Ridge Grenache Blanc 2021
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James
Suckling -
Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Spectator - Vinous
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Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Beautiful, translucent golden color. Aromas of white peach, brioche, honeydew, pear, and wet stone. Bright and clean entry with medium body and a refreshing, mouthwatering finish.
Blend: 90% Grenache Blanc, 6% Roussanne, 4% Picpoul
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A white with crushed stone and sliced lemon rind with some white peaches. Sliced apple, too. Medium to full body. Some lime at the end.
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Wine & Spirits
Scents of peach juice and honeycomb interweave in this flavorful white. Rich as vanilla frosting, this firms up immediately with air, lasting on an orange-pineapple scent and a wheaty savor for swordfish.
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Wine Spectator
Vibrant and luscious in texture, with spirited nectarine, peach and honeysuckle flavors that dance delicately on the polished finish.
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Vinous
The 2021 Grenache Blanc, from Adelaide Hills, shows the pedigree of the vintage in spades. Citrus peel, white flowers, almond and sage all grace this taut, nervy white from Ridge.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Grenache Blanc, which includes a touch of Roussanne and Picpoul, comes all from the Adelaida Vineyard in the northwestern side of the appellation. It has textbook notes of juicy citrus, pear, and honeyed minerality in a more medium-bodied, fresh, vibrant style that will shine on the dinner table. I like it today, yet this will evolve nicely for at least 4-6 years.
Other Vintages
2020-
Wine
Spectator -
Connoisseurs'
Guide -
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.
