2025 Coast Range

Nose of hibiscus, cranberry, blood orange and black tea. Light to medium body with playful acidity and supple texture. Flavors of boysenberry, pomegranate and vanilla. Serve at room temperature, or slightly chilled. SR (6/26)

This year’s ideal spring resulted in some of the highest yields of recent years. Despite rigorous thinning, yields were 20% above average,providing grapes for this adventurous blend. More fruit-forward and meant for immediate enjoyment, we decided to bottle this wine separately. Nine months of aging in the barrel has added complexity. Delicious now, it will be at its best over the next four years. SR (2/26)

Near-perfect weather in spring 2025 enabled the vines to set a full crop. Yields were the highest in at least thirty years. When possible, we make a wine simply designated simply “Coast Range.” The majority of the fruit comes from Sonoma County, but fruit from Contra Costa, Santa Cruz and Napa are also included this year. In the 2025 Coast Range, the cabernet is from Fredson Ranch in Alexander valley. All lots were harvested as they ripened, from mid-August through early October. Fermentation began, on average, two days after crush. We gave twice daily pump-overs helped to accentuate fruit. Both primary and secondary (malolactic) fermentations were entirely natural. Ten percent of the american oak barrels used in aging were new, showcasing the fruit components of the wine. The creation of a blended wine such as the Coast Range calls on all the vintner’s skills as winemaker. Both technical and tasting ability are required. The components must be balanced and adjusted to create not only the quality, but the character of the wine. This method—used widely in California, Australia, and elsewhere—has produced many renowned wines. As with all Ridge bottlings, no portion is purchased wine; fermentation and aging are done entirely by us. In keeping with our belief that providing background information on the wine—be it vineyard location, vintage conditions, or varietal breakdown—is useful, we identify the winemaking approach as well.

Harvest Dates: 19 August – 8 October
Grapes: Average Brix 24.2˚
TA: 5.47 g/L
pH: 3.73
Fermentation: No inoculation; natural primary and secondary.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (10% new and 90% five-plus-year-old).
Aging: Nine months in barrel

Hand-harvested grapes, destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts followed by a full malolactic on the natural-occurring bacteria; tartaric acid; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 150 ppm over the course of aging); membrane sterile filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.