2010 Ridge Chardonnay Estate- USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (10/6/2014)
Been a year or so since my last one which seemed a little sweeter than I wanted…now at age 4, the sweetness has turned more savory, with the good ox from age complexing. Rich yet alive with energy…ripe pure pitted fruit, exotic honey butter, vanilla oak barrel spice, citrus blossom florals, creme brûlée crust. Plenty of energy though with citrus cut, and crushed limestone…green apple skin. Reminds me of a premier warm year Chassagne Montrachet with a little age. Super domestic Chard here! (93 pts.)
I believe '10 was also the last time they made the SV chards - Jimsomare and Mikulako, 2 of the best QPR wines of any varietal I’ve ever had. Hoping they make them again from one of these recent vintages where quantities were up.
The Estate Chards peak in the 10-15 year old range, imo. The oak integrates well before then.
Haven’t had the MBs near as often, but so far, young and old, prefer the Estate.
The SVs come about as part of the selection process. Mikulaco can be quite distinct. The first Jimsomare was from younger vines. It was really nice, but ready to drink on release and didn’t seem like an ager. They also charged less for it.
I am a long time die hard lover of Ridge, I still have stuff back to the 70’s in my cellar. But I will be the one to disagree with most here on their Chard’s. Cougar crack is a good word to describe them. Over oaked, butter bombs made to appeal to certain middle aged wealthy woman with no true wine palate.
The sad part is they are very capable of making awesome Chard’s. I’ve tasted experimental Chard’s from various French oak barrels that were stunning and nothing like what they typically make. Sadly, that is not what appeals to said segment of their customers so they don’t make it.
They’ve toned that down quite a bit. Yours is precisely the reaction of so many hardcore Ridge fans when tasting them on release I’ve seen (and had) over the years. (Good) cougar crack on release. Integrates in a couple years, being a pretty good Chard. Then with 10-15 years they become socks knocker-offers that put most culty CA Chards to shame. Remember, Ridge reds are generally pretty oaky on release, too, even if it’s not standing above all of what else is going on in the wine. I don’t enjoy most of those young, either. It’s interesting that they produce wines that appeal to such a wide range of palate preference, where maturity of the wines is the important factor. Your preferred mileage will vary… Candle-robbing cougar or crusty old curmudgeon.
You are right. Those SV’s also develop nicely after a couple of years. Sure, the oak is definitely there but I don’t find it out of balance in any way and it integrates more after a couple of years in the cellar. The Mikulaco especially reminds me a bit of the new RM Sonoma Coast Chard. Both fantastic wines for the price.
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