In Bond Fine Wine. 2023 Ridge Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA. Red usa-california in 6x150cl. Top critic score: 94/100 (BN). Drinking window: 2025+. Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
Ridge Vineyards is a pioneering California estate, founded in the 1960s with the limestone-rich slopes of Monte Bello Ridge in Santa Cruz Mountains (AVA). Its legacy was cemented when the 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon was ranked 3rd in the historic 'Judgement of Paris'. Renowned for its elegant Cabernet Sauvignon and also its old vine Zinfandels and traditional fields blends from historic sites across Sonoma County, Ridge crafts some of the most ageworthy and authentic wines in the United States. These are great terroir-driven wines, from a winemaking philosophy of minimal intervention, native yeasts and transparent winemaking to express the site, vintage and varietal character. Ridge remains, without question, one of America’s greatest wine producers.
Billy Norris (BN) — 94/100 · Vinous · Drink 2025 - 2038
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate delivers an unmistakable Monte Bello stamp. Lavender, black olive, pine forest and cedar tones announce this as what can only be Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet. Layers of forest floor, garrigue and generous black fruit flesh out on the generous mid-palate, nicely offsetting the bright, crunchy acids. This is an exceptional rendition of the Estate Cabernet, especi…
Decanter (DEC) — 95/100 · Decanter.com · Drink 2025 - 2036
The grape that founded the Montebello estate, the Ridge Cabernet, is a Montebello-grown wine made from fruit that doesn't contribute to the flagship, Montebello bottling. It tends to be more accessible in its youth and is softer in its profile. 2022 was the third straight drought year, with low yields and concentrated, small berries with ample tannin. The wine sees 17 months in 50% new American o…
James Suckling (JS) — 93/100 · JamesSuckling.com · Drink 2025+
Aromas of blackcurrants, licorice, tea leaves, cedar and spices. The palate is full-bodied with firmly framed tannins and bright acidity that leads to a bright, savory finish. There's lovely freshness despite the warm vintage. Drink or hold.