Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2024

Ridge’s 2024 Estate Chardonnay has a fascinating combination of Californian generosity and mountain-grown precision. The nose is immediately expressive, with white peach, clementine marmalade and orange blossom moving into more exotic notes of pineapple and guava. Across the palate there is real substance and texture, but the fruit remains beautifully defined rather than blowsy. A subtle creamy, coconut-like richness sits against fresh acidity, while ginger and kumquat bring a gently spicy, bittersweet lift to the finish. It is broad enough to satisfy lovers of richer Chardonnay, yet there is a mineral tension underneath that keeps everything firmly in focus.

This is 100% organically grown Chardonnay from Ridge’s remarkable Monte Bello estate, planted between 1,400 and 2,000 feet in the Santa Cruz Mountains on fractured limestone and decomposed greenstone soils. Whole clusters are pressed directly into barrel, where fermentation takes place with native yeasts followed by natural malolactic fermentation. The 2024 spent fifteen months in oak, predominantly American, but with only 15% new barrels – enough to build texture without overwhelming the fruit. Ridge expects this mountain Chardonnay to develop fully over around six years, making it a compelling alternative for anyone who enjoys serious, age-worthy Chardonnay with both richness and definition.