Description / Reviews
// 100% Organically grown Chardonnay
"Apple fruit, brioche, and vanilla on the nose. On the palate, focused notes of citrus, pear, bright acidity, and a clean finish. Matured for 15 months in 85% American oak, 15% French oak (15% new, 20% one year old, and 65% four and five years old).
Hand-harvested estate-grown Monte Bello vineyard grapes; whole-cluster pressed; fermented on the native yeasts; full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 74 ppm over the course of aging); pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions." - Ridge Estate, Winemaker
"The 2023 Chardonnay Estate is bright, fresh and precisely articulated. Sourced entirely from the Monte Bello estate vineyard, the 2023 is a rounded, intensely concentrated wine that remains completely energized and lively from the vibrant first sip to the creamy finish. Shades of caramelized pear, white flowers and marzipan blossom in the glass. The Chardonnay was aged in a combination of 85% American and 15% French oak, 20% new. It's a fabulous edition of this bottling." - 95 Points, Billy Norris, Vinous
"Ridge has made this Chardonnay from the Montebello estate since 1962, but it's less than 5% of the planted acres. This comes from the lower slopes of the original Klein Ranch. A long, cool growing season pushed this Chardonnay back a month in 2023, in terms of harvest dates. An extended hang time gives the wine a nice balance. While it's opulent and ripe, with vanilla bean and poached pear from 80% American oak, its whole cluster is pressed and spends 6-8 months sur lie with a weekly battonage. The palate is lushly fruited with creamy notes of lemon curd, baked apple and a bright, nearly savoury finish. Delicious." - 94 Points, Clive Pursehouse, Decanter
"Medium gold. Butterscotch apples – rich and ripe and creamy – it smells like a warm hug. Beautiful balance with plenty of acid to cut through the richness and oak spice and to drive out the finish. Classic California Chardonnay done right. The cool 2023 season seems to have played very well with this site's Chardonnay." - 17/20, Samantha Cole-Johnson, Jancis Robinson
