£68.00
Ridge produced its first chardonnay in 1962 from fully-mature vines planted in the late 1940s on the Monte Bello estate vineyard. Production never exceeded ten barrels, and Monte Bello chardonnay was sold principally at the winery. Several great vintages, among them the 1973, ‘74, ‘79, and ‘84, showed that cool climate and fractured limestone sub-soils were well suited to the varietal. By 1985, the old vines were producing less then a half-ton per acre and were taken out. The younger vines, planted in the ‘70s, provide the majority of grapes today. Initially these newer plantings were on the “lower” vineyard—not yet farmed as part of the Monte Bello estate—so the wine was called “Santa Cruz Mountains” and these vines have long since been included. Since 2009 the wine has been designated Ridge Estate Chardonnay. In years when differences among lots are sufficient to warrant a separate bottling, we make a limited amount of Monte Bello Chardonnay as well.
Significant winter rain restored groundwater on Monte Bello Estate. Cold spring weather delayed bud-break and bloom. Summer fogs further slowed ripening. Picked in early October, each parcels’ juice fermented in separate barrels. This year’s Estate Chardonnay was assembled in late July and returned to older barrels and tank for continued settling. Showing appealing fruit, it will be most enjoyable over the next seven years.
There is no minimum order for delivery
We deliver free to postcodes: NW2 NW3 NW6 NW8 NW10 W9 W10 above £100. There is a £5 charge for orders below £100
STANDARD UK POSTCODES £10 per drop for purchases below £250
For deliveries outside of the UK Please contact the shop via email or phone get a quote for delivery.
Please select the most suitable delivery option for your purchase at checkout.
IF YOU DO NOT SELECT THE CORRECT OPTION AT CHECKOUT WE WILL CONTACT YOU AND THIS MAY DELAY YOUR ORDER.
We reserve the the right to contact you prior to order confirmation if your delivery falls into one of the areas not covered by our standard delivery charges to organise any surplus charges to be paid for in advance of delivery.
We use a combination of our own delivery van and UK parcel companies for delivery, if you have a preference regarding timescales or carrier, please get in touch before placing your order.
We endeavour always to ensure you receive the wine you have ordered in perfect condition. However there are the odd times when things don’t go to plan - So:
On Delivery
Please contact us immediately should your delivery arrive missing items or containing the wrong bottles. We will send replacements for any items which have not arrived. Please contact us within 48 hours of your parcel arriving as we cannot offer replacements after this time.
Returns
We want you to enjoy the wines you have purchased from us. If you find you have bought a case and find the first bottle is not for you we are happy to exchange the wines for something else. All we ask is that you cover the delivery costs for return of the old wine and sending of the new bottles. Please advise of any returns within 14 days of receiving the wines, we are unable to accept after this point.
Faulty Bottles
Sadly, from time to times bottles will develop faults. If you think your wine is corked, oxidised or otherwise faulty please contact us to discuss. We are unable to offer refunds for bottles which have been out of the shop longer than two months as storage conditions are out of our control.
Quick note on Fine Wine purchasing.
When ordering that special bottle of wine it is worth doing a little research before making a purchase. Wine is a living product, which goes through changes and stages of development in the bottle, as well as varying between vintages. If you are considering ordering an older vintage we recommend speaking to a member of staff or using a review site like cellartracker.com to try and get as full a picture as possible of the flavour profile and development of the bottle you are considering.
It is against the law to sell or supply alcohol to, or to obtain alcohol on behalf of, a person under the age of 18 years.