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Ridge Vineyards

On a stormy day in early March, during which the rain momentarily turned to wet snow in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paul Draper staged a vertical tasting of his classic Ridge Monte Bello back to 1984. After having tasted high-octane Napa Valley cabs for more than a week without respite, I appreciated these wines for their claret-like alcohol levels (rarely over 13%). As long-time fans of this world-class wine know, Ridge more closely resembles classified growths from the Medoc than it does Napa Valley cabernet. (Results of this event will appear in the next issue.) Ridge has an outstanding '99 Monte Bello in the works, from "a huge crop" despite having dropped 30% of the fruit. "The season here is typically three to five weeks later than in Napa, and we really have to drop crop to get ripeness," Draper explained. "And we need to wait until we've burned off the green flavors. We have never added acidity here; in fact, sometimes it is necessary to de-acidify."

From Focus on California (May 2000) by Stephen Tanzer

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1998 Zinfandel Sonoma Station

Color: Red

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