Ridge Vineyards

The history of Ridge Vineyards

Wine had been produced on the Monte Bello estate long before Ridge was established. The first vintage dates back to 1885, which is roughly the same time the Geyserville vineyard was established. A long hiatus followed, during which a group of Stanford scientists, who loved fine wine and were skilled at running a laboratory, operated the winery on weekends.

They rebonded the winery in 1962 and produced the first modern Monte Bello wine that same year. Two years later, the first Zinfandel was born. This was the product of a refined amateur spirit, and by the end of the decade, the owners realized they needed someone to dedicate themselves full-time to the venture.

In 1969, they hired Paul Draper, who was 33 at the time. A former Stanford philosophy major, who, after serving in the Army and the Peace Corps, studied French and Italian cuisine before deciding he wanted to make wine. He remained there for the rest of his professional career and continued to serve as chairman even after stepping down from his role as CEO and winemaker in 2016.

Under Draper, the winery underwent modernization and acquired vineyards; it gained international renown through a tasting event in Paris, where California Cabernet was first presented to the French judging panel. However, unlike many other California wineries, Ridge never fully integrated into the mainstream market. The winery has remained committed to its vineyards of old vines, unique grape varieties, and somewhat cult-like reputation.

The vineyards with very old vines

Ridge Vineyards spans two very distinct sections of California. Monte Bello is located in Santa Cruz Mountains, above Cupertino, on the ridge from which the winery takes its name. Sonoma County encompasses the other half: Geyserville and Lytton Springs, the latter in Dry Creek Valley.

Age is the common thread that runs through it all. Geyserville was planted around 1885, while Lytton Springs and Pagani Ranch, in Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Valley respectively, consist of vineyards planted in the 1880s that are now a blend of grape varieties that have fallen out of fashion. Those gnarled, old vines were precisely the kind that growers used to pull up to make way for trendy varieties. Ridge preserved them based on the logic that old vines produce the most distinctive fruit.

In addition to this vineyard, the winery bottles grapes from other old vineyards located in Sierra Foothills and Paso Robles; rather than blending them into a regional blend, it lists the grower's name, such as Dusi Ranch, on the label.

A significant portion of the estate's land is farmed organically. Ridge describes itself as one of the largest growers of certified organic grapes in the Sonoma County and Santa Cruz Mountains appellations.

The grape varieties

Ridge Vineyards is unique in that its grape variety composition was partially determined by decisions made by people who worked are Ridge more than 100 years ago. Since old field blends consist of a mix of varieties planted together, they must be harvested exactly as they grow. The result is a red wine made from a combination of varieties that most modern wineries would not intentionally plant.

You'll find the following varieties:

• Zinfandel: The grape variety most closely associated with Ridge
• Cabernet Sauvignon: The primary variety in Monte Bello
• Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot: Varieties blended with it in Monte Bello
• Petite Sirah and Carignan: Both are commonly found in the old Sonoma vineyards
• Alicante Bouschet, Grenache, Mourvèdre: Included in small quantities
• Chardonnay for white wine

Since the field blend vineyard never produces the exact same ratio two years in a row, the blend ratio varies from year to year.

The winemaking

Ridge Vineyards refers to its winemaking as pre-industrial. The reason is clear. Since modern additives and industrial processing methods impose limits on quality, the less they are used, the better. Paul Draper's approach has always been both practical and based on the principle of minimal intervention, and this philosophy has continued to this day.

Transparency is what sets Ridge apart from nearly every other wine producer. Starting with the 2011 vintage, every bottle's back label lists the complete list of ingredients. This is not a legal requirement, nor is it information that most producers voluntarily disclose.

There is a practical significance to this. A back label that appears to have a short list rather than a long one demonstrates just how little needs to be added to the wine when the fruit is of high quality. Furthermore, in an industry that primarily relies on trust, it is rare to provide consumers with a standard they can verify for themselves.

The bottles Ridge is known for

Monte Bello is a Cabernet-based red wine from the Santa Cruz Mountains vineyard, the vineyard that started it all back in 1962, and is the flagship product of this lineup. This wine is often compared to the Bordeaux First Growths.

Geyserville and Lytton Springs are the Sonoma pair; both are Zinfandel-led field blends produced from vines planted in the 1880s. These are distinct wines produced in different valleys, and for decades, Ridge has bottled them under their respective vineyard names rather than combining them under a single label.

In the white wine category, there is Chardonnay, produced from the Monte Bello vineyard; this wine has been bottled under the names Estate Chardonnay and Chardonnay Estate Monte Bello Vineyard, and there is also Grenache Blanc. White wines account for a small portion of total production, but they are by no means secondary.

In addition, Ridge bottles single-vineyard red wines produced on a rotating basis from the older vineyards of California, and it also includes grapes supplied by growers from Paso Robles and Sierra Foothills. Which vineyard's wine is released depends on the conditions of that year and the quality of the grapes produced by the vines.