2022 Ridge - Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains Estate (750ml)

The Ridge Monte Bello estate began in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a physician and prominent figure in San Francisco's Italian community, purchased 180 acres near the summit of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He planted vineyards and built a winery of redwood and native limestone, producing the property's first vintage in 1892. The site fell into disuse following Prohibition until a group of Stanford engineers revived it in 1959, and by 1962 the estate was producing wine again under winemaker David Bennion. Ridge's global standing was cemented when its 1971 Monte Bello placed fifth among red wines at the celebrated 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting.

This estate bottling is sourced from vineyard blocks across the property that develop complexity earlier than the fruit reserved for the flagship Monte Bello wine, a distinction the winery has recognized formally since 2008. The 2022 vintage blends Cabernet Sauvignon with small portions of Petit Verdot and Merlot, grown in a third consecutive drought year that produced small, concentrated berries with firm tannin. The wine was barrel aged for seventeen months in a mix of new and neutral oak, softening and integrating those tannins ahead of release.

The wine opens with early summer blackberries, sweet tobacco leaf, and hints of minerality, layered with toasty oak. The palate is plush and fluid, with lush dark fruit and charred, roasted accents leading into a lifted, pretty finish. It works well alongside grilled flank steak, roasted lamb, or a plate of aged pecorino.