This is my very favorite ♥️🍷♥️ — 19 hours ago
So good, smooth, not too sweet and not too dry. — a month ago
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 — 2 months ago
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
Pours a purple hue with some fading at the rim; aromas of black and red fruit; raspberry, blackberry, some dark cherry, and cassis; palate with good acidity, congruent with the nose; there is a bit of vanilla clove baking spice oak on the palate. Alcohol is moderate at 13.5; I like the wine, and I don’t drink a whole lot of American wines. The oak influence should be more delicate in my opinion, as the fruit is pretty elegant. It overwhelms a bit, and holds it back. I have doubts that this aspect will improve with bottle age, but I have another couple bottles and will leave in the cellar as an experiment. — 3 months ago
Golden color. Green apple and vanilla (light oak) on the palate. Age worthy. April 2026. — 6 months ago
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. — 6 days ago
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. — 17 days ago
Full mouthfeel with acidity, minerality, and tropical fruit notes exquisitely balanced. Or peach and honeyed citrus per label. Still lovely. — 24 days ago


Hard to find a flaw — 2 months ago
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

Plenty of dark cherries that was right on the edge of being over top. Yet the mouthfeel and overall impression I had was that it had a sort of elegance to it. — 16 days ago
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
This is a wonderful expression of Santa Cruz Mountain Cab, caught in a state of absolute grace. I might be lucky with the specific bottle but it's really shining through like a mini superstar. Small red and black fruits are still preserved in a dusty state, in harmony with the emerging leather, pipe tobacco, and graphite, strikingat great balance between freshness and complexity. The nose is giving a preview of the palate, where the canines show completely evolved, silkyyet substantial. Again, lucky me, because it's in a state of grace. — 2 months ago
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
A fruity brightness that finishes with a light dryness. Slight cherry flavoring and clean finish. Beautiful wine easily drank casually — 5 months ago
1 hour decan(decent chunky/fine sediment). A striking still dark garnet color. On the nose: Captivating notes of dark fruit, stewed meat, mushroom, eucalyptus, roasted coffee bean. Taste: silky, opulent, structured wine with dark cherry, tobacco, charred earth, currants, herbs, pepper, and a coffee-pencil lead long finish with just a touch of heat from the alcohol. YUM!! — 7 months ago

"Odedi"
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. — 8 days ago