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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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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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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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.
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.
In 1962, Ridge Vineyards made its first Monte Bello, and two years later its first zinfandel. 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.
In August 2021, Ridge Vineyards joined International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), a group of like-minded wineries that are dedicated to decarbonizing the global wine industry. RIDGE is committed to achieving Net Zero by 2050 and completes a biannual greenhouse gas audit utilizing the World Resources Institute Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol methodology and be verified by an internationally accredited, third-party auditor.
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.
