利吉酒莊 Ridge Vineyards

位於舊金山南方的聖塔克魯茲山 (Santa Cruz Mountains)，是加州早期發展葡萄酒相當成功的地區之一。1885年，一位義大利裔的醫師Osea Perrone先生，在靠近Cupertino城的蒙特貝羅山脊附近買下了180英畝的園地，於山脊頂端種植葡萄樹，也在陡峭的面南坡上以石灰石建造了蒙特貝羅酒莊(Monte Bello winery)，並於1892年開始生產蒙特貝羅酒莊第一個年份酒。1940年時，一位喜好務農也愛好葡萄酒的退休神學家William Short先生，買下了蒙特貝羅酒莊鄰近的Torre酒莊及葡萄園地，在48英畝的土地裡改種了8英畝的卡本內蘇維翁與少許的夏多內品種。1959年，四位來自史丹佛研究院的工程師買下了這家酒莊的園地，做為家庭度週末用，也在閒暇之餘照料葡萄園地。同年，當中的Dave Bennion先生被指派為釀酒師，他利用園中收成的少許果實，釀製出第一個年份的山脊蒙特貝羅卡本內 “Ridge”Monte Bello Cabernet，傑出的酒質激發了這四位盟友重新開始經營Torre酒莊的想法，因而創立了如今享譽國際的加州頂尖酒莊 — Ridge Vineyards山脊葡萄園。1968年，山脊葡萄園酒莊也買下了蒙特貝羅酒莊，隔年聘請了Paul Draper先生擔任首席釀酒師，他將Perrone先生當初建造的蒙特貝羅釀酒設施重新整頓後，於1971年開始在這邊釀酒，而這邊也成為山脊葡萄園酒莊的總部。1986年山脊葡萄園的創辦人退休後，酒莊也就賣給了喜愛葡萄酒的日本大塚製藥社長Akihiko Otsuka 先生。1990之後，他們把重心集中在最優質的葡萄園地，大多都座落在北邊的索諾瑪郡；因此， 1991年，山脊葡萄園酒莊購置了索諾瑪郡Healdsburg城北邊的利頓溫泉莊園Lytton Springs Winery，利頓溫泉的釀酒設備無疑成了舉足輕重的角色，2000年他們更在酒廠裡建置了一間新的酒窖與品酒空間。
The history of Ridge Vineyards begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone (third person on bench wearing tall boots), a doctor who became a prominent member of San Francisco's Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge. He terraced the slopes and planted vineyards; using native limestone, he constructed the Monte Bello Winery, producing the first vintage under that name in 1892. This unique cellar, built into the mountainside on three levels, is Ridge's production facility. At 2600', it is surrounded by the "upper vineyard." In the 1940s, William Short, a theologian, bought the abandoned winery and vineyard just below the Perrone property; he replanted several parcels to cabernet sauvignon in the late 1940s. From these vines — now the "middle vineyard"— new owners Dave Bennion and his three partners, all Stanford Research Institute engineers, made a quarter-barrel of "estate" cabernet. That Monte Bello Cabernet was among California's finest wines of the era. Its quality and distinctive character, and the wines produced from these same vines in 1960 and '61, convinced the partners to re-bond the winery in time for the 1962 vintage. The first zinfandel was made in 1964, from a small nineteenth-century vineyard farther down the ridge. This was followed in 1966 by the first Geyserville zinfandel. The founding families reclaimed the Monte Bello terraces, increasing vineyard size from fifteen to forty-five acres. Working on weekends, they made wines of regional character and unprecedented intensity. By 1968, production had increased to just under three thousand cases per year, and in 1969, Paul Draper joined the partnership. A Stanford graduate in philosophy—recently returned from setting up a winery in Chile's coast range—he was a practical winemaker, not an enologist. His knowledge of fine wines and traditional methods complemented the straightforward "hands off" approach pioneered at Ridge. Under his guidance the old Perrone winery (acquired the previous year) was restored, the finest vineyard lands leased or purchased, the consistent quality and international reputation of the wines established. Cabernet and zinfandel account for most of the production; syrah, grenache, carignane, and petite sirah constitute a small percentage. Known primarily for its red wines, Ridge has also made limited amounts of chardonnay since 1962. Lytton Springs, in Sonoma County, became part of the Ridge estate in 1991. A quarter century's experience with this vineyard had convinced us that it was an exceptional piece of ground. Forty consecutive vintages of Geyserville attest to yet another stunning combination of location and varietals. Though born in the early sixties to the post-Prohibition world of modern California winemaking, Ridge relies on nature and tradition rather than technology. Our approach is straightforward: find intense, flavorful grapes; intrude upon the process only when necessary; draw the fruit's distinctive character and richness into the wine.