2015 Estate Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Chardonnay Estate is excellent, wafting from the glass with notes of pear, ripe apple and white flowers, framed by a delicate touch of new oak. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, textural and expansive, with bright acids, excellent concentration and a long, tangy finish. Yields this year were some 35% below average, and the wine attained 14.5% alcohol; it spent 11 months in largely once used barrels and the following five in neutral oak before bottling without fining or filtration.
Critic scores
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Exquisite oak complexity on the nose, coupled with wonderful reductive flinty notes. Broad on the palate, yet there is excellent structure from pinpoint acid and lovely flesh. Really expands and changes in terms of flavour complexity through the palate and into the long finish. True grand cru standard. (RH)
Starting with the two Chardonnays, Ridge's 2015 Chardonnay Estate is slightly deeper in color than the Monte Bello release and offers a White Burgundy-like bouquet of stone fruits, toasted spice, crushed rock and addition toasty nuances. It's rich, textured, has bright acidity, and needs 2-3 years of cellaring. There’s 1,700 cases of this beauty and it’s much more approachable today than the Monte Bello cuvee. Ridge continues to produce a stacked lineup from their estate vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, as well as numerous sites in Sonoma County. These reviews focus mostly on their 2015s, which was the earliest harvest on record for Ridge. Nevertheless, the wines show terrific purity and elegance, and it’s a rock-solid vintage for the estate. The Bordeaux blends are from the 2014 vintage, which was another hot, dry year. These are big, ripe, sexy releases that have the fruit and depth to drink nicely today, yet are going to age beautifully.
The 2015 Chardonnay Estate is a pretty powerful wine, especially by Ridge standards. Drought and poor weather during bloom resulted in a loss of 35% of the crop. As for the wine itself, well, it is fabulous. Rich and authoritative, but with good freshness, the 2015 has it all. Lemon confit, white flowers, apricot, mint and a hint of reduction from extended time on lees add nuance throughout. This is a superb showing.
About the producer
Best known for its iconic Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards makes some of California’s finest wines – particularly Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Long a pioneer of sustainable farming and minimal-intervention winemaking, Ridge makes an extensive range from Sonoma County and the Santa Cruz Mountains.