RIDGE Among Top 25 Wineries to Visit in 2025

San Francisco Chronicle

August 2025

Esther Mobley of the San Francisco Chronicle has published her annual roundup of the best wineries to visit in Napa, Sonoma, and the Bay Area and RIDGE Monte Bello has made the list for the fourth year in a row!

“Going wine tasting is one of the great Bay Area pastimes. It’s a chance to experience so much of what makes this place special: the land’s natural beauty, a rich tradition of artisanal craftsmanship and a deep, abiding love for all things delicious. This 2025 edition of our Top 25 Wineries list is heavy on recommendations in Napa Valley and Sonoma County, California’s marquee wine regions. But it also includes wineries in other Bay Area corners, like the venerable Silicon Valley estates Ridge Monte Bello and Mount Eden…”

Ridge Vineyards – Monte Bello

Cupertino, Santa Cruz Mountains

“Ridge Vineyards is an anomaly in California wine. Despite the fact that it’s located on a remote mountain top in Cupertino, far away from the world-famous Napa Valley, it produces what many connoisseurs consider to be California’s greatest wine: a Cabernet Sauvignon blend called Monte Bello, named for the peak on which it’s grown. Visiting the property requires a shaky drive up these winding roads (and watch out for the cyclists), but it’s worth a pilgrimage for the spectacular views, rich history and superb wines. Not all visitors will get to taste the Monte Bello Cabernet, but the cool thing about Ridge is that it also produces quite a lot of interesting wines that are much more affordable, including a roster of old-vine, best-in-class Zinfandels. If Cupertino is out of the way for you, Ridge has a second tasting room in Healdsburg at its Lytton Springs estate (650 Lytton Springs Road, Healdsburg) — and reaching it does not require driving on any winding mountain roads.”

Visit us in Sonoma County and Paso Robles too!

P.S. – Fellow Wine Atlas Collective Winery, Frog’s Leap, Also Made the List!

If you haven’t yet heard of the Wine Atlas Collective, it’s an incredible group of like-minded wineries offering their club members exclusive benefits at all eight wineries in the collective. RIDGE is a founding member, and so is Napa Valley winery, Frog’s Leap. Learn more about the Wine Atlas Collective and plan a visit today!