Ridge Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (Santa Cruz Mountains, California) - [DM 96] [JD 95+] [OB 95] [JS 94] [WA 92+]

Pre-order; eta 7 business days from the date of order. Winemaker Notes: Vintage: Late spring rains disrupted fruit set in the merlot and yields were likewise down in petit verdot. With less of these two varieties to work with, cabernet sauvignon makes up a larger proportion of this year’s wine. All the grapes were de-stemmed but left as whole berries for slower, gentler extraction during fermentation. After nineteen months of barrel aging, tannins are well integrated. This exemplary mountain-grown cabernet will develop more fully over the next fifteen years.  84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot Vineyard: Monte Bello Appellation: Santa Cruz Mountains Alcohol By Volume: 13.3% Winemaking:  Harvest Dates: Grapes: Average Brix 25.3˚TA: 6.72 g/LpH: 3.55Fermentation: Grapes destemmed, and sorted; 100% whole berries fermented on the native yeasts.Selection: Eighteen of twenty estate parcelsBarrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (55% new, 45% one year old).Aging: Sixteen months in barr