When Jerry Garcia, the legendary Grateful Dead guitarist, died, in 1995, Ridge Vineyards closed its doors for two days as a mark of respect. It wasn't that Garcia was a particular fan of the Californian winemaker, but the eclectic crew at the acclaimed vineyard included enough Deadheads to make the gesture heartfelt, writes Joe Breen.
In Ridge's illustrious history this incident merits barely a footnote, but it is typical of an organisation that is strong on principle and sure of its identity and purpose. It is different from your average Californian winery because it does things differently.
Among the Deadheads was Donn Riesen, a clinical psychologist who had signed up as a winemaker at the idealistic vineyard 19 years previously, after tasting an early vintage of the iconic Cabernet Sauvignon blend Monte Bello, from the historic vineyard of the same name in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Smitten, he left his career in psychology and joined the young ground-breaking team led by Paul Draper, himself a philosophy graduate.
Today Riesen is president of Ridge Vineyards, Draper is chief winemaker and chief executive and Ridge wines, in particular the revered Monte Bello, are considered among the finest California has to offer. Indeed, in the famous Judgment of Paris tasting in 1976 - Alan Rickman stars in an upcoming film about the event - when high-and-mighty Bordeaux were humbled by the Californian upstarts, Monte Bello 1971 came fifth; last year, in a 30th-anniversary tasting, it came first.
Riesen is a likeable, silver-haired San Franciscan who tunes easily into the lively atmosphere of Les Olives, a French restaurant in Naas, Co Kildare, as he introduces a flight of Ridge wines.
Tonight we taste four wines: a hugely expressive, candied, honey-rich and intense Santa Cruz Chardonnay 2003 (€31); a smooth, elegant, sleekily concentrated Geyserville 2004 (€34.99), which was like your average Zinfandel in name only; Monte Bello 2000 (price on application but the 1997 costs €139) rich in fruit, structure, intensity and promise but with a way to go; and the lean, big, blackberry-and-pepper notes of the Lytton Springs 2004 Zinfandel (€29.39). (Although Ridge is named after the Monte Bello Ridge vineyard, the company now has several other sites, including the Geyserville Zinfandel vineyard in Sonoma County, Lytton Springs and York Creek.)
The quality of Ridge wines comes from a marriage of land, judgment, investment and knowledge. Monte Bello Ridge was a celebrated vineyard before Prohibition, and Geyserville has vines more than 100 years old. But Draper's vision of extraordinary wines reflecting their terroir has been realised through a combination of benevolent ownership and rigid adherence to standards and beliefs. Ridge's enlightened absentee owner, a Japanese pharmaceutical magnate named Akihiko Otsuka, bought out the four founding partners in 1986, and ploughs all profits back into the company. "While Ridge has grown, we have retained our small-winery approach," says Riesen.
Ridge produces modest amounts - roughly 40,000 cases per vineyard. A quarter is sold to members of its US wine club, half to US outlets and a quarter to overseas buyers. There is no shortage of takers; Monte Bello is one of the few US wines available en primeur. And although Ridge wines are not cheap, they are at the low end of the high end. "Ridge is not a trophy wine. There is no pretension involved in our wines or winemaking," says Riesen.
Ridge Vineyards wines ( www.ridgewines.com) are available through James Nicholson, www.jnwine.com