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: 2018 Ridge Vineyards "Estate" Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay

2018 Ridge Vineyards "Estate" Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay

SKU #1468620 95 points Jeb Dunnuck

Outer quote mark Coming all from the estate Monte Bello Vineyard, the 2018 Chardonnay Estate offers a medium gold hue as well rocking notes of caramelized apples, white flowers, honeysuckle, and crushed rocks. These all carry to a medium-bodied Chardonnay with bright acidity, a focused, chiseled texture, terrific minerality, and just a kiss of background oak. It's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have two decades of longevity, if not longer. Inner quote mark (5/2020)

94 points Connoisseurs Guide

Outer quote mark This involving Chardonnay leads with a moderately intense, many-layered nose of apples, citrus, sweet oak and roasted grains and follows with concentrated, youthfully exuberant flavors that go well beyond simple fruit and reflect the far-reaching complexity found in its aromas with an added suggestion of lemon curd and hints of minerals finding their ways into the mix. Despite that fact that there is a good deal going on here, the wine is still very young and it has the structure and energy to impress even more if allowed to rest in the cellar for another three or four years. It is, quite simply, one of the winery's best Chardonnays in years. Inner quote mark (5/2020)

94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark The 2018 Chardonnay Estate Monte Bello Vineyard is a powerhouse on the nose, bursting with baked apples, salted almonds, beeswax, hay and loads of spicy accents. The palate is both silky and pure, concentrated and refreshing, finishing very long with loads of lift and flavor. (EB) Inner quote mark (2/2021)

94 points Vinous

Outer quote mark The 2018 Chardonnay is classy, translucent and so vivid. Apricot, tangerine oil and light tropical overtones open up first, but the 2018 only starts to show all it has to offer with some aeration. The layers start to fill out, and yet the 2018 never loses its sense of transparency and overall detail. A real sense of phenolic weight gives the wine its distinctive mountain feel. (AG) Inner quote mark (9/2020)

Jancis Robinson

Outer quote mark Beautiful condition: combines the sophistication of great, refined Chardonnay – poise and punch – with Californian ripeness. Lengthy, ripe, powerful, exotic but not overblown. Absolutely stunning, and drinking beautifully right now. 17.5/20 points (RH) Inner quote mark (3/2021)

K&L Notes

The producers of one of California's most iconic wines (Ridge Monte Bello) also produce an amazingly consistent and outstanding Chardonnay from their hallowed vines on the Monte Bello estate. Winemaker Eric Baugher's notes: "Pale sun-bleached straw color. Ripe apple and yellow plum fruit aromas, citrus blossom, and sweet baked dessert. Sensuous entry, showing appealing mountain fruit, elegance, balanced acidity, and a beautiful mineral aftertaste."

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2018 Ridge Vineyards "Estate" Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay

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Varietal:

Chardonnay

- It's hard to believe that up until about 30 years ago, this extremely popular varietal hid behind the veil of geographical names like Chablis and Puligny-Montrachet. Now grown all over the world and bottled by its varietal name, Chardonnay has achieved a level of branding unlike any other wine. Surprisingly, though, what you get when you buy Chardonnay can differ greatly from country to country and even within one country, depending on the climate where it's grown and how it is vinified and aged. From fresh, crisp and minerally with apple and lemon notes to rich and buttery with tropical fruit overtones, Chardonnay runs the gamut. In France's Burgundy, Chardonnay is the source of the prized wines of Chablis, Corton-Charlemagne, Mâcon, Meursault and Montrachet. It also the foundation of exceptional Champagne, where it is blended with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier or vinified on its own into Blanc de Blancs. It is also extremely popular in California, and is gaining popularity in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain and South Africa.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Santa Cruz Mountains

- Vineyards dot the valleys and ridges of this coastal AVA just south of San Francisco. Microclimates make it difficult to generalize, and vineyards are frequently separated by acres of forests and meadowlands (not to mention entire towns!), but this is nonetheless known as a cooler-climate zone ideal for pinot noir. Ridge is doubtless the most famous local producer, with its cabernet blend, Monte Bello, named after a Santa Cruz mountain peak. High-quality, low-production chardonnay and some Rhône varietals prosper as well.