Ridge Chardonnay Estate

2015 Ridge Chardonnay Estate....$51.99
Monte Bello Estate Vineyard
Santa Cruz Mountains
Starting with the two Chardonnays, Ridge's 2015 Chardonnay Estate is slightly deeper in color than the Monte Bello release and offers a White Burgundy-like bouquet of stone fruits, toasted spice, crushed rock and addition toasty nuances. It's rich, textured, has bright acidity, and needs 2-3 years of cellaring. There’s 1,700 cases of this beauty and it’s much more approachable today than the Monte Bello cuvee.
Rated 93/100 Jeb Dunnuck
Minerally and intense, with plenty of buttery notes, this well-spiced version pivots around a core of baked apple and pear tart flavors. Fresh and juicy midpalate, followed by a finish loaded with dried fig accents. Drink now through 2022. 1,711 cases made.
Rated 92/100 Wine Spectator
The 2015 Chardonnay Estate is excellent, wafting from the glass with notes of pear, ripe apple and white flowers, framed by a delicate touch of new oak. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, textural and expansive, with bright acids, excellent concentration and a long, tangy finish. Yields this year were some 35% below average, and the wine attained 14.5% alcohol; it spent 11 months in largely once used barrels and the following five in neutral oak before bottling without fining or filtration.
Rated 92/100 Wine Advocate