Ridge Grenache Blanc 2020
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Wine
Spectator -
Connoisseurs'
Guide -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pale-gold color. Aromas of green apple, lime, and a hint of cut green grass. Tart citrus fruit and firm acid on entry. Crushed rock mineral and a rich, clean aftertaste.
Blend: 77% Grenache Blanc, 15% Roussanne, 8% Picpoul
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Vivid, offering a mouthwatering mix of peach, lime and nectarine flavors. Juicy and fleshy, showing a hint of butterscotch, with notes of sea salt on the vibrant finish. Drink now.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
77% Grenache Blanc; 15% Roussanne; 8% Picpoul. As Grenache Blancs go, this is serious stuff. Its well-filled aromas of ripe peaches and apricots are enriched by a touch of oak and a suggestion of sweet almonds. On the palate, it is full and slightly rounded in feel, and its deep, well-sustained flavors bring a touch of stony minerality into play while building on the fruity richness of the nose. It is not an immense wine, but it is a very rich one that will very handily hold its own with full-flavored foods.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Grenache Blanc comes from a site in Paso Robles and is 77% Grenache Blanc, 15% Roussanne, and the rest Picpoul. It has a beautiful array of white flowers, honeyed stone fruits, and a touch of spice and chalkiness to go with a medium-bodied, balanced, elegant, yet nicely textured style on the palate.
Other Vintages
2021-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine &
Spirits - Vinous
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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Wilfred
Wong -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Ridge's history begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor and prominent member of San Francisco's Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He planted vineyards and constructed a winery of redwood and native limestone in time to produce the first vintage of Monte Bello in 1892. The historic building now serves as the Ridge production facility.
Though Ridge began as a Cabernet winery, by the mid-60s, it had produced several Zinfandels including the Geyserville. In 1972, Lytton Springs joined the line-up and the two came to represent an important part of Ridge production. Known primarily for its red wines, Ridge has also made limited amounts of Chardonnay since 1962.
The Ridge approach is straightforward: find the most intense and flavorful grapes, guide the natural process, draw all the fruit's richness into the wine. Decisions on when to pick, when to press, when to rack, what varietals and what parcels to include and when to bottle, are based on taste. To retain the nuances that increase complexity, Ridge winemakers handle the grapes and wine as gently as possible. There are no recipes, only attention and sensitivity.
Producing full-bodied white wines, Grenache Blanc can be unctuous and soft or floral and fresh. Some of the finest examples are terroir-driven, age-worthy wines. It is a key ingredient in white Châteauneuf-du-Pape and many white blends across southern France and NE Spain. Somm Secret—Grenache Blanc plays a key role in the vins doux naturels of Rivesaltes and a subsidiary role in those of Banyuls and Maury.
