Wine in Santa Cruz Mountains

The heritage of Mount Eden Cabernet Sauvignon dates back to the 1890s, when the famed viticulturist Emmett Rixford of Woodside, California, obtained selected cuttings from Chateau Margaux in Bordeaux, France. Rixford planted his famous La Questa Vineyard with these selections, in the same proportions as found at Margaux. In the late 1940s Martin Ray planted his first Cabernet vineyard with cuttings from the La Questa Vineyard. The present-day Estate Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in the early 1980s using cuttings taken from these vines. Yields are low, typically one to two tons per acre. Soils are very thin (1-12 inches), with a dominant base of Franciscan shale. The climate is cool, especially for Cabernet, and influenced by the vineyard’s altitude and its proximity to San Francisco bay and the Pacific Ocean. The vines are trellised in a modern fashion, which allows for a more uniform ripening. The vineyard also contains small blocks of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Hidden Block is the most immediate and dense of the four Pinots in the Varner range. A core of sweet red cherry and plum fruit fills out the wine's mid-weight frame effortlessly. Round, pliant and totally seductive, the 2014 has a lot to offer, including tons of near and medium-term appeal.

Discover Kathryn Kennedy Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Beer. Is a carbonated, fermented alcoholic beverage. You can learn more about this beer and its availability here.

The Pinot Noir grape varietal inspires unique interest among wine enthusiasts worldwide. The challenge and potential of cultivating pinot noir in our unique Spring Ridge micro-climate, at the northernmost edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation, was exciting, and in 1997 we planted our first 3 acre pinot block, Hidden.

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100% estate grown, single vineyard Pinot Noir from our 8.7 acre home vineyard, 8 miles from the Pacific in the Santa Cruz Mountains. To preserve the beauty and nuance of this ocean-influenced, cool climate mountain vineyard, our Pinot Noir is made in small lots by non-interventionist methods – hand sorting, native yeast fermentation, hand punch downs. Aged for 11 months in ¼ new, ¾ neutral French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Beautiful drinkability now, with exciting cellaring potential. 13.9% Alcohol. 640 cases produced. “A lovely wine, the 2016 Pinot Noir from Mindego Ridge reveals a pure bouquet of black raspberries, plums, cherries and dried flowers. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, layered and supple, with an ample core of fruit, velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. This will be a delight to follow for the better part of a decade.” 94 Points. -William Kelley, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, May 2018

Vöcal wines are the brainchild of sommelier/winemaker Ted Glennon, whose mission is to let his vineyard sources do most of the talking. This expression of Grüner Veltliner from the Santa Cruz Mountains is spot-on—right up there with its Austrian contemporaries. One of the things we can’t help but do when evaluating California wines is compare them to their “Old World” exemplars. It’s impossible not to, but it’s a little unfair to the California wines: They’re treated like “cover versions” rather than original compositions. Nevertheless, as we all know, sometimes the covers live up to—or even eclipse—the originals (consider Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” versus Otis Redding’s, or the Napa Cabs of the 1976 “Paris Tasting” versus Bordeaux). Our hats come off today for our friend Ted Glennon of Vöcal Vineyards, whose 2017 “Alfaro Vineyard” Grüner Veltliner does full justice to the Austrian originals while also singing in its own clear, Californian voice. It’s a delicious, invigorating Grüner: spot-on in terms of varietal character and structured like a Smaragd-level wine from the Wachau. Tack on a little California Coast ‘sea-spray’ character and you’ve got a killer cool-climate white to enjoy through the summer and beyond. Along with his collaborator Ian Brand (San Francisco Chronicle “Winemaker of the Year” last year), Ted is a champion of vineyards influenced by the cold, deep Monterey Bay—and he nailed it with this one. The Alfaro Vineyard is at the southern end of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, about four miles from Monterey Bay. Sitting at 500+-feet elevation and facing southwest, right in the path of the wind and fog whipped up by the Bay, its situation and rocky, sandy soils bear a strong resemblance to the vineyards of Grüner Veltliner’s Austrian homeland. Richard Alfaro was inspired to plant Grüner after falling in love with the variety at a dinner featuring the wines of Wachau (Austria) legend Nikolaihof; at present, his is the only vineyard planted to the grape in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Glennon has had access to Alfaro-grown Grüner since 2014, and while 2017 proved to be a hot, difficult year in parts of the region, the Alfaro Vineyard fared quite well in the end. As Ted explained in his tasting notes, a record heatwave “sadly roasted our beloved Lilo Pinot Noir Vineyard, and caused havoc for many beloved sites. However, our patch of Alfaro's Grüner Veltliner soaked up the heat and developed some incredible flavors and compelling structure.” Vöcal’s Alfaro Vineyard Grüner was fermented and aged in a mixture of used French oak barrels (30%) and stainless steel drums, and it displays a pitch-perfect balance of richness and raciness. In the glass, it’s a bright yellow-gold with flecks of green and silver at the rim, with aromas of tart green apple, Asian pear, citrus, wild herbs, white pepper, and wet stones. Medium-plus in body, with a sunny core of ripe fruit, it finishes with mouthwatering freshness and a salty kick after leaving a big impression on the mid-palate. It is ready to drink now and over the next few years: Simply pull the cork and let it rip at 45-50 degrees; it will make a great partner to a lemony seafood preparation, an herby salad, or really anything fresh and bright you think up. It’s a really evocative, well-made wine—respect!

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The full-bodied Estate Chardonnay displays fine underlying acidity and a long finish. Hints of cardamom, anise and hazelnut add interest to the core lemon, mineral flavors. Of all Mount Eden’s estate-grown wines, the Chardonnay is most in need of further bottle aging at release, requiring an additional two to four years to fully reveal its true character. Many vintages are still fresh and enjoyable after fifteen years, explaining why Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay is considered one of California’s longest-lived white wines.

Blend: 61% Cabernet Franc, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon A gorgeous example of a Santa Cruz Bordeaux red, the bright ruby red color is accompanied by aromas of bing cherry, black currant, moist tobacco, black licorice, cedar, and tellicherry peppercorn. A full-bodied yet delicate mouthfeel slowly reveals sweet berry, espresso, cherry cream cola, and anisette, with a subtle, yet firm, silky finish. Drink now through 2023.

Ridge produced its first chardonnay in 1962 from fully-mature vines planted in the late 1940s on the Monte Bello estate vineyard. Production never exceeded ten barrels, and Monte Bello chardonnay was sold principally at the winery. Several great vintages, among them the 1973, ‘74, ‘79, and ‘84, showed that our cool climate and fractured limestone sub-soils were well suited to the varietal. By 1985, the old vines were producing less then a half-ton per acre and were taken out. The younger vines, planted in the ‘70s, provide the majority of grapes today. Initially these newer plantings were on the “lower” vineyard—not yet farmed as part of the Monte Bello estate—so the wine was called “Santa Cruz Mountains” and these vines have long since been included. Since 2009 the wine has been designated Ridge Estate Chardonnay. In years when differences among lots are sufficient to warrant a separate bottling, we make a limited amount of Monte Bello Chardonnay as well.

In 1886 the first blocks of the Monte Bello vineyard were planted and construction on the winery begun. The first vintage was the 1892. In the early 1940s, the last of the old vineyard was abandoned; in the late forties a few blocks were replanted. Those cabernet vines—now over sixty-five years old—produced the first Ridge Monte Bello (1962) and subsequent vintages until 1974. By then other abandoned blocks had been replanted and their fruit considered for use in the Monte Bello. A number of those consistently produced a more accessible wine that developed its full complexity earlier and these were combined as the “Santa Cruz Mountains.” With the 2008 vintage the name of this stylistically distinct wine became the Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, stressing the principal varietal and the Monte Bello estate vineyard as its source.

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Incredibly great price for such a delicious, full-bodied red! Smoky with toasty oak, mocha and fleshy black plum aromas. Smooth on the palate.

Discover Domaine Eden Cabernet Beer. Is a carbonated, fermented alcoholic beverage. You can learn more about this beer and its availability here.

The Storrs Chardonnay is rich, ripe and round; creamy in the flavors; layered aftertaste

Ridge first made merlot in 1974 from the Point, the highest, most exposed block on the Monte Bello vineyard at an elevation of 2600’. Originally, we wanted to see if the varietal could match the quality of, and be included in, the Monte Bello. Once satisfied that it could, we planted more merlot over the years as space and resources allowed. From 1975 on, it has been a part of the Monte Bello whenever assemblage tastings so indicated. As the younger plantings matured, it became apparent that not only did merlot complement the Monte Bello, but also had the structure and complexity to merit a separate bottling.

In 1886, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the first Monte Bello vineyards were planted, and winery construction begun. A first vintage from the young vines followed in 1892. During Prohibition (1920-1933), the vineyard was not fully maintained; some vines survived into the late 30’s, but by the 1940s they were effectively abandoned. Eight acres of cabernet sauvignon were replanted in 1949. These were the source of the first Ridge Monte Bello (1962) and subsequent vintages until 1974 when younger blocks replanted in the 1960’s were considered for inclusion. Since then, the historic vineyards on the ridge have gradually been replanted.

The wines produced at Horseshoe are uniquely minerally, precise and focused. They offer an almost palpable tension that greatly rewards aging. Planted in 2004 with a total of 17.5 acres, Horseshoe Ranch is our most beautiful vineyard site. It is less than 1/2 mile from Alpine vineyard, but they are different in many ways. The ridge between the vineyards protects Horseshoe from some of the direct ocean influence but allows for similarly cool temperatures. More importantly, Horseshoe lies on a ridge of sedimentary shale called Monterey formation that has made its way to surface over the millenia. This lightweight, brittle rust-mottled shale is prevalent throughout the surface and soil providing for low vigor and outstanding drainage. Fermented in 20% new oak for about a year until dry, no racking or battonage. Aged in tank for an additional 4-6 months before bottling

This Santa Cruz Mountains Merlot has a dark garnet color. The nose is layered with aromas of dark fruit, smoked meat, and toasted oak. Plum jam, blueberries, blackberry pie and violet aromas blend nicely with hints of cedar, vanilla bean, black pepper and wet granite. Flavors are bright with berries, baking spices, dark chocolate and cola. This wine is full-bodied with a hint of sweet oak on the finish