I had a bottle of Monte Bello with my older sister when she graduated from college at UCSC. This is the wine that was my wow moment. It is still my favorite. Thank you Paul.
Thank you, Paul, for being a great influence to a guy who "retired" at 65 a couple years ago! Watch out! Your knowledge is needed, and you will not be playing golf full time in Florida! Best wishes, Tom Rinaldi
My introduction to Zinfandel came via Ridge. At the time I thought all Zins would be like theirs. A few years ago, I bought a couple of Monte Bello bottles, but I haven't opened them yet. Looking forward to it.
Congrats to Mr. Draper. May his retirement bring him as much joy as his wines have brought--and continue to bring--us.
Congrats to Mr. Draper. May his retirement bring him as much joy as his wines have brought--and continue to bring--us.
Congratulations on your new responsibilities, Mark!
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Eric, I admire your sentence, '... Monte Bello America's greatest cabernet sauvignon'. I couldn't agree with you more--especially if you consider the price you pay. Sometimes it pays to have an owner who leaves you alone which happens not too often with an American boss. Good thing for them it is a Japanese pharmaceuntical company that owns them I believe.
I don't know when the Japanese company bought them, but I always felt that unlike many large companies that buy up wineries and change their methods of winemaking and operation, rarely for the better, they just left Ridge the way they were and let the same people, particularly Draper, run the show.
Godspeed to Paul Draper. For me, Ridge is the reason to drink Zinfandel. Glad to know the quality will continue, but not surprised.
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A graceful exit for a fine man who is also a great winemaker. I first visited Ridge when Dave Bennion was just passing the torch to Paul Draper. The consistency of great Cabernet from a great terroir has been just incredible for half a century, in large part due to Paul Draper's modest but impeccable stewardship.
The discovery of Zinfandel as a fine, terroir-driven varietal and the incredible quality of the Chardonnays is a great bonus, but it is Monte Bello Cabernet that has (climate permitting) centuries ahead of it as a worth partner to the Lafites, Latours, Margauxs and Haut-Brions.
Dan Kravitz
Dan Kravitz
The discovery of Zinfandel as a fine, terroir-driven varietal and the incredible quality of the Chardonnays is a great bonus, but it is Monte Bello Cabernet that has (climate permitting) centuries ahead of it as a worth partner to the Lafites, Latours, Margauxs and Haut-Brions.
Dan Kravitz
Dan Kravitz
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I've learned so much reading his wine notes over the years. Honorable mention should go to their Petit Syrah (yes I know not Syrah, who cares?!) which is awesome. And an alicante bouschet they released only once AFAIK and still dream about.
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Been a huge Ridge fan since the late 1970s. It's wonderful to read and learn about the company.
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The "preindustrial techniques" that Mr. Draper emphasized might be called "listening to the land." Or maybe just "timeless." Let's hope that is successors continue that emphasis. I've not had any recent vintages of Ridge (because they age so well) but am eager to see how well the lessons have been learned by the next generation.
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Great story, Eric. I remember going to a harvest/Monte Bello release party at Ridge several years ago, and Mr. Draper spending at least 15 minutes with me sharing winemaking tips and perspectives, before getting on stage to launch the new vintage. Very warm and humble. The Zin's and Cab's (and ATP small releases) were great then, and continue to be as we go back each year. Best wishes for your next stage, Mr. Draper!
As one of its further accomplishments, as if it needs more, Ridge Vineyards has quietly certified almost all of its 277 acres of estate vines in Santa Clara and Sonoma counties as organic. In each county, it is the largest owner of organic vineyard acres, a level of achievement that is noteworthy. And it has quietly begun to label the wines on the back label "organic grapes" on, for a first, its East Bench Zinfandel.
At Ridge, "pre-industrial winemaking" does (and should for others) extend to how the grapes are grown. You can't make pure wines from vines treated with neonicotinoids, fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. We are just now beginning to get a glimmer of the effects of glyphosate and its co-formulant in Roundup on people, but the evidence of its effects on microbes, the beating heart of soil and vine roots, has been clear for decades (it kills them).
How heartening it is to see Ridge's accomplishments over a lifetime. May others aspire to these heights on whatever vine lands they work.