Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is the high altitude mountainous region south of San Francisco, famous for California’s greatest Cabernet Sauvignon and rattlesnakes!
Ridge Vineyards began in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor who became a prominent member of San Francisco`s Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge. He terraced the slopes and planted vineyards; using native limestone, he constructed the Monte Bello Winery, producing the first vintage under that name in 1892. Pagani Ranch in Sonoma Valley, Dusi Ranch in Paso Robles, and York Creek on Spring Mountain in Napa are other vineyards in the Ridge stable. As part of creating a sustainable vineyard environment, they grow cover crops to improve the soil and control erosion.