2023 Ridge Vineyards Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon
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$49.95
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Availability by location
Main Warehouse: 36+ | San Francisco: 32 | Redwood City: 27 | Hollywood: 7 | New York City: 7 | Culver City: 5
94
Decanter
Reviewed August 2025Ridge made a Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet from 1978 through the late 1980s, before changing the naming to ‘Estate.’ With the 2023 vintage, Ridge had the opportunity to purchase fruit from along Montebello Road, as well as other sites throughout the Santa Cruz AVA. Made just like all the Ridge wines. The well-known Monte Bello structure leaps out at you, taut and lean, salty, but backed by ample cherry fruit and a touch of oak spice. This wine has concentrated and dark fruit, Bright and spicy, a mountain Cabernet through and through. There’s an approachability here, and that is the role of this Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet in the library of ageable Ridge wines. Elegance married to approachability. (CP)
Professional Reviews
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Owen Bargreen
The 2023 ‘Santa Cruz Mountains’ Cabernet Sauvignon has 15% Merlot blended in. It is refined and elegant on the tongue, as the toasty oak caresses a gorgeous core of dark currants, black cherry compote and espresso bean notes alongside gravelly soils. Very fresh and vibrant, with terrific acidity, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2035.
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Vinous
The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz Mountains) is a blend of fruit from the Monte Bello estate and a few neighboring vineyards (Bates, Vidovich and Fellom) aged for 16 months in 100% American oak. Taut and structured, the 2023 opens with dark fruit, cracked pepper, smoked meat, tobacco leaf and cedar, all enshrouded in firm, chalky tannins that lead to a long, savory finish. This is a very fine access point to the Ridge house style at a more approachable price. As a note, this cuvée has existed in various iterations in the past, and was the original designation for what eventually became Ridge’s Estate Cabernet. (BS)
93
Wine Enthusiast
This bottling, which includes 15% Merlot and 4% Petite Verdot, marks the return of an appellation blend to the Ridge lineup. Aromas of black plum, clove, and ajwain draw in the nose, while the palate picks up licorice and more black plum alongside a firm structure. *Cellar Selection* (MK)
Notes
2023 sees the return of Ridge's Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that blends fruit from Monte Bello with several neighbors and the esteemed Bates Ranch from the southern tip of the AVA. The composition is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot all coming from Bates Ranch, Fellom Ranch, Monte Bello, and Vidovich Vineyards.
Details
| Origin | Santa Cruz Mountains, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Type/Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends |
| Alcohol Content | 13.3% |
| SKU | 1921506 |