Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Ridge Vineyards — Estate Chardonnay 2023
Monte Bello Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
100% Chardonnay from Ridge’s Monte Bello Estate, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains and strongly influenced by the cool Pacific. The exceptionally long, cool 2023 growing season preserved freshness and varietal character, while barrel fermentation followed by nine months on the lees added texture and dimension. At 14.1% ABV, it carries surprising substance without sacrificing its cool-climate identity.

Aromas & Flavors
Fresh lemon, yellow apple, pear, citrus blossom, and subtle stone fruit unfold gradually, joined by mineral notes, gentle vanilla, and restrained barrel nuances. Air brings out additional layers without turning the wine overtly oaky.

Mouthfeel
Beautifully texturized yet remarkably fresh. Bright acidity provides tension while lees aging gives the mid-palate a gentle creaminess and polished weight. It keeps evolving after opening, moving between delicacy, mineral energy, and increasingly expressive fruit.

Food Pairings
Excellent alone, but equally comfortable with scallops, lobster, grilled halibut, roasted chicken, mushroom risotto, or richer seafood preparations. Its combination of acidity and texture lets it pivot effortlessly between sipping and serious cuisine.

Verdict
A fascinating expression of mountain-grown California Chardonnay. Delicate yet substantial, refreshing yet textural, it demonstrates how a cool Pacific-influenced site can deliver ripeness without sacrificing precision or energy.

Did You Know?
Monte Bello sits high above Silicon Valley on the Santa Cruz Mountains ridge, with vineyards exposed to significant Pacific influence. Ridge notes that 2023 was one of its longest and coolest recent growing seasons; the extended harvest helped preserve acidity while allowing slow flavor development—the tension you can genuinely feel in this Chardonnay.

🍷 Personal Pick
This sits comfortably among my favorite coastal-influenced Northern California Chardonnays. What gets me is the evolution: refreshing and delicate at first, then progressively more textural and expressive as it opens. It has enough finesse to enjoy completely on its own and enough structure to sit beside fine cuisine. That versatility, without losing its cool-climate personality, is what makes this one special. — a month ago

Mark S.

9.1

Deep cherry red ~ black. Oak vanilla black cherry plum. Fruitiness M++ Sweetness M+ Acidity M Tannin M Smooth Bitterness M Body M++ Finish M % Powerful Concentrated jammy Juicy good balanced Ridge Vineyards Pagani Ranch Sonoma Valley Zinfandel @2800, Eva - BBQ, 260914-260915 — a month ago

P Plusquellec

9.7

Hard to find a flaw — 2 months ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!

Deep inky in color with a short reddish rim.

Beautiful nose of black fruits, cedar, chocolates, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, earth, light vanilla and black pepper.

Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, toast, light vanilla, dark chocolates, earth, herbs, coffee, peppercorn and mediterranean spices.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Merlot from Napa Valley. Rich and extracted, elegant and nicely balanced. Complex and entertaining.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 90 minutes of airtime.

This Single Vineyard Merlot is starting to drink beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

Fruity, easy drinking and good by itself or with food.

A blend of 93% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petite Sirah. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. A small production of only 2,200 bottles.

15% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$70. — 2 months ago

Sean Coleman

9.7

A fruity brightness that finishes with a light dryness. Slight cherry flavoring and clean finish. Beautiful wine easily drank casually — 5 months ago

Jason Meneses

9.2

Wow, so big, so fruity, a bit sugary. It’s old school cool, like a true OG CA Zinfandel. — 8 months ago

"Odedi"

9.1

This is a very tasty and easy drinking Zinfandel blend from Sonoma County.

Fruit forward with nice complexity. Elegant and entertaining.

Still young and needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly, and will continue to get better in the next 7 years.

I've had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.

Wine Enthusiasts 92 points.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food.

A blend of 67% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, 8% Petite Sirah, 5% Alicante Bouschet and 3% Mataro.

14.4% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$36. — 4 days ago

Brandon Boesch

9.4

Big but hides abv. Smooth, dark fruits, some herbs and spices, overall a ton of fruit and bitter cocoa. It honestly needs more time. So good with steak au poivre at meritage St. Paul. — 12 days ago

Paul J

9.4

Always great! Medium gold color. Still young. More reserved fruit than other vintages. Well balanced and just my style. — 23 days ago

with Brooke

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.4

Not as good as expected. A little tired. Nice tho. Day 3, so good! Time and air made this insane. Love, — a month ago

Mary H

9.3

An explosion of apricot flavor. Round and smooth, heavy weight, with sufficient but not overt acidity. A beautiful sweet wine. — 4 months ago

Barny

9.4

Wine 1500 🙈 ; opened for World Cup starting 2026 Mexico and South Africa; The cork popped off…; but still managed to get the fine juice out 😉; Vintage 2006, just like the „Summer Fairy Tale“ of the World Cup in Germany; and the wine leaves you wanting more „mehr Lust“, beautifully aged, fine fruit 😋 Wishing everyone a wonderful and peaceful World Cup — 5 months ago

Louis Martin

9.1

Light fruity aroma, dark red, medium body, dry and succulent, dark fruit flavor, paired nicely with venison. — 9 months ago

"Odedi"

9.0

This is a nice and easy drinking Zinfandel based red blend from Alexander Valley. Tasty and easy drinking. Well balanced and complex.

Needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly, and will continue to age nicely in the next 7 years.

A blend of 71% Zinfandel, 19% Carignane, 8% Petite Sirah and 2% Alicante Bouschet. Aged in American oak barrels for 13 months.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$45. — a day ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Primarily Chenin Blanc with small amounts of Semillon and Grenache Blanc blended in. Light golden color. Expensive aromas of stone fruit, white flowers, flint and honey. Flavors of cooked peaches, ripe apples, tangerine and a subtle mineral backbone. A touch of honey on the long and lingering finish. Slightly creamy/silky texture. (Lees aging?) Vibrant and zesty acidity. Rich and round with a great mouthfeel. Consistently solid vintage after vintage. Appreciate you adding this one to the tasting lineup, Chris B. I need to drink more Chenin. — a month ago

k

9.3

Full mouthfeel with acidity, minerality, and tropical fruit notes exquisitely balanced. Or peach and honeyed citrus per label. Still lovely. — 19 days ago

Austin Baird

9.0

Slight eucalyptus, strong tannic structure holding firm 10 years later! Deep dive with red pear, dried bing cherry, and toasted oak. Favorite pairing was the 18 month aged Gouda. — 2 months ago

David White

9.2

Always consistent and the 2020 Pinotage at 6 years doesn’t disappoint
Deep ruby colour berries in nose and palate with long finish — 2 months ago

Mo

9.2

A superb Zinfandel blend that tastes great now and possesses the requisite structure to age. Ridge sets the standard in American winemaking. Their corpus of high quality wines is unmatched in America and challenges the entire industry worldwide. — 4 months ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.8

Holy shit! Best vintage I’ve tasted of this. Perfectly balanced. Maybe more like A 98. Upped rating. Insaneeee!! — 7 months ago