October 2026

2023 Coastview Vineyard Terraces Syrah 96+ Points
2023 Rattlesnake Rock Syrah (Estate) 96 Points
2023 Sixty Two Terraces Syrah (Estate)  95 Points
2023 Gabilan Mountains GSM  93 Points
2023 Odeon Betchart Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points
2022 Grizzly Grenache (Estate) 95+ Points
2024 Equinox Block Pinot Noir 95 Points
2024 Rodnick Vineyard Pinot Noir 94 Points
2024 Ascona Vineyard Pinot Noir 94 Points
2024 Rodnick Vineyard Old Vine Mourvèdre 93 Points
2024 Coastview Vineyard Pinot Noir 93 Points
2024 Old Corral Pinot Noir 93 Points
2024 Coastview Vineyard Chardonnay 92 Points
2024 Lester Family Vineyard Pinot Noir 92 Points
2024 Rodnick Vineyard Chenin Blanc 91 Points

---

Proprietor Bradley Brown and winemaker Blake Yarger continue to craft an extensive and remarkably consistent lineup that highlights some of California’s most remote and highest-altitude vineyards, particularly in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the upper reaches of Monterey County and San Benito. The lineup emphasizes native whole-cluster fermentations, vertical pressing and extended élevage, the latter of which helps achieve better integration than many producers who retain similarly high proportions of stems. Both Brown and Yarger note that a recent refinement in the bottling process has resulted in less shutdown immediately afterward, though these wines still benefit from a few years of patience.

This overview highlights the contrasting 2023 and 2024 vintages. The 2023 vintage saw a long, mild growing season with the most rainfall in a decade, producing wines with intense, soaring floral aromatics and focused, fine-grained characteristics that complement the energy and vibrancy that define the entire range. In contrast, the conditions in 2024 continued the drought recovery that began the previous year, with substantial winter and spring rains, a mild early summer, a hot July and August and then a welcome September cooling for the Pinot and Chardonnay harvests, followed by a punishing October heat wave that compressed picking, albeit to a lesser extent than in 2022.

A solid array of white wines sets the stage for a fantastic selection of Pinot Noirs, ranging from the coastal side of Santa Cruz above Corralitos to one of the region’s highest-elevation, most sought-after sources, Ascona. The Old Corral and Equinox Block bottlings represent the Big Basin estate vineyard, while the Coastview and Rodnick Farm bottlings represent the mountainous reaches of Monterey County. While the Pinot Noir selection is impressive, Big Basin’s signature is its Rhône varieties, which derive primarily from Alban plant material. The beautiful 2022 Grizzly Grenache, as is typical, follows an extended bottling period compared to the Syrah lineup. As ever, the Rattlesnake Rock and Sixty-Two Terraces bottlings showcase estate vines that are among the most representative of the region, while the equally impressive Coastview Syrah remains one of the Central Coast’s best examples of the variety for those seeking a pure, floral and savory profile.

2023 Coastview Vineyard Terraces Syrah – 96+ Points
Along with the superb expression from Rattlensake Rock, the 2023 Syrah Coastview Vineyard Terraces is the apex of the Big Basin roster this year and may even eclipse its stablemate after a bit more time in bottle. Drawn from Alban selections planted on granitic soils, it is the deepest-hued of the Big Basin Syrah offerings, a quality reflected in its dark-fruited, intense, flashy and complex bouquet, which initially shows a more floral, peppery profile than its Santa Cruz Mountain counterparts. The mouthfeel is impressive out of the gate, with a lovely combination of velvety richness, taut muscularity and weightless, floating precision that carries into an intensely saturated finish. A distinct iodine quality emerges after a short while in the glass, adding structure and refreshment to what is unequivocally the most powerful wine in the lineup.

2023 Rattlesnake Rock Syrah (Estate) – 96 Points

Produced from Côte-Rôtie field selections planted at 1,400 feet in elevation, the 2023 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock confidently opens with a knockout nose of lavender, black olives, kelp, cracked pepper, crushed stones and a deft core of black and blue fruits tucked far in the background. The mouthfeel is among the most impressive in the Big Basin portfolio, seamlessly melding almost voluptuous richness into a dense, compact frame bound with abundant, refined tannins. It culminates in a fantastic finish that delivers a paradox of neat, tidy refinement while retaining a raw, primal edge, lingering with iron-like minerality and no shortage of stem-derived tannin that I suspect will carry the wine well into its second decade.

2023 Sixty Two Terraces Syrah (Estate) – 95 Points

Produced from a west-facing block of Alban selections, the 2023 Syrah Sixty-Two Terraces is very impressive, bounding from the glass with a quintessentially meaty bouquet of bacon fat, graphite, black fruits and a peppery touch of reduction. The mouthfeel delivers an equal measure of sumptuous richness and lifted, lacy energy, effortlessly moving into a thunderous finish of iron, bramble, green olive and blood sauce flavors. Fans of true-blue, Northern Rhône-styled Syrah will find much to love here, and I suspect that patience will be rewarded.

2023 Gabilan Mountains GSM – 93 Points

A blend of 48% Grenache, 47% Mourvèdre and 5% Syrah from Coastview and Rodnick Farm, the 2023 GSM Gabilan Mountains is a quintessential expression of this rugged stretch of the Central Coast. Aromas of black fruits, bramble, violets and crushed stone mingle harmoniously on the nose, followed by a richly flavored yet elegantly rendered mouthfeel that exudes the firm, upright posture typical of these vineyard sites. The wine closes with a layered, savory finish that lingers with myriad spicy flavors and grippy tannins.

2023 Odeon Betchart Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon- 93 Points

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Odeon comes from Betchart Vineyard at 2,000 feet in elevation on Monte Bello Road, adjacent to Ridge’s iconic vineyard. As I find consistent with this bottling, it bounds from the glass with a lovely bouquet centered on minty, herbal and woody aromas, with a deft core of red and black fruits. This is followed by a medium-bodied, classically proportioned mouthfeel and a fittingly lifted, high-toned finish dominated by refreshing acidity and the tight, chalky tannins common in this section of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

2022 Grizzly Grenache (Estate) – 95+ Points

Matured in used puncheon and concrete eggs, the 2022 Grenache Grizzly is again a standout in the Big Basin portfolio and a singular example of the variety within the broader Central Coast. This iteration exudes a distinctly herbal profile, with notes of orange rinds, dried flowers and the omnipresent mineral character that routinely defines this cuvée. In the mouth, it strikes a compelling midpoint between fleshy substance, compact density and fresh, focused energy, all of which sum into a long, soaring finish grounded by stem-derived tannins and pronounced mineral character. Even after its typical additional time in bottle before release, it remains rather tight and will benefit from another couple of years before pulling corks.

2024 Equinox Block Pinot Noir – 95 Points

I found the 2024 Pinot Noir Equinox Block to be the most multifaceted of the Big Basin Pinot Noirs this year, delivering a delicious confluence of density, tension, energy and complexity that surpasses its stablemates. An inaugural release drawn from the Big Basin estate vineyard’s 122 clones—also known as the Vosne-Romanée selection—it opens on an introverted note before gradually unfurling a beautiful bouquet of strawberry jam, orange rinds, underbrush, violets and graphite. The mouthfeel offers the most taut, muscular profile of the Pinot Noirs in the lineup, and it concludes with a chewy, structural finish lifted by taut mineral notes threaded with refreshing salinity.

2024 Rodnick Vineyard Pinot Noir – 94 Points

The 2024 Pinot Noir Rodnick Farm Vineyard opens with a vivid, expressive bouquet of black cherries, dried roses and citrus-driven accents, developing the chaparral-like notes I typically associate with Chalone after a short while in the glass. The palate continues with a svelte, concentrated, silken mouthfeel bound by a pure, tense core, releasing into a richly flavored, nimble, well-delineated finish. It’s a highlight among the Big Basin Pinot Noirs this year and should have no problem developing through its 10th birthday, if not longer.

2024 Ascona Vineyard Pinot Noir – 94 Points

Tasting the 2024 Pinot Noir Ascona Vineyard alongside the Old Corral bottling allows one to contrast two sites in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains: Ascona at over 2,000 feet in elevation, above the fog line, and the Big Basin estate at 1,400 feet, both using Mt. Eden and Swan selections and whole-bunch fermentation. This wine exudes a darker, more brooding personality that is lifted by alpine herbs and resinous aromas. It has a silken, elegant, racy mouthfeel and delivers suave richness in a slender frame. It closes with a strikingly pure and sculpted finish dominated by mineral textures and refined tannins.

2024 Rodnick Vineyard Old Vine Mourvèdre – 93 Points

The 2024 Mourvèdre Old Vine Rodnick Farm Vineyard exhibits a slightly more candied personality than in previous vintages, wafting from the glass with lush black cherry aromas lifted by floral accents and the meaty, herbal flourishes that tend to mark this bottling. Sleek, dense and fluid in the mouth, it closes with a sturdy, well-structured finish that lingers with savory flavors and a pronounced mineral core.

2024 Coastview Vineyard Pinot Noir – 93 Points

Composed of Dijon clones along with Pisoni and Swan plant material, the 2024 Pinot Noir Coastview Vineyard offers a darker-fruited and more spice-driven profile than the example from Rodnick Farm. Supple, dense and round on the palate, it closes with a richly flavored finish that recalls the somewhat brooding nature of the nose before taking a more savory turn as it lingers.

2024 Old Corral Pinot Noir (Estate) – 93 Points

The 2024 Pinot Noir Old Corral represents the Big Basin estate site through a blend of Mt. Eden and Swan selections, offering a fascinating comparison to the Ascona bottling, which sits in the same general section of the Santa Cruz Mountains and uses the same plant material. While Ascona sits above the fog line, the Big Basin site has a more maritime influence, creating an aromatic, herbal expression of Pinot Noir defined by compact concentration and tensile focus. The wine closes with a richly saturated and lifted finish.

2024 Coastview Vineyard Chardonnay – 92 Points

Stonefruits, tropical citrus and white flower aromas mark the nose of the 2024 Chardonnay Coastview Vineyard, followed by a beautifully textured mouthfeel that combines concentration, elasticity and freshness. It closes with a long, quenching finish anchored by the pronounced mineral grip that defines this stretch of the Central Coast, lingering with lifted, racy acidity.

2024 Lester Family Vineyard Pinot Noir – 92 Points

Made from a mix of Mt. Eden and Swan selections and fermented entirely with whole clusters, the 2024 Pinot Noir Lester Family Vineyard is an herbal and spice-driven expression of the Santa Cruz Mountains’ coastal side in Corralitos. It has a round and supple mouthfeel that flows into a delicious finish defined by floral notes and a refreshing, saline quality.

2024 Rodnick Vineyard Chenin Blanc – 91 Points

Vinified in concrete eggs and neutral barrels, the 2024 Chenin Blanc Rodnick Farm Vineyard aptly captures the combination of textural breadth and mineral austerity that perennially defines this site. Expressive aromas of tangerine, nectarine and dried flowers introduce a broad, weighty mouthfeel before seamlessly resolving on a taut, stony note.

---