Kelley’s picks: top buys from the Santa Cruz Mountains
Mount Eden Vineyards, Chardonnay 2013
94 £63 Roberson Lovely, reliably ageworthy cuvée. A reserved bouquet of almond cream, poached pear, wet stones and spring flowers introduces a deep, full-bodied wine with bright acidity, minerality and tension. Still tightly-wound and will unwind with a few years in the cellar. Drink 2019-2040 Alcohol 14%
Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello Chardonnay 2014
94 POA Berry Bros & Rudd/Fields Morris & Verdin This wine flies somewhat under the radar, and the soon-to-be-released 2014 is a beauty. Ripe citrus, orchard fruit and pastry cream lead into a glossy, textural palate underpinned by bright acidity and minerality. Drink 2018-2033 Alc 14.2%
Arnot- Roberts, Trout Gulch Chardonnay 2015
93 £49 Roberson Notes of apple, lemon pith and subtle praline are followed by a vibrant, medium-bodied palate with zingy, Chablis-like acidity and a pure, penetrating finish. Drink 2019-2030 Alc 13.5%
Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello 2013
100 £ 132-£ 150 Bentley’s of Ludlow, Berry Bros & Rudd, Fine & Rare, Handford, Hedonism, Noel Young A Monte Bello for the ages, the brooding 2013 nose unfolds to reveal notes of black raspberry, blackcurrant, burning embers and deeppitched, rich soil tones. On the palate the wine is simply stunning, with a beautifully three-dimensional, refined tannic chassis. Analytically, this is the most tannic Monte Bello of the millennium, but that structure is clothed with a wealth of fruit – so much so that Ridge forwent its habitual egg-white fining this year. Watch this profound wine begin to blossom after a decade in the cellar. Drink 2023-2060 Alc 13.6%
Mount Eden Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
95 £63 (2012) Roberson A classic, bursting with red and black fruit, vine smoke and pencil shavings, and structured by fine tannin and vibrant Santa Cruz Mountains acidity. Complex and elegant, but structured for the long haul. Drink 2023-2040 Alc 13.5%
Rhys Vineyards, Skyline Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012
95 POA Hand Picked Burgundy A complex bouquet of cherry, pot pourri, sweet soil and fallen leaves introduces a silky, supple wine. Pitch-perfect balance and amplitude, sapid with saline minerality on the finish. Beautiful, very Burgundian. Drink 2018-2033 Alc 12.8%
Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello 1968 Arnot- Roberts, Fellom Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
94
95 N/A UK www. ridgewine.com A complex, vibrant bouquet of cedar, dried cherry, cassis, forest floor and a touch of leather is the prelude to a wine of striking intensity and power; firm, savoury tannins and bright acidity still make an impression. This early Monte Bello gives the measure of the site’s potential. Drink 2017-2030 Alc 12.7% £78 (2013) Roberson From a vineyard on Monte Bello Ridge, planted to Cabernet in the early 1980s. Aromas of bright cherry, herbs, a framing of cedary oak and a balsamic top note lead into a vibrant palate with juicy fruit, fine but tensile tannins and bright acids. Drink 2019-2040 Alc 14% Arnot- Roberts, Peter Martin Ray Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015 94 £68 Roberson Aromas of griotte cherry, raspberry, peony and a touch of currant leaf spice. Supple and silky wine with nice sap and energy on the palate; graceful and elegant.
Drink 2019-2030 Alc 12%
Rhys Vineyards, Swan Terrace Pinot Noir 2012
94 £ 166-£ 190 Christopher Keiller, Hedonism More taut and precise than the Skyline bottling, the Swan Terrace opens with a more reticent bouquet of cherry, wild strawberry and a subtle framing of herbs. Tense, soil-driven, pure and bright. Drink 2020-2035 Alc 12.6%
Domaine Eden, Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
91 £ 34 Roberson More open-knit and approachable than the Mount Eden Cabernet, the Domaine Eden bottling bursts with exuberant, but sophisticatedly savoury, notes of red plums, cassis, cedar and mountain laurel; succulent briary fruit is framed by fine tannins and juicy acidity on the palate. Drink 2017-2026 Alc 14%
Rhys Vineyards, Alpine Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006
90 £ 115 Hand Picked Burgundy, Hedonism Some tertiary nuances of soil, grilled squab and herbs marry with glossy cherry fruit tones, with a full-bodied, complex palate still framed by firm tannins. A very creditable, intriguing Pinot Noir. Drink 2017-2026 Alc 13.4%
For full details of UK stockists, see p106