RIDGE 'Estate' Chardonnay (Monte Bello Vineyard) - Santa Cruz Mountains, Central Coast 2023 Bottle

Description

Ridge 'Estate' Chardonnay 2023 is a bright and fresh expression sourced entirely from the iconic Monte Bello estate. Vinous awards it 95 points, praising its precise articulation and vibrant energy from the first sip to the creamy finish, with aromas of caramelized pear, white flowers, and marzipan. Wine Enthusiast rates it 94 points, highlighting the familiar flintiness complemented by lemon curd and verbena, with a grippy palate and salty finish. The Wine Advocate also gives it 94 points, noting its classically broad, creamy bouquet and invigorating acidity that enhances the rich palate. This Chardonnay, aged in a mix of American and French oak, embodies elegance and complexity, making it a superb choice for any occasion.

*****

VINOUS 95 points
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. - Billy Norris

WINE ENTHUSIAST 94 points
The familiar flinty tone of this bottling meets with complex kicks of lemon curd and lemon verbena on the nose. The palate is grippy and delicately oaked, with buttery flavors balanced by lime peel acidity and a salty finish that makes the mouth water. — Matt Kettmann

THE WINE ADVOCATE 94 points
Drink Date: 2025 - 2031
One of the finest expressions of this bottling in recent memory, the 2023 Chardonnay Estate Monte Bello Vineyard was matured mainly in neutral American and French oak with a 20% addition of new wood equally divided between the two origins. It exudes a classically broad, creamy bouquet with notable focus and floral overtones, pleasantly accented by a touch of reduction. The palate is rich and enveloping yet admirably lifted by invigorating acidity that carries through the textural, caramelised finish. - Reviewed by: Matthew Luczy

DECANTER 94 points
Tasted by: Clive Pursehouse (at Seattle, Washington, 03 Apr 2025)
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2035
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.

JANCIS ROBINSON 17 points
Full bottle 1,225 g. Fruit from Monte Bello, primarily from vines planted 1982–1998. Grapes are whole-cluster pressed and barrel-fermented. Both primary and secondary (malolactic) fermentations are completed by ambient yeasts and bacteria. Wine is aged 15 months in 85% American and 15% French oak; 15% new, 20% one-year-old and, 65% four- and five-year old oak. Minimum effective SO2 for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 74 ppm over the course of ageing); pad-filtered at bottling.

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. (SCJ)