2014 Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon just released

WINE TALK
1

Looks like the 2014 is available on their website:

Wine Information
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc

Winemaker Notes
Deep purple color. Aromas of blackcurrant, cherries, clove spice, toasted oak, and cocoa. Ripe bramble fruit entry, medium-full body, supple tannins, and sweet oak; firm acid persists in a long finish. EB (1/17)

Vintage Notes
Early harvest at Monte Bello had, for the first time ever, all varietals ripen in one month—September. We reduced whole berry fermentation time to accommodate the fast-paced harvest, yet extraction of color and tannin was abundant. By taste, the most approachable lots were selected at assemblage. This superb vintage aged in american oak, and was bottled at twenty-two months, once tannins had softened. It will show well over the next ten years.

2

Has anyone tasted this?

3

Scott, there is a Ridge MB component tasting next Saturday. The event sold out before I was able to secure any tickets, but I am sure that a few from this board will be attending and may post some notes. They usually pour the latest release of the Estate Cab during the component tastings.

Thanks,
Ed

4

Just bought two bottles along with some Ridge Zins (including '15 Geyserville, which is their 50th vintage of it) - doubt I’ll open one very soon, though, as it would feel wasteful with only 2 coming

5

Hasn’t hit my local store yet, but when it does I will grab a bunch and try one. Somehow I think I already know it will be good, and people will complain is has more wood than prior releases.

6

Definitely a big uptick in use of new oak.

I’ll grab some but I’m buying less and less of it these days.

7

I tasted this and the '14 Estate Merlot at the winery on Friday with some co-workers, some of whom are wine-savvy and others not as much. We all thought that the Cab was just ok. My quibble with it is lack of acidity. It just kind of lies there on the palate with a dull-ish finish. The Merlot, however, was terrific. Complex and very lively. We all found it to be a much more interesting wine than the Cab.

Then we purchased and drank '11 Torres Merlot which blew both away.

I’m going to the Montebello Component tasting on Sat. so I’ll try them both again.

8

I don’t like where this discussion is going, if indeed the inference is that Ridge’s winemaking style is changing…NOOOOOOO!!!

9

It isn’t. People’s perceptions change, and they put it on the winery.

10

Hmm, I’m not expecting the '14 Estate to even come close to the '13, which
I backed up the truck on. I think that the '13 is/going to be the best Estate made by Ridge.

11

Are you implying that there can be vintage variation? :wink:

12

[snort.gif] [pillow-fight.gif]

13

I’m not suggesting a change. The website data on this bottling going back to 2008 shows this is the most new oak they have ever used. The 2013 was the highest amount prior to 2014, I found it a bit heavy. Still bought quite a bit and the Torre. I don’t think one vintage connotes a change, there is undoubtedly a reason. Like I said, I’ll grab some. The 2014 Geezer, which is the least oaked of their bottlings, was pretty killer. I doubled-down.

14

I just noticed that when you go to the Ridge website and look up wines, there’s a section called “Consumer Tasting Notes” that links to CellarTracker and provides the average score and number of notes. Pretty cool!

15

Apologies and thanks Robert. I just did a review of all the vaintages, and they are using more new oak. Looks like Eric Baugher is doing the winemaking for all of them though, so if it’s a style change it’s Eric deciding what the wine needs. I bet he would be responsive to a question.

16

No question the excessive oak use has intruded upon these once fine wines

Coconut, vanilla and dill…good lord

The cab is a major pass for me

17

FYI, I sent a note to Ridge asking if they could provide additional insight on what is going on with this wine.

18

David,

Is Eric still lead on winemaking? He was promoted to COO in 2016. Unclear from the website, or at least I could not find, who is lead now (some suggestion that it is still him). I assume it’s really more of a title as I cannot imagine that this is a large company.

19

Not sure I understand the witch hunt here. Maybe the wines are more concentrated than they used to be, so they can handle the oak? Certainly the last few drought years have been dense. I had the 13 the other night and it was incredibly concentrated, a real vin de garde. All in balance though, if very young.

20

Witch hunt?

How is asking about the oak regime a witch hunt?