Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959 when three Stanford Research Institute engineers bought an abandoned winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyards had been planted in the late 19th century by a San Francisco physician who produced his first vintage in the original winery, called Monte Bello, in 1892. The first Ridge vintage was in 1962. Paul Draper recently…
Tag: Ridge Vineyards
2011 Ridge Geyserville – Bottle Notes
Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959 when three Stanford Research Institute engineers bought an abandoned winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyards had been planted in the late 19th century by a San Francisco physician who produced his first vintage in the original winery, called Monte Bello, in 1892. The first Ridge vintage was in 1962. Paul Draper recently retired…
’17 Zins and the Perils of Vintage Generalizations
I recently saw a tweet from Jeb Dunnuck that referenced the 2017 vintage as being a tough year for Zinfandel. I’m mostly predisposed to disagree with these generalizations when it comes to grapes like Zinfandel or Pinot Noir because they can be grown so far afield. How is it possible that growing conditions were difficult in Sonoma, Napa, Contra Costa,…
New Releases from Ridge Vineyards
Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959 when three Stanford Research Institute engineers bought an abandoned winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyards had been planted in the late 19th century by a San Francisco physician who produced his first vintage in the original winery, called Monte Bello, in 1892. The first Ridge vintage was in 1962. Paul Draper recently retired…
Zinfandel of the Month – 2017 Ridge Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyard
Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list. The September Zinfandel of the Month is the 2017 Ridge Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyard. Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959…
2014 Ridge Lytton Springs – Bottle Notes
Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959 when three Stanford Research Institute engineers bought an abandoned winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyards had been planted in the late 19th century by a San Francisco physician who produced his first vintage in the original winery, called Monte Bello, in 1892. The first Ridge vintage was in 1962. Paul Draper recently…
2016 Ridge Zinfandel Paso Robles Benito Dusi Ranch – Bottle Notes
Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1962. Paul Draper joined the winery in the late 60’s and was the driving force at Ridge for the next 50 years. Eric Baugher is the current winemaker. When I first became interested in Zinfandel the buzz was always around the Three R’s of Zinfandel: Ravenswood, Rosenblum and Ridge. 30 years later Ridge is still…
2013 Ridge Geyserville – Bottle Notes
Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959 when three Stanford Research Institute engineers bought an abandoned winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyards had been planted in the late 19th century by a San Francisco physician who produced his first vintage in the original winery, called Monte Bello, in 1892. The first Ridge vintage was in 1962. Ridge makes Cabernet,…
Pick My Next Bottle – 2015 Old Vine Zinfandel
The November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2015 Old Vine Zinfandel. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened this Friday and a Bottle Note will be published early next week.…
Spare Me the Bottle Age When It Comes to Zinfandel
Virtually every week I peruse WineBid to see if there are any wines worth bidding on. It strikes me that when I browse through the Zinfandel category I see countless bottles of Zin that are 10 plus years of age. Often I will see bottles that are 15-20 years old. I think that more often than not these wines end…