Paul Draper
RIDGE VINEYARDS: GREAT RECENT RELEASES
For over 50 years Ridge Vineyard has been making some of the best wines in California. And since the 1960s I have been buying, drinking, and cellaring them each year. The result is that I have more wines from Ridge Vineyards in my cellar than I have from any other producer. The wines […]
Click here to read entire article »RIDGE VINEYARDS – FALL 2017 RELEASES & MORE!
As usual, the new Ridge releases are terrific. I tasted the wines over a period of several days and found all of the wines to be very expressive. They are balanced and harmonious just as you would expect from Ridge. Below are notes on the 5 fall releases. Don’t miss them! Following the notes are […]
Click here to read entire article »RIDGE VINEYARDS – NEW RELEASES, A SPECIAL CHARITY EVENT FEATURING RIDGE WINES, & NOTES ON THREE GREAT OLD RIDGE WINES
New Ridge Releases New releases from Ridge are always a treat as this is one winery that only produces gorgeous balanced food friendly wines that can be consumed young and also can age effortlessly for many years. Here is the introduction from my last Ridge article on the fall 2016 releases and ingredient labeling […]
Click here to read entire article »A MONTE BELLO TOAST TO PAUL DRAPER
A LEGEND IN HIS TIME Paul Draper, the winemaker and CEO of Ridge Vineyards for nearly 50 years, recently announced his retirement. In my mind Paul was the California wine industry’s guiding force in continuing traditional wine making practices and making consistently great wines during his entire career at Ridge Vineyards. The history of Ridge […]
Click here to read entire article »OLD RIDGE VINEYARDS MONTE BELLO CABERNETS
In my most recent Ridge Vineyards article (click here to read the article on Spring releases and links to all other Ridge Vineyards articles) I said that I would soon be writing about some recent tastings of old Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignons. And, as I have mentioned many times over the years, the […]
Click here to read entire article »RIDGE VINEYARDS – SPRING 2016 RELEASES
The spring releases from Ridge Vineyards are now on the market. And, true to form, the wines are terrific. Most of these wines I tasted on my last visit to Ridge (to read those notes as well as notes on other wines including wines tasted from barrel as well as background information on Ridge and […]
Click here to read entire article »RIDGE VINEYARDS & THE DROUGHT YEARS 2012-2015
A RECENT VISIT AND SOME REALLY STUNNING WINES I have been visiting Ridge Vineyards since the 60s and writing about them since just before the launch of The Underground Wineletter in 1979. During this entire period I have been buying, cellaring, and drinking Ridge Vineyards wines. They have always given me immense pleasure and […]
Click here to read entire article »RIDGE VINEYARDS
Without question, Ridge consistently produces some of the best red wines in California. They have been doing it for over 50 years and have a record that is unmatched by anyone in the state. Here is a history of Ridge taken from one of my earlier Ridge articles: The history of Ridge Vineyards begins in […]
Click here to read entire article »RIDGE VINEYARDS
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS: A CALIFORNIA TREASURE On a recent visit to Ridge Vineyards I met with Paul Draper, CEO/Winemaker, and Eric Braugher, VP Wine Making Monte Bello, and tasted some 2011s out of barrel as well as some bottled wines from 2010 back to 1992. The 2011 vintage presented some challenging weather conditions, but, […]
Click here to read entire article »JOSEPH SWAN: A CALIFORNIA WINE LEGEND
THE MAN AND HIS WINES AND THE CONTINUATION OF HIS VISION Recently, I attended a dinner that featured 17 different wines from Joseph Swan Vineyards. It was organized by The Rare Wine Company with the wines almost entirely from the Joseph Swan Vineyards library. Held at The Murray Circle Restaurant at Cavallo Point in San […]
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