Masterclass of Ridge Vineyards, including four vintages of Monte Bello, with winemaker John Olney – Friday 14th March

There are many elements to Ridge Vineyards that mark it out from the average Californian producer. For a start, it can trace its history back to the 1880s, when vines were first planted at Monte Bello, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains. After being abandoned during Prohibition, the site was rediscovered in the 1950s by a group of Stanford graduates with no background in winemaking. Or, as founder Paul Draper once referred to them – ‘a part-time bunch of hippies’.

Amazed at the quality of the wine they were able to make, the intrepid clan concluded that it can’t have been a result of what they were doing – it must have been the terroir. As more and more wineries sprung up in California in the 1960s, most focused on grape variety rather than site. Ridge continued to focus on the latter – a cool-climate spot high in the mountains, 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean, that proved perfect for Bordeaux varietals.

Today, Ridge makes around 30 different wines, from Mendocino to Paso Robles, but the core trio comprises the much-acclaimed Monte Bello Bordeaux blend, together with the Geyserville and Lytton Springs Zinfandels. We’re thrilled, then, to welcome winemaker John Olney to the Club to host a tasting of all three wines, including four vintages of the renowned Monte Bello going back a quarter of a century.

John joined Ridge in 1996, starting at the Monte Bello winery before going on to lead the Lytton Springs site, building a new, largely solar-powered facility made from 3,000 bales of straw (yes, you read that correctly – straw is not only a renewable resource, but has a high insulation value, trapping the night air and keeping the winery cool, thereby reducing reliance on air-conditioning). He became head winemaker and COO in 2021, overseeing all winemaking operations at both the Monte Bello and Lytton Springs wineries.

We invite you to join him for a very special tasting on a Friday evening in March.

The wines we will be tasting:
1999 Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains
2002 Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains
2006 Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains
2013 Monte Bello, ‘Steep Terraces’, Ridge Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains
2001 Zinfandel, Ridge Vineyards, Geyserville
2010 Zinfandel, Ridge Vineyards, Geyserville
2001 Zinfandel, Ridge Vineyards, Lytton Springs
2010 Zinfandel, Ridge Vineyards, Lytton Springs

Friday 14th March
St. James’s Room
18:30 – Welcome reception
19:00 – Masterclass begins
20:30 – Masterclass ends

Please note that once your order is placed, your ticket status will display as “processing” until after the event, when your member account is then charged. You will receive an email confirmation after ordering your tickets, stating that your order is being processed – please take this as full confirmation that your booking has been finalised. For any questions, please reach out to [email protected].

Please note, tickets are refundable for cancellations up to 5 days before the event. Cancellations must be made in writing to [email protected]. Any cancellations within 5 days of the event are non-refundable unless 67 Pall Mall resells the ticket to another Member. This is only possible when the event is sold out and there is a waiting list.