Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2020 750ml

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes all from the estate Monte Bello Vineyard on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, which is much warmer than the western side of the region. A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot that was brought up in 55% new American oak, it has a bright and vibrant perfume of black plums, smoked herbs, darker chocolate, and vanilla-laced oak. It’s firm, focused, and linear on the palate, with medium to full body, nicely integrated acidity, and building tannins. It should benefit from a year or two in the cellar, and I would enjoy bottles over the following decade.

• Country: United States
• Region: California
• Appellation: Santa Cruz County
• Sub Appellation: Santa Cruz Mountains
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red

Varietal

Cabernet Sauvignon

By far and away the most recognized and widely grown red wine grape varietal in the world is the Cabernet Sauvignon. First cultivated in the 18th century in France, this wonderful cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes has long since been the most important varietal for red wines across the globe. Now grown everywhere from its native France to the furthest reaches of the New World, Cabernet Sauvignon is adored and prized by wineries for its hardiness and resistance to rot, as well as its large and sharp flavors and wonderful capability for fine aging Indeed, many of the finest wines of history and the modern age would be simply unimaginable without Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with the famed wineries of Bordeaux and other important regions using it as the primary grape in their oak aged produce. High tannin levels, acidity and powerful flavors are the characteristics most commonly associated with this varietal, however, when blended and slowly aged, it is capable of a world of flavors and aromas unmatched by any other grape.