Şaraphane

Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello

Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA · 1885'den beri

Ridge Vineyards' Monte Bello stands as one of America's most celebrated and historically significant wines, grown on a dramatic ridge rising nearly 2,600 feet above the Santa Cruz Mountains, straddling the San Andreas Fault. The vineyard's origins trace back to 1885, though Ridge's modern era truly began in the 1960s under the guiding hand of winemaker Paul Draper. The wine is a Bordeaux-inspired blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, shaped by ancient limestone and shale soils that impart remarkable mineral depth and structure. Monte Bello achieved international renown at the 1976 Paris Tasting — the legendary 'Judgment of Paris' — where California wines stunned the wine world by besting prestigious French estates. In the 2006 rematch marking that event's 30th anniversary, Monte Bello claimed first place among the reds. Aged in American oak for up to two years, the wine typically expresses red cherry, cassis, cedar, graphite, tobacco, and earthy undertones, with a backbone capable of supporting decades of cellaring. It is a benchmark not only for California but for serious wine culture worldwide.