Got my offering today for the 2003 Ridge futures. I looked at your vintage chart for 2003. Is this a good vintage to buy or one on which to pass?

I'll copy and paste something I had in another thread:

What I've heard so far is that it looks similiar in some ways to 1999. We had a long wet spring. It would be warm and sunny for 2-3 weeks, then cold and rainy for 1-2. On and off until mid May. Higher up in the mountains sets were small and irregular. Lower down a little better, but still small. Do one reported any frost issues to me as I asked.

Summer was very mild except for Mid July and Late August. Old vines did fine, but younger planting had some stress.

There was cloudyness on and off during harvest month, but no bad weather. There was some concern that cold would come before harvest, but everyone came in in the last week of October, and the next week the temperature dropped into the 40's. I don't think anyone missed harvest, and it sounds like no one panicked and went early either.

Best bet will be those with estate grapes (Kathryn Kennedy, Cooper Garrod, Ridge, ect.) I don't know that there was a lot left over to fill contracts on a wide basis, although the Coopers said they filled all of theirs.

Some further thoughts......

This was a year where the unique location made a differance. Both the Central Coast and Napa/Sonoma had Fall weather events that did not impact the Santa Cruz Mountains, so be careful on drawing anything from more generic vintage reports. From what I've heard so far 2003 looks better in the SCM than it may turn out in Napa.

I probably will not be able to get up to Ridge for the first tasting. I have Mourvedre to plant for a small backyard vineyard, and work to do on the larger one I'm running, so I bet I miss it. yhn usually makes it as well as the gang of pour and both are very reliable sources for info.

The only 2003's I've had from barrel thus far are mine. So I can't make a barrell call yet.

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Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart

Thanks, Tlily. You've refreshed my memory. Should you have any further insights at a later date, it would be great to have them. Should you see this final question, when is the first tasting? If the gang of pour has any comments (they make or have made that tasting), I'll be trying to elicit some comments from them too.

The 1st tasting is March 13-14. Should be some notes posted after that.
The second tasting is in late May and will be closer to the final blend. You should have a little bit of time after that (don't know for sure, probably through the end of June) to get it at the initial price.

YHN, Thanks!

yhn - I'm curious in what you said about the May tasting being "closer to the final blend." Do you think the barrel samples at the March tasting be much different from the final product? I'm just curious. I'm planning to go to next week's tasting and perhaps purchase some futures depending on the results. I've only done barrel tastings on a couple of other occasions, so I'm no expert on what to expect - especially with such an enigmatic wine as the monte bello.

Either way, I'll post my notes back here to add my two cents worth.

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Abstainer: a weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure.
--Ambrose Bierce

There are a lot of blocks within the Monte Bello vineyards. Between the varietals and the different sites, they have 60+ distincive barrels to work with. They pick the best, most Monte Bello-eque for a base blend. With other lots they take a wait-and-see approach. See how they develop and fine-tune the blend.
The rest goes into their 2nd & 3rd wines. Sometimes they'll also bottle a distincive individual lot separately.

just off subject and random, but here's the wine list for the March 20th event....

"grape for grape, bottle for bottle, the Santa Cruz Mountains district is the finest winegrowing area in the Western Hemisphere"
~Charles Sullivan, 1981

All the wines this time will be from the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA.

2002 Cooper Garrod Viognier Randall Grahm Clone
2001 Clos LaChance Chardonnay
2001 David Bruce Chardonnay
2000 Mount Eden Vineyards Estate Chardonnay

2001 David Bruce Pinot Noir
2001 Kathryn Kennedy Syrah
1999 Cooper Garrod Francville Vineyard Cabernet Franc
1997 Ridge Jimsomare Zinfandel
1997 Ridge Merlot
1999 Kathryn Kennedy Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
1995 Cooper Garrod George's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
1984 Ridge Jimsomare Cabernet Sauvignon
1966 Uvas Cabernet Sauvignon

2002 Bonny Doon Sweet Viognier

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Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart