RIDGE VINEYARDS Monte Bello Vineyard Chardonnay - Santa Cruz Mountains 2023 SPLIT CASE x 3 Bottles - PRE-RELEASE

Description

Ridge’s Monte Bello Chardonnay originates from vines first planted in the late 1940s by William Short at the Ridge Torre vineyard, producing the inaugural 1962 estate bottling. Small quantities were made under the Monte Bello designation until 1984, after which young replanting shifted the wine to a Santa Cruz Mountains label. By 1999, these vines had matured, allowing the team once again to select standout parcels from the Monte Bello estate— a practice that continues today.

A late spring and cool growing season defined the vintage, slowing ripening and preserving acidity. Hand-harvested, estate-grown organic Chardonnay was whole-cluster pressed and fermented on native yeasts in barrel, followed by natural malolactic fermentation. The wine aged twenty months in a mix of American (90%) and French (10%) oak, with just 15% new barrels and a balance of one- to six-year-old wood. Minimal effective sulfur was used, and the wine was bottled without filtration, consistent with Ridge’s philosophy of minimal intervention.

Golden straw in colour, it opens with aromas of pear, honeysuckle, dried apricot, lemongrass and wet stone. The palate is full-bodied, showing baked apple and brioche wrapped in bright acidity, finishing juicy, mineral and vibrant.

While immediately expressive, it has the structure to evolve gracefully over the next decade.

14.1%
100% Chardonnay

*****

Terms and Conditions
Offer - Subject to availability
Delivery – Late 2026/Early 2027
Prices - Include Freight, Duty & GST
Storage - On arrival into Jersey Free Storage until 30th April 2027
Payment - Goods will be invoiced on receipt of order. Payment as per our normal T&Cs.
Disclaimer - Prices of wine and spirits can go up or down. We are not liable for any losses incurred should any wine decrease in value from date of purchase.
E&OE - Errors & Omissions Excepted
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