2008 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is compelling. Where to start? An expressive bouquet redolent of sweet herbs, tobacco and incense leads to a gorgeous mélange of dark red fruit. The Estate is drop-dead gorgeous, with the silkiest of tannins that frame an extraordinary finish. This has to be one of the most compelling values in California Cabernet. In 2008 the blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Draper describes 2008 as the driest of the three drought years spanning 2006 through 2008. In 2008 a spring harvest frost damaged much of the Merlot crop, so there was no natural outlet for the Merlot that had previously been used in the Santa Cruz Mountains bottling, but in 2009 there will be a new Merlot. The 2008 is the first vintage for the Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, which was formerly labeled simply Santa Cruz Mountains.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is compelling. Where to start? An expressive bouquet redolent of sweet herbs, tobacco and incense leads to a gorgeous tapestry of dark red fruit. The Estate is drop-dead gorgeous, with the silkiest of tannins that frame an extraordinary finish. This has to be one of the most compelling values in California Cabernet. In 2008 the blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Draper describes 2008 as the driest of the three drought years spanning 2006-2008. The 2008 is the first vintage for the Cabernet Sauvignon, which used to be called Santa Cruz Mountains. In 2008 a spring harvest frost damaged much of the Merlot crop, so there was no natural outlet for the Merlot that had previously been used in the Santa Cruz Mountains bottling, but in 2009 there will be a new Merlot bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2028. I tasted a breathtaking array of wines during my recent visit with Paul Draper at Ridge. Draper is a true American icon, so it’s great to see him doing well after a bout with illness. I also tasted a number of older wines, including several Monte Bellos going back to the 1970s. Heretical as it may sound, I think the wines Draper is making today will prove to be far superior to the wines of decades past, many of which are rightly considered legendary. For ease of reference I have also included notes on all of the Ridge wines made outside the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Chardonnays are fermented with native yeasts and go into barrel with their gross lees, which are stirred once a week. The malos usually start the following spring. The wines are assembled just before the following harvest and go back into neutral oak. Aging is about 15 months for the Estate and 17 months for the Chardonnay Monte Bello, with a maximum of 25% new barrels. The reds are fermented with ambient yeasts, undergo malolactic fermentation in tank (except for the Monte Bello which is mostly done in barrel) and stay on their gross lees until the following spring. Tel. (408) 867-3233; Fax (408) 868-1350. www.ridgewine.com

(from Monte Bello Vineyard): Vivid ruby. Oak-spicy aromas of redcurrant, dried cherry and cola, with a hint of smokiness in the background. Fleshy and smooth in the mouth, offering juicy dark berry flavors and mounting vanilla and mocha notes. Finishes with good smoky persistence and resonating cherry and vanilla notes. Gentle tannins make for accessibility but also suggest that this will repay at least five years of patience. This wine, made from the lots that are more accessible and elegantly structured than those destined for Ridge's flagship Monte Bello bottling, has 20% merlot, 3% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc in the blend.