Ridge Vineyards

Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello

Although Ridge Vineyards was founded in the early 1960s, wine production at the winery's Monte Bello location has a much longer history. Grapevines were first planted on Monte Bello Ridge by Osea Perrone, a doctor and prominent member of the northern California Italian immigrant community, in 1885. The first Monte Bello wine was produced in 1892.[1] Following Prohibition, the vineyard at Monte Bello passed through the hands of several amateur winemakers until it was purchased in 1959 by David Bennion, Charles Rosen, Hewitt Crane, and Howard Zeidler, all engineers at nearby Stanford Research Institute. Ridge Vineyards was bonded and produced its first commercial wine, a Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon, in 1962.[1]

According to a 1987 New York Times article, Ridge Vineyards was acquired by a Japanese company. "The new owner is Otsuka U.S., a subsidiary of the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, a producer of nutritional drinks and other pharmaceutical products. Otsuka operates an experimental wine-making center near Fuji, in Japan."

View from Ridge Vineyards on Monte Bello Ridge, Santa Cruz Mountains

Ridge–Lytton Springs Vineyard

The international reputation of the Monte Bello wine produced by Ridge Vineyards was established when it achieved fifth place in the "Judgment of Paris", against nine other French and California wines. Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon was acclaimed in subsequent competitions, including The Judgment of Paris 30th Anniversary, the 30th anniversary retesting of the same red wines evaluated in the 1976 Paris wine competition. In this blind tasting, held both in the United States and in the United Kingdom, judges in both countries ranked Ridge Monte Bello number one among all the wines judged.[2]

Ridge Vineyards produced its first Zinfandel in 1964. Beginning in 1966, the winery began sourcing some grapes for its Geyserville Zinfandel and other wines from vineyards in Sonoma County. In 1991, Ridge Vineyards purchased the Lytton Springs vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley AVA.[1] The winery produces wine at both the Monte Bello and Lytton Springs locations, and operates tasting rooms open to the public at both.

A bottle of 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon that was entered into the 1976 Judgement of Paris wine tasting.

Ridge also focuses on single-estate wines where the grapes for a particular label are all grown at the same vineyard. The signature wine of Ridge is its Monte Bello, a field blend of Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with varying percentages of other grapes grown in the same location, usually including Merlot, Petit Verdot, and occasionally Cabernet Franc.[8]

Ridge's Zinfandels (or mostly-Zinfandel field blends) constitute the bulk of the winery's production. Using grapes from selected sites from all over the state and bottling them each under their own label, Ridge Zinfandels emphasize the particular characteristics of each growing site and may show different aging characteristics than do other Zinfandels. Among the best known of the Ridge Zinfandels or Zinfandel-blends are those from Geyserville, York Creek, and Lytton Springs.

• Monte Bello wine by Ridge Vineyards achieved fifth place in the "Judgment of Paris", against nine other French and California wines in 1976.
• In 2013, Decanter Magazine named Ridge Vineyards as one of the top producers of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon in California.[9]
• On 25 June 2014, The Daily Meal named Ridge Vineyards as one of the best wineries in America.[10] Ridge was named as one of the best producers of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in 2013 California Vintage.[11]
• On 25 June 2016, The Daily Meal named Ridge Vineyards as one of the best wineries in America.[12]
• New York Times’ wine critic Eric Asimov described Monte Bello as the America’s greatest Cabernet Sauvignon.[13]
• In the 30 September 2016 Issue of Wine Spectator of The Outsider, wine critic James Laube wrote an article on Paul Draper's history with Ridge Vineyards. He noted “Ridge’s wines today are better than ever is a tribute to him (Paul) and his successors."[14][15]
• On the evening of 18 October 2016, East Bench Zinfandel of Ridge Vineyards was selected to be served at the last state dinner of the Obama administration at the White House.[16]

• California wine

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ridge Vineyards.

• Official website
• "Ridge Vineyards Sold" (7 January 1987) The New York Times;