Because I was bored today and get asked this from time to time:

Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart

Please send feedback my way and feel free to dispute any rating. If there's enough interest I'll keep this up to date and expand it as I have time.

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Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart

Great info. I have been a fan of the Santa Cruz Mountains wines for years. The chardonnays are almost always my preferred Cali. chards. The big number for 2000 Chard is interesting. I remember a couple of bottles someone in my tasting group brought from a single vineyard (the name was very bizarre, I cannot remember the exact vinyard name) from Clos La Chance that blew my mind. Most in the group thought it was a GC burgundy thrown in as a ringer. It was spectacular - minerally, leesy, buttery popcorn, baked apples and peach smelling and tasting, big mouthcoating texture, lingering. . .

If that wine was any indication of that vintage's character, I should have stocked up on SC Mts. Chardonnay!

Interesting, I'll have to compare my notes. Did anyone else notice JL's reversal on the 2000 Ridge Montebello. In his barrel tasting, he gave a range of 95-100 and in the bottle tasting he gave an 89. That's quite a significant difference. Has anyone tasted the 2000?

Outstanding post, tlily! Thanks very much for putting this chart together.

Glad to hear that '02 looks so good, since I bought 6 bottles of Ridge MonteBello on futures.

I also recall how you demonstrateed how much better the '89 vintage was in Santa Cruz vs. Napa when you opened a Ridge MB next to my Phelps Eisele. A clear knockout for the Ridge.

That '96 Cooper Garrod RV Claret was also superlative and definitively reflective of your high rating for that vintage. I liked the '96 Claret even more than the '97 CG Georges Vyd. Cab

Cheers,

Otis

tlily,

GREAT job. I've trusted your notes on Santa Cruz Mtns before and have never been disappointed, so I appreciate and value your efforts VERY much.

As I'm sitting on something over two cases of Monte Bello -- more than one of 1996, and one of 2002 futures -- I am hoping that you continue to be right!

Steve


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cheers, y'all!

As a Monte Bello Hound, I thank you. Keep those posts coming!

I'm sitting (figuratively speaking, that is ) on a couple bottles of '97 Ridge Monte Bello; guess I'll have to wait them out.

I've been a big fan of Cinnabar cabs - the '95 was outstanding and the '96 is a brooding monster. The wine showed its best about 2 days after it was opened, decanted, then re-bottled. I also have a few '97 Clos La Chance Cab Franc; any ideas re: its drinking window/TN's?

(musings from the great white thread-killer!)

Thanks Tlily.

VM

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm sometimes reluctant to promote the area much, I don't want to come off as one of those "local" hucksters who show up here from time to time promoting thier local wines.

cdr11, "Vanumanutagi". The property was once owned by Robert Louis Stevenson's widow, and it's a Samoan word meaning singing birds if I recall correctly. I've rated both the Vanumanutagi and regular Clos LaChance 2000 SCM outstanding here before. Like a GC Burgundy they will improve in bottle.

Kybo, I've gotten pretty excited recently about Cab Franc in the area, I think it may be a good fit. The 99 Cooper Garrod has been one I buy everytime I visit at $20, Ridge recently decided to bottle a 2002 MonteBello Cab Franc based on feedback from barrel tastings, and just this week I ordered some dormant vines to put in a local vineyard.

I have not tried the 97 Clos LaChance, but believe the fruit comes from Cooper Garrod (maybe some from Savanaha Channelle). The 97 CG Cab Franc was mentioned by yhn as a buy here a year ago. now-2008 would be my guess.

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Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart

t:
Thanks loads!

(musings from the great white thread-killer!)

tlily,

Have you tried the 01 Ridge Three Valleys yet? I thought it was pretty nice juice and easy drinking now.

have not yet but heard a good buzz about it's qpr. I put myself on restriction on buying last month.

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Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart

This is great information - thanks a bunch.

tlily:

pardon the fact that i'm going specific on you, but have you tried the 99 kennedy small lot? i basically bought it because i loved the 97 kathryn kennedy CS. only bought one bottle, and would like to open it in the peak window.

K.K. is a hard one, they are closed to the public, no appointments, not open on passport days. I taste them when I can.

Davidn actually brought this to my BBQ in July and Eric White posted notes.

I've had it three time now and would say it's enjoyable now, but I would expect a peak around 2006-2010.

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Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart

tlily:

i'm ashamed to say that the link you provided led to yet another link where otis and i and you BTW discuss at length KK 97 as well as 99 small lot, discussing pricing among other things. hmmm, me thinks perhaps the judicious use of the search engine now and then may pay dividends. searching in vain for ashamed graemlin, none to be found.

David Bruce had an estate Syrah, but the current release ('00) was the last. It's the only one I tried, and was pretty good, so I don't know why they tore it out.

I'm pissed that I lagged for a moment on the '02 Monte Bello Cab Franc futures. >bling< Gone!

Every once in a while, KK participates in a tasting. They did a passport weekend (with others) at an Aptos, with a one-time omly, be-there-or-be-square futures tasting/offering.
The were also at a W.I.N.O. SCM tasting a couple years ago.

Btw, Page Mill is open for tasting this Saturday. Should include an SCV Merlot and an SCM Cab.
I'm not a big fan of their Chards, but I really liked their Matadero Creek, which is a vineyard they manage on their next door neighbor's property.

yhn,

I may be in the area Saturday. I took on managment of a vineyard between Page Mill Rd and Alpine Rd. and have some work to do Saturday. I posted notes on Page Mill Winery back in July. It was my surprise winery of the event.

PS I missed the Cab Franc too. I think it lasted a few hours.

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Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart

Hey tlily, this is great info! Thanks for putting it together

Let me set the record straight. I though the cop was a prostitute. - H. Simpson

I switched hosting companies over the weekend. The Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart may have been unavailable for a time, but it's back up now.

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Santa Cruz Mountains Vintage Chart