Monte Bello is the Ridge Vineyards property located in the Saratoga/Los Gatos sub-region of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA where the combination of high elevation, decomposing limestone soil, and cooling ocean breezes yield Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that produce impeccably balanced, long-lived wines. The construction of these wines are explored herein.
When the three SRI scientists purchased the old Torre Ranch property from Frank Short in 1959, they did not intend to become winemakers. Rather, the purchase was predicated on a plan for all three to build houses on the land after retirement from SRI and, in the meantime, they could camp out on the property with their families on weekends. There were some grape parcels on the land (with the produce sold to local wineries) and it was from the 1959 harvest of those parcels that Dave Bennion (one of the partners) held back enough to make a 1/2 barrel of wine.
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| David Bennion, Founding Partner and first winemaker at Ridge Vineyards |
Bennion had no formal winemaking experience so the production of that early wine was inherently fundamental. Yet the quality so impressed the Partners' wine-drinking friends that the team broadened its horizons as regards the end goal. The first commercial vintage was made in 1962 and Bennion continued in the role of winemaker until Paul Draper was hired in 1969. Draper assisted with the 1969 vintage and made every subsequent vintage until he handed over the reins to Eric Baugher in 2001.
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| Paul Draper, the face of Ridge Vineyards winemaking |
As regards his hiring, Draper recounted that Bennion had heard him speak to a Stanford group in 1967 about the winemaking approach that he was pursuing in Chile. The partners were interested in his "traditional" approach as it aligned with their thinking. When Draper left Chile, they offered him the job as winemaker.
What were Draper's thoughts on winemaking that made such a favorable impact on the SRI Three. Draper was not formally trained as an enologist but he had a lot of practical experience, inclusive of his stint running winemaking operations at an estate in Chile. Draper had also spent a lot of time tasting old Bordeaux and pre- and post-Prohibition wines and had come to the conclusion that these old wines were intrinsically more complex than the wines that were being produced by contemporary UC Davis graduates. The formally trained Enologists were producing cleaner and less fault-prone wines but these wines were also less interesting. They, in Draper's opinion, emphasized the role of the winemaker rather than the features of the "place." He referred to this as "industrial winemaking."
Instead he espoused "pre-industrial winemaking" which "let the vineyard site create the wine, accomplished through a combination of natural, low-tech, hands-off winemaking techniques":
- Keeping all grape varieties and parcels separate
- Fermenting in small fermenters using only natural yeasts
- Transferring the separate lots into air-dried American oak barrels to undergo full, natural malolactic fermentation
- Taste each lot at many points along the way and assess its individual qualities.
The philosophy does allow for for minimal addition of sulfur to avoid the risks of wine oxidation or spoilage (at crush, after MLF, and at quarterly rackings) and fining with fresh egg whites if a wine had excessive tannins.
All varieties used in the Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon are sourced from the named vineyard. According to the estate, the parcels can be divided roughly in half based on the style of wine produced through the years: (i) More approachable and develops its full complexity early and (ii) begins to develop its full depth, complexity, and superb quality after a minimum of 10 years aging. The first is bottled as the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon while the second is the Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon. A specific parcel's destination is determined by the rigorous tasting regime employed at the estate.
The grapes are hand-harvested by parcel and transported to the cellar where they are de-stemmed then whole-berry fermented with native yeasts. Alcoholic fermentation is followed by natural malolactic fermentation.
The wines are aged in 100% new oak barrels (92% American, remainder French) for 19 months with quarterly rackings. The final wine is assembled as follows:
- First assemblage -- early February
- Second assemblage -- May. This assemblage considers press wine and lots that were not yet stable at the time of the first assemblage.
The varietal contribution to the final wine is characterized thusly:
- Cabernet Sauvignon -- shows cassis; adds tannin
- Merlot -- plum character and a bit of softness
- Petit Verdot -- dark color and earthiness
- Cabernet Franc -- Fragrance and a hint of spice.
According to the Vinfolio blog, "the minerality, acidity, and structure of these wines are what sets them apart from many of their California peers.
On to the tasting.
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