History
Ridge first made merlot in 1974 from the exposed Point vineyard, planted on Monte
Bello Ridge at an elevation of 2600'. Originally, we wanted to see if the varietal
could match the quality of, and be included in, our estate cabernet. Once satisfied
that it could, we planted more merlot over the years as space and resources allowed.
From 1975 on, it has been a part of the Monte Bello whenever assemblage tastings
so indicated. As the younger plantings matured, it became apparent that not only
did merlot complement the Monte Bello, but also had the structure and complexity
to merit a separate bottling..
Vintage
Harvest Dates: 3 - 25 October
Grapes: Average Brix 24.5˚
Fermentation: Destemmed/ whole berry. Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic).
Pressed at seven days.
Barrels: 100% air dried american oak; 30% new, 23% one year old, 47% two and
three years old.
Time in Barrel: Twenty months
Growing Season
Rainfall: 33 inches (average)
Bloom: Mid-June
Weather: Cool, late spring, cold summer and long, mild fall.
Winemaking
Estate-grown Monte Bello vineyard grapes, hand harvested. Destemmed whole-berries
fermented on the native yeasts; full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria.
Minimum effective sulfur (28 ppm initially, 97 ppm during of aging). A fining of six
fresh egg white per barrel to moderate tough tannins. Pad filtered at bottling. In keeping
with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.