Also Recommended
Picture
Product Name
Vintage
Price
Varietal
Country
Region
Appellation
Size
Additional Discount
Original Item
2014
$22.94
Zinfandel
United States
California
Sonoma Valley
750ml
N/A
Better Score, Similar Price
2022
$21.93
Zinfandel
United States
California
Sonoma Valley
750ml
12B / $20.90
Closest Match
2021
$23.75
Zinfandel
United States
California
Sonoma Valley
750ml
36B / $22.04
Best QPR in Price range
2022
$17.87
Zinfandel
United States
California
Sonoma Valley
750ml
12B / $17.51
More wines available from Ridge
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2017
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$92.49
Ridge’s 2017 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a fabulous choice for readers who want a Monte Bello fix now, without...
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello 2001
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$977.17
Expansive black-fruit aromas, plus some mulberry and bitter chocolate, make this mature Californian red hard to...
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello 2003
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$391.90
This has a wonderful balance of full, silky tannins and creamy ripeness, but with a degree of delicacy that...
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello 2008
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$344.05
The 2008 Monte Bello is in a gorgeous spot right now, as the aromatics are just starting to show the complex nuances...
Pre-Arrival
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello 2009
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$284.95
The 2009 Monte Bello ,72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot is simply magnificent. Layers of dark...
More Details
Winery
Ridge
Varietal: Zinfandel
Zinfandel varietal grapes are an interesting species whose exact origins are unknown. However, they have genetic equivalents in both Croatia and Puglia, where they are still grown, despite most of Zinfandel's vineyards being in the New World. These thin-skinned grapes thrive most healthily in warm climates, where the fairly delicate grapes are not prone to shrivel and dry up on the vine in intense heat. As such, valley regions all over the New World are often full of these dark and tightly bunched grapes which produce a lovely, light to medium bodied wine which varies greatly depending on the terroir it is grown in, and just how warm the climatic conditions over the vines are. Indeed, Zinfandel is renowned for being a grape varietal which can really show off the skill and expertise of the vintners who grow them, as the time of harvesting and the way in which they are processed (as well as the condition of the soil they are grown in) all have a strong effect on the flavor of the wine they produce.
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
Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.
Appellation: Sonoma Valley
The mid-nineteenth century was a hugely important era for the United States wine industry, and it was in this period when Sonoma Valley was first used as a wine region. The earliest wineries which made the wide and flat valley floor their home recognized the potential the region had, and noted the fantastic climate Sonoma Valley received. Alongside this, they understood the importance of the mineral rich volcanic soils and geothermal springs of the region, which would go on to provide nutrition for millions of grape vines over the next century and a half. Today, Sonoma Valley is one of California's premier wine producing regions, and it is widely agreed that many of the state's finest red and white wines hail from this beautiful area.