2021 Ridge, ‘East Bench’ Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Producer: Monte Bello Ridge was first planted to vine in 1885 by Osea Penone, in 1959 a group of Stanford Research Institute engineers, Dave Bennion, Hew Crane, Charlie Rosen, & Howard Ziedle, bought some land on Monte Bello Ridge. Dave Bennion was the winemaker, joined by Paul Draper in 1969, a Stanford graduate in Philosophy. Ridge’s Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon, gained acclaim during the 1976 ‘Judgment of Paris’ wine tasting, winning 5th place.

Place: Ridge has 2 winery locations in Northern CA; on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, & at Lytton Springs in the Dry Creek Valley AVA of Sonoma County.

Cultivation: Certified Organic, Certified Sustainable, Fish Friendly.

Varietal: Zinfandel

Bottling: The East Bench Zinfandel has been made as a single vineyard wine since 2006, one of Ridge’s only vineyards planted solely to Zinfandel.

Soil: Clay, Loam, ancient river rock.

Winemaking: Hand-harvested, destemmed, fermented with indigenous yeast, aged 14 months in American oak barrels.

Tasting Notes: Jammy Berries – Black Pepper – Velvety Tannins