2020 Wines

The original California Surfer Girl was our first Chardonnay made with grapes sourced from California.  We’ve carried on that tradition with this 2019 California Chardonnay.  Fermented with French and Hungarian oak, Surfer Girl should put forth a nose of pears and a finish with a bit of butter.

For our label, we wanted something quintessential California, and the notion of sun, beach, and waves of Chardonnay came to mind.  So naturally, we chose a sketch called Spellbound by the Sea (© 2016 by Claire Britcliffe), of a surfer girl walking onto the beach to catch the next big wave. 

Although not all of us can catch a wave in the ocean, all of us can catch a glass of Surfer Girl Chardonnay.  So, grab a Surfer Girl, snag your board, and dream about shooting the curl!

Inspired by Henry Moore’s King and Queen, currently at the Tate Modern housed in the former Bankside Power Station just across London’s Millennium Bridge, and a twist on Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, our Waiting for Merlot speaks of the seemingly endless time we wait until a red wine is ready to drink.  But, don’t wait too long for this one!

The grapes for this vintage were harvested in 2018 from the Stag’s Leap District in Napa Valley, which is famous for over 18 premier wineries.  We think Waiting for Merlot is a winner, even though we aren’t in Napa! 

The initial fermentation lasted eight days with grape skins to transmit the deep, rich tannins of the Merlot grapes into the wine.  We used both French and American oak to bring out a full-bodied Merlot that bursts cherries on the nose along with smoke and vanilla on the finish.  And, as with all Chateau Ridge Springs wines, it isn’t filtered; so every bit of the Merlot grape character comes through.

We hope you don’t have to wait long to enjoy Waiting for Merlot, so if it’s Spring of 2021, and you haven’t opened a bottle, get cracking!  This Merlot ain’t Godot!