Ridge Vineyards: The Early Years

This film tells the story of the founding of Ridge Vineyards in 1962. Three founding partners—Dave Bennion, Hew Crane, Charlie Rosen, all Stanford Research Institute engineers—purchased a piece of land on Monte Bello Ridge in 1959. Sitting on a ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the land was a sanctuary for their families to enjoy after their workweeks in the Silicon Valley. The land also had a vineyard and winery on it. In 1960, they made a quarter-barrel of “estate” cabernet sauvignon. Its quality and distinctive character, and the wines produced from these same vines in 1960 and ’61, convinced the partners to bond the winery in time for the 1962 vintage – Ridge’s first vintage.

Watch and listen to Paul Draper, Sue Crane, and Sue’s sons as they guide you through the beginning years of Ridge Vineyards, up until Paul Draper’s arrival as winemaker in 1969.

Ridge wants to extend a special thank you to Sue Crane and her sons, Russ, Doug and Dan. The interviews, video, and photography they provided shaped this film and helped us tell a story that many Ridge enthusiasts might be hearing for the first time.

60 years ago, Ridge made its first Monte Bello, and two years later its first zinfandel. Since that time, Ridge has championed single-vineyard winemaking, searching California for those rare and exceptional vineyards where climate, soil, and variety are ideally matched.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/Ridge60