THE PRODUCER
In 1962, four Stanford Research Engineers (Dave Bennion, Hew Crane, Charlie
Rosen, and Howard Ziedler) acquired the vineyard land at Santa Cruz Mountains
which were to become Ridge Vineyards. In those early years they experimented
with production of small quantities of wine, including the first vintages of
flagship wine Monte Bello (1961 and 1962).

By 1968 production had increased to just under three thousand cases per year,
and in 1969, Paul Draper joined the partnership (Draper was also a Stanford
graduate but in philosophy and more significantly he was an experienced
winemaker). The arrival of Draper at Ridge is really when the estate’s ascent to
greatness starts; he initiated full restoration of winery facilities begun the
acquisition process of the finest vineyard land.

THE WINE

One of Ridge Vineyards' most famous wines is Monte Bello, a Cabernet
Sauvignon-based wine that is considered to be one of the top wines in
California. Monte Bello is made from grapes grown in the Monte Bello vineyard,
which is located at an elevation of 2,600 feet in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The Monte Bello vineyard has a unique microclimate, with cool breezes from the
Pacific Ocean and warm sunshine during the day. The soil in the vineyard is a
mix of decomposed limestone and clay, which contributes to the wine's complexity
and structure.

Monte Bello is typically aged in oak barrels for up to two years before being
bottled and released. The wine is known for its rich, concentrated flavors of
blackberry, cassis, and dark chocolate, as well as its firm tannins and long
finish. It is a wine that can age for decades and is often compared to the top
wines of Bordeaux in terms of quality and aging potential.

2013 Monte Bello Release from Ridge Vineyards

INFORMATION
Type:RedVintage:2013Country:U.S.A.
Region:California
Sub region:Santa Cruz MountainsGrape:80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 7%
Cabernet Franc & 5% MerlotStyle:Bold & StructuredSweetness:DryABV:13.5%Drinking
window:2032 - 2080
Size:750mlFood match:Beef & Venison


CRITICS SCORES
We choose our wines based on a range of criteria(seehow we choose our wines)of
which critic scores is justone. Rather than simply highlight the best score to
promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided
by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do
not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more
weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores
like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a92/100average critic score or
better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a
high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we
offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the
market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and
representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide
to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add
individual critic scores to our website in the future.