Archive for July, 2010

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You See The Neatest Things

July 6, 2010

You See The Neatest Things At Monte Bello … 

… like for example, something I’ve never seen before; a butterfly laying her eggs, and baby caterpillars just born! Behold Mama Butterfly: 

Mama Butterfly

 And again! 

Mama Butterfly II

And her wee lil’ eggs! 

Baby Caterpillar Eggs

And here’s her lil’ baby Caterpillars! 

Baby Caterpillars

And again! 

Baby Caterpillars II

And just to give you sense of scale on how tiny these cute little characters are, check this out: 

 

And last of all, no nature post from Monte Bello would be truly complete without the inclusion of … hummingbird pictures! Here a neat action shot, and a detail of my little winged friend: 

Hummingbird

Hummingbird, detail

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Posted in Events & Photographs, Monte Bello | 1 Comment »

Summer Wine Series: YOU CHOOSE THE THEMES!

July 5, 2010

Every year Ridge Vineyards is pleased to host two seasonally-themed series of wine-tasting weekends in our Tasting Rooms: Summer Wine Series and Winter Wine Series. August will be this year’s showcase for our Summer Wine Series, and each weekend we’ll be offering a select flight of wines with a unique theme. Past themes have included multi-format bottlings, zinfandel verticals, blind tastings, solo-varietal showcases, and more.

This year, we’re going to be doing something a little different. All through the month of July, we’ll be asking YOU to post your requests and suggestions for tasting themes, and at the end of the month we’ll select our four favorites, and post them to the events calendar for August!

To post a suggestion/request, please leave a comment here on our blog, or post a comment to our Facebook page (facebook.com/ridgevineyards) or via either of our twitter feeds (twitter.com/ridgemb, twitter.com/ridgels); post your theme suggestion, and then cross your fingers that yours gets selected! We’re really looking forward to seeing your ideas!

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Posted in Events & Photographs, Lytton Springs, Monte Bello, Special Offerings, Tasting Flights, Tasting Rooms | Leave a Comment »

Update on Meg Houston Maker’s 24 Theses …

July 4, 2010

In one of my posts from the Wine Bloggers Conference, I noted some impeccably spot-on bits of writing advice from Meg Houston Maker, who is someone well qualified to be speaking on such a topic, and who gave a wonderful presentation at the conference. I am happy to let you know that she has posted the full text of her talk on her website. I encourage you to have a look; her 24 Theses can be found here.

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Posted in Viticultural Salmagundi, Wine Blogs, Wine Quotes | 1 Comment »

Independence

July 4, 2010

There are many ways to celebrate independence.

Surely this is one of the more pleasurable;

alone atop the mountain,

beneath the moon,

beside the vines,

amongst the quail.

Limitless, the blue primacy of sky

between violet and green;

limitless, the vagaries of freedom.

Posted in Wine & Poetry | Leave a Comment »

1997 Monte Bello: Tasting Notes …

July 3, 2010

Had the occasion to taste 1997 Monte Bello with Paul Draper today; here’s a quick report:

Rich, dark, deep plumminess in the bowl, evidencing surprisingly viscous legs for only being 12.9% abv … astonishingly concentrated nose; succulent and juicy; hints of cassis, fruit compote, quince, and blueberry slump (a rather archaically exquisite pseudo-pie-in-a-pot concoction I had the great privilege of eating on a visit to Maine as a child) … fine resolution at point-of-entry; indisputably still young (as evidenced by tremendously animated acidity), but already showing great integrative promise … almost a tea-like character at mid-palate; hibiscus and chamomile, plus some earthily sweet tarragon and white pepper … the fruit is so concentrated it’s almost impossible to describe; poached plums? Baked-to-the-point-of-being-carmelized-beets? Japanese pickled plum candies? Impossible to describe, impossible not to adore … Lovely dark tarry layer on the finish; a tad inky, notes of lead/graphite, traces of Dad’s-wallet-leatheriness (thank you Kyle Kurani!), and a mouth-watering display of round tannins and fine-grain minerality … Based on previous tastings of this wine over the past two years, this vintage is beginning to make a substantial move towards imminent and delicious early pourability …

At the typer, workin' on notes for the '97 ...

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Posted in Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monte Bello, Tasting Notes, Varietals & Blends, Viticultural Salmagundi | Leave a Comment »

Membership Months: Edition II, July!

July 3, 2010

Membership Months at Ridge Vineyards!

Ridge Vineyards was very excited to debut a new Member Benefit back in February of 2010, something we called Membership Months. It was the first time we rolled it out, and I think it’s safe to say all concerned were quite pleased with the results; meaning, we had great wine, you came to taste it, we poured it, you loved it, you left with it, we were happy, you were happy, success!

So now, after a very excellent February edition, we’re ready for round two! Here’s the story:

All during the months of February and July, we invite you, the members of our ATP, Monte Bello Collector, and Z List wine programs, to bring your friends and family to our tasting rooms, where each and every one of your guests will enjoy member pricing on all tasting fees!

Ok, that’s the scoop, so, if you’re a member of one of our wine programs, round up your family and friends, and bring ‘em out to see us! And if you’re not a member? Well, two options: join, or make friends with a member!

In all seriousness, please join us for these very special opportunities to extend your special member benefits to those that are special to you.

Cheers!

 

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Posted in Events & Photographs, Special Offerings, Tasting Rooms, Wine Clubs | Leave a Comment »

VineWatch 2010, III!

July 2, 2010

Well, I’ve been chatting with our vineyard gang today, specifically David Gates and Caleb Mosley, and to put it simply, we’re running behind in the vineyard; we just haven’t seen the heat yet that we need. So while our vines are looking lovely, they want more warm weather! So cross your fingers, and pray for heat!

Here’s our little guy, looking oh so fine, if a tad too cool … Our staunch Cabernet Sauvignon vine, high up on Monte Bello …

And keep on following us throughout the season! It’s VineWatch 2010!

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Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Events & Photographs, Varietals & Blends, Vineyards and Oenology | Leave a Comment »

2010 Wine Blog Awards Winners!

July 2, 2010

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2010 Wine Blog Awards! A truly excellent crop of offerings showcasing an extraordinary range of styles and content.

That said, and alas, while I am extremely proud to have been nominated in our first year of blog existence, we did not in fact take home the trophy. But, I will confess to being rather charmed by the fact that it was another Santa Cruz-area blog that did so; a nice little nod to our nice little region …

Anyhow, cheers to all, and here is the list of the awardees; I encourage you all to check these sites out, this is a fine sampling of what most definitely constitutes the gold standard for contemporary wine writing:

Best Wine Blog Graphics, Photography, & Presentation: Good Grape

Best Industry/Business Wine Blog: Criteria: Good Grape

Best Wine Reviews on a Wine Blog: Bigger Than Your Head

Best Single Subject Wine Blog: Criteria: New York Cork Report

Best Winery Blog: Criteria: Been Doon So Long

Best Writing On a Wine Blog: Catavino

Best New Wine Blog: Criteria: Swirl, Smell Slurp

Best Overall Wine Blog: Criteria: 1 Wine Dude

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Posted in Wine Blogs | 1 Comment »

#WBC10, The Slideshow!

July 1, 2010

 

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Posted in Events & Photographs, Wine Blogs | Leave a Comment »

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