Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
75cl * 14.0% ABV * Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA
Ridge's first vines were planted in 1885, but it took almost 100 years for the producer to wow the world: its wines swept the board at Steven Spurrier's 1976 Judgement of Paris competition. Ever since, Ridge has produced wines that have been rightfully regarded alongside the finest Bordeaux blends and Burgundy's top whites.
The flagship Cabernet blend showcases some of the best fruit from the estate, grown sustainably. The first vintage was in 1892, however the old vineyard was abandoned and replanted in the late 1940s. Full-throttle and juice-rich, the vibrant hue indicates just how ripe and sensuous this is, showing sweet cassis and blueberry, cola berry and liquorice. Napa Cab doesn't get much classier than this for the price.
A cool, foggy spring delayed budbreak, but warm weather during bloom created ideal conditions for the vines to set a full crop. Eighteen parcels were chosen for their alluring fruit and elegant tannins. After sixteen months of aging, the oak has integrated and the wine has begun to soften. It will continue to evolve and be most enjoyable over the next ten to fifteen years. Saturated purple colour with black cherry, plum, black tea, cedar and sweet toasted oak on the nose. Bramble fruit, vanilla, and mint on the palate with well-coated tannins and a long finish.
Drinking Window: now - 2039
“True to the vineyard’s mountain site, up to 814m (2,670ft) in altitude, exposed to the cold Pacific, the wine has vivid cassis purity and a touch of green sage. 16 months in 58% new American oak may have rounded the edges of the wine, but none of that oak shows up in the wine’s flavor—exquisite structure and balance. Ridge’s Estate Cabernets come from old blocks in the Monte Bello Vineyard, but blocks that Paul Draper and John Olney feel tend to produce a wine that’s more accessible young than the blocks used for Ridge’s top wine, Monte Bello. Be that as it may, the Estate Cabernet blend comprised of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 1% Petite Verdot drinks like a sophisticated age-worthy wine.” 96 points, Karen MacNeil, Decanter (November 2022)
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes from the estate Monte Bello Vineyard on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains and is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Hitting 13.8% alcohol, its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a brilliant perfume of blue fruits, scorched earth, tobacco leaf, and lead pencil. Beautifully balanced and medium to full-bodied, with building tannins, it’s a seamless Cabernet Sauvignon that has some up-front appeal given its balance and elegance yet will benefit from 2-5 years of bottle age and, I suspect, have 20+ years of overall longevity.” 94+ points, Jeb Dunnuck (August 2022)
"The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate offers a hugely appealing mix of fruit richness married to the savory, structured style that is the Ridge signature. The 2019 is beautifully exotic, but natural without the volume of the Monte Bello. I imagine it will drink splendidly with minimal cellaring. Succulent red cherry, blood orange, mint, cinnamon and pomegranate."92 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous