Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2020

Ridge Estate Chardonnay Ideally Paired with Chicken Breast stuff with spinach and feta cheese

Linda prepared a hearty chicken breast stuffed with spinach and feta cheese over a bed of asparagus and mashed potatoes. The cheese took over the whole dish for a delicious wintry comfort food entree that begged for a full robust white wine. I pulled from the cellar this recent vintage premium Chardonnay from iconic producer Ridge. 

While I might normally select an older vintage to cycle our holdings as part of cellar management, and the pundits write that this should age well for 7-8 years and that this label often benefits from a few years of aging, I was eager to try this label from a lot that I just picked up recently.

Since 1962, Ridge has produced small bottlings of chardonnay that reflect the cool climate and limestone subsoils of the heralded Monte Bello Estate, high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains, on the eastern facing slopes, of the Santa Cruz Range that separates San Francisco Bay and Silicon Valley to the east, from the Pacific Coast to the west. 

The Santa Cruz range is also known for its alignment along the famous San Andreas fault, which can be easily identified from the air, and runs along the beautiful scenic I280, high above Silicon Valley, between San Jose and San Francisco. 

This is especially favored since we used to live up against the mountain, below but near where the vineyard sits, in tony Saratoga (CA) when we were in Silicon Valley long ago, early in my tech career.

From their website, "Ridge produced its first chardonnay in 1962 from fully-mature vines planted in the late 1940s on the Monte Bello Estate vineyard. Production never exceeded ten barrels, and Monte Bello Chardonnay was sold principally at the winery. Several great vintages, among them the 1973, ‘74, ‘79, and ‘84, showed that the cool climate and fractured limestone sub-soils were well suited to the varietal.'

"By 1985, the old vines were producing less then a half-ton per acre and were taken out. The younger vines, planted in the ‘70s, provide the majority of grapes today. Initially these newer plantings were on the “lower” vineyard—not yet farmed as part of the Monte Bello estate—so the wine was called “Santa Cruz Mountains” and these vines have long since been included. Since 2009 the wine has been designated Ridge Estate Chardonnay. In years when differences among lots are sufficient to warrant a separate bottling, they make a limited amount of Monte Bello Chardonnay as well."

The Monte Bello Estate vineyard is much heralded and historically renowned, best known perhaps for Ridge's flagship, "Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon", which we've had over the years, but, we've also had the vineyard designated Merlot from there as well, and now this Chardonnay. 

Ridge Estate Santa Cruz Mountain (AVA) Monte Bello Vineyard Chardonnay 2020

As is so often the case, we were fortunate enough to enjoy this ideal pairing that amplified the enjoyment of both the food and the wine!

This is 100% Chardonnay sourced solely from the legendary Ridge Monte Bello Estate vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains Appellation (AVA).

It was highly rated receiving a consensus 94 Points from Wine Spectator,  Wine Enthusiast, Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com and Owen Bargreen, OwenBargreen.com.

Fine Wine Review wrote: "I might mistake it for a Corton-Charlemagne."

Light straw colored, medium bodied, bold, full and round yet impeccably smooth and what Jeb Dunnuck decribes as "brilliantly balanced", elegant, buttery with layer of ash notes that Wine Enthusiast describes as "flinty aroma to the nose, like smoke from chiseled granite", crushed stone that permeates the subtle flavors of peach and apple with hints of toasted spice and what Wine Spectator calls "overtones of salted butterscotch" on an abrupt, crisp, clean finish with nice well behaved acidity.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4244054

https://www.ridgewine.com/

https://twitter.com/RidgeVineyards

Steadfast Chicago Wine Dinner

Steadfast Chicago Wine Dinner

Kathryn Hall and the Hall Wine Club and marketing team hit the road this week with their Regional Release Tour to celebrate and promote the release of the flagship Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon for the 2015 vintage.  We attended the Chicago event held at the W Hotel, conveniently located a short walk from the office.

Before dinner we dined at Steadfast in the Kimpton Gray Hotel, another one of Chicago’s celebrated historical buildings. The gray Georgia marble dining room has been granted landmark status by the US Historical Society.

This was our first visit to this new establishment of the Fifty50 Restaurant Group that features New American cuisine in a chic, trendy upscale, chef-driven restaurant. The headliners are two noted up and coming chefs, Chris Teixeria and Ender Oktayuren.

Executive Chef Chris Teixeria was James Beard Award semifinalist in the "Rising Star Chef of the Year" competition for his work at Homestead on the the Roof in 2015.

Chef Ender trained and competed with 5-Time Olympic Medalist Chef Tim Bucci, and was Executive Chef at World of Whirlpool in Chicago and was Garde Manger Sous Chef at Sixteen in Trump Tower and Hotel when they earned their Michelin Star. 

Steadfast is located in the center of the Chicago Loop in Financial District, near the Theater District. The atmosphere is cosmopolitan, high energy, airy and light, but a bit noisy, fitting for the urban setting but not best suited for a business or intimate dinner.

Steadfast offers a carefully selected sufficiently broad winelist for the menu. As usual, we studied the list ahead of time and already had our selection pending any specials or other discoveries once on site. We were looking forward to introducing to fellow diner and 'Pour Boy' Dr Dan a wine featured and collected during our recent Seattle Culinary and Washington Wine Tour and our visit to the Long Shadows Wine Cellars . 

We wrote in these pages recently of our visit to Long Shadows Winery tasting room in Woodinville, WA and joining their top level wine club to ensure access to their selection of wines crafted by notable world class winemakers. Indeed we intend to share our three case allocation between son Ryan and Dr Dan.  

Hence, I was looking forward to present and showcase to Dan one of the selections, Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot, crafted by Michael Rolland, PhD and winemaker from several of the world's most exclusive wineries from Bordeaux and California. Pedestal Columbia Valley Merlot 2015 is blended w/ Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Alas, Manager and Sommelier Daphne advised us they had just sold their last bottle of Pedestal.  This forced an audible to select another wine suitable for the dinner, but not big, bold and robust so as to overshadow the upcoming tasting to come. 

Being predisposed to drink a Merlot we opted for the Ridge Monte Bello Vineayard Merlot, 2014. 

Ridge Estate Monte Bello Vineyard Merlot 2014

Ridge Monte Bello estate and vineyard sit high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains above Silicon Valley to the east and the Pacific coast just fifteen miles to the west. It lies in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, California’s coolest cabernet producing area. The Monte Bello vineyard ranges in elevation from 1300′ to 2700′ above sea level. Its distinctive terroir of soil, elevation, exposure and cool climate, produces wines that are impeccably balanced and capable for long-term aging. They are known for their firm acidity and minerality.

While not in the better known Napa or Sonoma, Monte Bello Vineyard is planted in Bordeaux varietals and the flagship Ridge Monte Bello Label, a Bordeaux Blend, has often been called America’s First Growth, as it has a long history and is one of the finest domestic examples of a classic Bordeaux blend.

This label, branded the Estate Merlot, is 100% Merlot sourced from the famed vineyard. in which cabernet sauvignon predominates.

Winemaker notes: "The 2014 reflects the driest year on record that brought significant water stress to the vineyard. After twenty-one months’ aging in American oak, this complex Merlot has developed wonderfully and will be most enjoyable over the next ten years. 

Saturated ruby color. Ripe cherry fruit, chaparral, black tea, toasted oak, and clove spice. Well-defined mountain fruit entry, rounded tannins, sweet oak, lengthy finish showing limestone character."

We found this dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant forward bold Cherry and Black Berry fruit flavors with sprites of clove spice and black tea, sweet oak and full rounded lingering tannins with bright acidity.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2591643

https://www.ridgewine.com/

https://www.steadfastchicago.com/

Our Entrees:

 

Steadfast Salmon

 

Steadfast Pork Chop

 

Steadfast Diver Scallops

 

Steadfast Bourimoundie

Ridge Monte Bello, Clos du Marquis, Darioush Chardonnay highlight Surf & Turf Dinner

Ridge Monte Bello, Clos du Marquis, Darioush Chardonnay highlight Surf & Turf Dinner

L prepared grilled rib-eye steaks and lobster medallions for a wonderful surf and turf dinner. We pulled from the cellar Ridge Monte Bello Bordeaux Blend and Bill brought a Clos du Marquis. For the lobster medallions we tasted Darioush Napa Valley Chardonnay.

Ridge Vineyards are mostly known for their broad selection of single vineyard select Zinfandels from a dozen vineyards across Northern California Napa and Sonoma Counties, but their flagship premier label is this Bordeaux blend from the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA (Agricultural Viticultural Area - aka appellation).

 The Monte Bello estate and vineyard sit high above Silicon Valley in the range that separates south San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The historic estate is the site of the legendary vineyard, and an old stone winery built by Dr. Osea Perrone back in 1892, the year of the first vintage release from the property. Today, it houses the production facility and includes a tasting room. The property was purchased in 1959 by four Stanford Research scientists who released their first Ridge Monte Bello label in 1962.  Paul Draper, winemaker to this day, joined Ridge in 1969, took over production of red wines the next year, and became winemaker in 1971.

There are 83.5 acres of vineyards on the property consisting of thirty-three different parcels sitting between 1400 and 2700 feet in elevation, which come as close as fifteen miles from the Pacific Coast, and is therefore one of the coolest Cabernet Sauvignon sites in California. The grapes here typically set, turn color, ripen and are harvested three weeks later than typical Cabernet sites in the hotter Napa, and to a slightly lesser degree, Sonoma counties.

Back in the early eighties, we lived in Silicon Valley and our house was up against the foothills in the tony town of Saratoga, down in the corner of Silicon Valley, below the Santa Cruz viticultural area on the Bay side of the range. Our home sat on what at one time were vineyards, and moreso, apricot orchards, which eventually gave way to the sprawl of development in the bustling high tech region of suburban San Jose.

Monte Bello has been called an American 'first growth' and is known for bold, complex, long lived Bordeaux style wines. While 1998 was considered an 'off' year in Napa and Sonoma Counties, the Santa Cruz AVA, ninety miles to the south was not so afflicted. This was our second to last bottle from a case we purchased on release and based on this tasting, we need not be in a hurry to consume the final bottle.

At seventeen years, this showed no diminution from age and may be at the apex of its drinking window, not likely to improve any with further aging, but no need to rush to consume remaining bottle (s).

Dark purple garnet colored, medium to full bodied, initially a bit obtuse and acidic, but softened and opened after decanting and sitting for an hour, full, moderately expressive black berry and plum fruits, complex, nicely polished, accented by subtle tones of  pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, violets, and hints of bell pepper and anise with moderate smooth silky tannins on the finish. It would be overstated to characterize it as 'earthy' but there is a layer of complexity that reflects the storied terroir and reveals the care of 47%  selection and the rigorous thinning that results in extremely selective, low yields of less than 1 1/2 tons per acre. In the classic left bank Bordeaux style, the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 24%, Petit Verdot 5%, and Cabernet Franc 1%.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3557

http://www.ridgewine.com/Vineyards/Monte%20Bello


Clos du Marquis 2004

This is the second wine of the classic Leoville Las Cases St Julien, Bordeaux, one of my absolute favorite Bordeaux and overall wines.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, moderate black currant/berry and black cherry fruits accented by floral tones give way to tones of leather, tobacco, hints of dried herbs and re-emergence of black cherry with moderate tannins on the finish. Not a fair fight perhaps as it was overshadowed against the more complex and bigger Monte Bello.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=92447

http://www.domaines-delon.com/en/leoville-chateau_leoville_las_cases_histoire.html 




Darioush Napa Valley Chardonnay 2008

For the lobster medallion accompaniment I pulled this Chardonnay from the cellar. We first discovered Darioush when Bill and Beth hosted us at a wine dinner at Cress Creek Country Club a dozen years ago and we had the Darioush Cabernet. That was the beginning of our extraordinary wine friendship.

Darioush has since been the feature of several wine dinners, a special winery visit with barrel tasting, and a spectacular winemaker dinner at Everest Restaurant in Chicago. So I favored this Darioush selection for our dinner tonight. I normally don't get excited about a white wine but this was one of the highlights of our surf and turf dinner - a perfect accompaniment to lobster medallions and the salad.

We visited the winery during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2003. Their fabulous winery and tasting facility on Silverado Trail in southern Napa Valley was not yet open but was well under construction at that time. 

We attended the gala Darioush - Domaine de Chevalier Gala Wine Dinner, a fabulous private dinner hosted by Darius & Shaptar Kaledi of Darioush Winery and Bernard Laborie of Domaine de Chevalier at Everest restaurant in Chicago in the summer of 2004.

The Darioush was butter colored, medium bodied, crisp and clean, initially slightly forward overtly acidic with tones of oak, but after an hour it settled down and was smooth, polished and balanced with pleasant  layers of fruit - subtle pear, lychee, melon and slight hint of citrus and vanilla with just the right accent of soft smooth oak.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1081544

https://www.darioush.com/

Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel Red Blend 2012

Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel Red Blend 2012

While we don't drink a lot Zinfandel, its a must have in every cellar for every day pizza wine as well as for occasions of hearty pasta or Bar-B-Q. It's also a bold expressive fruit filled wine that will appeal to and resonate with novice or less sophisticated wine drinkers. Also, Zinfandels typically offer early gratification and are ready to drink upon or soon after release. While some are ageworthy, they typically can be consumed when young and don't need aging to evolve and reveal their greatness or true character potential. Lastly, Zinfandel tends to offer perhaps the most bang for the buck or QPR - Quality-to-Price ratios than most other American varietals. I say American varietals because Zinfandel is perhaps more indigenous to American than perhaps any other grape.

Only recently with the emergence of and maturation of the development of South American wines from Chile and Argentina made from Malbec, and more recently from Bordeaux varietals, has there such a range of moderate priced big reds for every day drinking, a place long held by Zinfandel.

But, not all Zinfandels are simple and unsophisticated. A few producers specialize in Zins and have made them an artform in their own right. Ridge is probably the best known and most widely distributed of the Zin zealots. This Lytton Springs release, while marketed as a Zinfandel, is actually a complex blend of Rhone and South American varietals.

Ridge is one of the more prolific Zinfandel producers with a portfolio of almost a dozen premium, single vineyard designated and imaginative Zinfandel based blends that date back to 1964 when they released their first Zin. The history of Ridge Vineyards actually dates back before the turn of the last century, in 1885, when Osea Perrone, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge down in the southern range of Santa Cruz Mountains that separate south San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean at the top of Monterey Bay,  producing the first vintage under that name in 1892.

The first Zinfandel was made in 1964, followed in 1966 by the first Geyserville Zinfandel. By 1968, production had increased to just under three thousand cases per year, and in 1969, Paul Draper came on as winemaker. Today, Zinfandel and Cabernet account for most of the production with lesser quantities of Syrah, Grenache, Carignane, and Petite Sirah used primarily as part of the blends.

The first release of Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel from the property in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, was released in 1972. The property lies just north of Healdsburg on the benchland that separates Dry Creek from Alexander Valley. The Zinfandel vines at Lytton Springs date back 100 plus-years and are interplanted with Petite Sirah, Carignane, a small amount of Mataro (aka Mourvèdre), and Grenache for blending. Hence Ridge Lytton Springs is a complex blend with the prime core being Zinfandel.

The 2012 release of Ridge Lytton Springs is a blend of 70% Zinfandel, 21% Petite Sirah, 6% Carignane, and 3% Mataro or Mourvèdre. 

Like many big Zinfandels, this begs for being consumed with food. Dark blackish purple colored, full bodied, it exudes complex dense black berry and black cherry fruits with tones of vanilla, bramble, anise, black olive, green pepper and spice with moderate lingering tannins.

RM 90 points. 


https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1873710

http://www.ridgewine.com/