Santa Cruz Cabernet proliferates

Thanks to the perennially outstanding wine from Ridge’s Monte Bello vineyard (seen above overlooking Silicon Valley), California’s Santa Cruz Mountains have been associated with high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon in the minds of many wine lovers since at least the famous Paris Tasting of 1976. The grape’s history in the region goes back to 1940, when Martin Ray planted the first cuttings at what would become Mount Eden Vineyards on the eastern flank of the Coast Range above Silicon Valley.

Monte Bello’s reputation notwithstanding...