrah. It is rare to see any Ridge wines at all in a general email offer; as well as the recent 2020 releases, we have also acquired a parcel that had been destined for the UK restaurant trade, making this an exceptional chance to get some Ridge in your cellar. It won't last, so jump in quickly if you want any! /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; 2020 releases available September 2020, all other wines available imminently
To place an order, click on the wine name below, reply to this email, or call 020 7638 5998
