More wines available from Ridge
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2017
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$92.52
Rated 94 - Ridge’s 2017 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a fabulous choice for readers who want a Monte Bello fix now,...
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello 1997
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$500.75
Rated 97 - Another of the highlights in the flight, matching the ’10 for its still-grippy, vibrant, dense and vivid...
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello 2001
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$1002.55
Rated 98 - Expansive black-fruit aromas, plus some mulberry and bitter chocolate, make this mature Californian red...
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello 2003
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$402.03
Rated 94 - This has a wonderful balance of full, silky tannins and creamy ripeness, but with a degree of delicacy...
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello 2009
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$293.28
Rated 98 - The 2009 Monte Bello ,72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot is simply magnificent. Layers...
More Details
Winery
Ridge
Varietal: Zinfandel
One of the more popular grape varietals to come primarily out of the New World in recent decades has been the Zinfandel, a thin-skinned grape which thrives in warm climates and produces wines which carry a wide range of flavors Indeed, Zinfandel grapes are highly varied depending on the climate and time of harvesting, displaying everything from sweet berries to spicy anise when harvested young, and producing excellent dessert wine when the grapes are left to over-ripen in the sun. Zinfandel varietal grapes are renowned for being one of the species which is highly capable of showing off the best features of the terroir they are grown on. This is partly due to those thin skins, and the light tannins they provide, allowing all sorts of other features and influences to shine through in the fermented juices. However, these grapes are quite delicate and not so easy to grow successfully, being highly sensitive to rot or from drying out when the weather is too hot.
Region: California
When it comes to New World wine regions, it is widely agreed that many of the finest wines are grown and produced in California. The long stretches of coastline and the valleys and mountainsides which come off them are ideal areas for vine cultivation, and for over a century now, wineries have found a perfect home in the hot, dry state, with many of the wines produced here going on to reach world class status. The state is greatly helped by the brisk oceanic winds which cool the otherwise hot and dry vineyards, which hold mineral rich soils covering vast areas and featuring many established wineries. The state is split into four main regions, the largest by far being the central valley which stretches over three hundred miles in length.
Country: United States
The first European settlers to consider growing grapevines in the United States must have been delighted when they discovered the now famous wine regions within California, Oregon and elsewhere. Not even in the Old World are there such fertile valleys, made ideal for vine cultivation by the blazing sunshine, long, hot summers and oceanic breezes. As such, it comes as little surprise that today more than eighty-nine percent of United States wines are grown in the valleys and on the mountainsides of California, where arguably some of the finest produce in the world is found. However, American wine does not begin and end with California, and due to the vast size of the country and the incredible range of terrains and climates found within the United States, there is probably no other country on earth which produces such a massive diversity of wines. From ice wines in the northern states, to sparkling wines, aromatized wines, fortified wines, reds, whites, rosés and more, the United States has endless surprises in store for lovers of New World wines.
Appellation: Sonoma Valley
The Valley of the Moon, as Sonoma Valley is widely known, has been one of the United States' most important and widely recognized wine regions for well over a century now, and upholds a firm belief in quality over quantity when it comes to the produce that is made in the dozens of wineries which make up the region. Helped by blazing Californian sunshine alongside mineral rich volcanic soils and geothermal springs, the grape varietals which grow in Sonoma Valley end up being packed full of fascinating flavors and aromas which are then transferred to the bottle. The past decade has seen the region expand more than ever before, and with more favorable weather conditions and a growing reputation for excellence, the wineries of Sonoma Valley are set to continue doing what they do best: making high quality, flavorful and characterful American wines.