Ridge Estate Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot

Dark purple hues with black cherry, dark plum, black olive, soy, dried jerky, lilac, dried rose petals, cedar, juniper berry, and wintergreen mint. Fresh entry with building tannins that coat the entire palate. Gravelly, dusty, and mineral notes give way to layers of red and black fruits. Integrated oak with youthful tannins and acidity. Will prove to be very age-worthy. TG (12/23)

As a selection of lots primarily from Monte Bellos Klein Ranch, our Estate Cabernet uses parcels that show the distinctive character of our soils and climate, but as a wine tends to mature somewhat earlier than our Monte Bello bottling. This pure, mountain cabernet is best cellared for two to three years and will improve over the next ten to fifteen. 

Made from 100% hand-harvested, estate-grown grapes; destemmed and sorted; fermented on indigenous yeast; full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; matured for nineteen months in 100% air-dried American oak barrels (50% new and 50% one year old). Ingredients: calcium carbonate; minimum effective sulfur (35 ppm at crush,158 ppm during aging). In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions

Scores: 95 Points Owen Bargreen, OwenBargreen.com; 94 Points Jim Gordon, JamesSuckling.com; 92+ Points Robert Parker Wine Advocate