Ridge Vineyards "Monte Bello" Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
(Santa Cruz Mountains, California)

History:
In 1886, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the initial plantings of the Monte Bello estate vineyard were set out, and winery construction begun. A first vintage from the young vines followed in 1892. During Prohibition (1920-1933), the vineyard was not fully maintained; some vines survived into the late 30’s, but by the 1940s they were effectively abandoned. Eight acres of cabernet sauvignon were replanted in 1949. These were the source of the first Ridge Monte Bello (1962). Since then, the historic vineyards on the ridge have gradually been replanted.

Notes from the Winemaker:

Vintage:

Mild temperatures in March prompted an early bloom that coincided with the spring rains. This resulted in a smaller crop that, accompanied by more summer fog than usual, allowed for slow, steady ripening into September. After assembling thirty-six of fifty-eight lots, the wine was returned to barrel for a further twelve months. As a classic Monte Bello, it will benefit from a decade of aging and develop over another twenty years.

Tasting Notes

Opaque ruby color with ripe cassis, plum and red currant fruit, toasty oak, vanilla, fennel, juniper berry and bay laurel. Well-integrated velvety tannins, full mid-palate, firm acid, and a long, sumptuous finish.

Technical Information

Harvest Dates: 15 September – 9 October
Grapes: Average Brix 24.4˚
TA: 7.24 g/L
pH: 3.47
Fermentation: Grapes de-stemmed, 100% whole berry fermentation. Fermented on the native yeasts. Natural malolactic.
Selection:: Thirty-six Monte Bello parcels
Barrels: 95% air-dried American oak, 5% French oak (100% new)
Aging: Twenty months in barrel

Hand-harvested; estate grown Monte Bello Vineyard grapes, organically farmed, de-stemmed and sorted; fermented on the native yeasts; full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur (35 ppm at crush, 129 ppm during aging); depth filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.