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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.2 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 191 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by bendb on 4/16/2024 & rated 94 points: Beautiful deep, clear, red color. No bricking. The cork was fragile, but at 21 years old I'd expect it.
The nose is very Bordelais; cedar, pencil lead, leather, and spices dominate.
More cedar and leather on the palate, mixed with red fruits and mostly-resolved tannins. No noticeable heat. The overall effect is very pleasant - the components are well-integrated.
A nice finish lasting 10-20 seconds for me.
Drank with a steak, some rice, and a lotus-root stir-fry. I really like this bottle! Looking forward to more in the future. (342 views) | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 2/22/2024 flawed bottle: seems like it had a poor cork though not TCA, bummer (1086 views) | | | Tasted by ziavino on 2/2/2024 & rated 90 points: This felt a bit tired, with dried fruit notes and mostly resolved tannins throughout. Acidity is still hanging on, and light notes of leather and smoke add interest. (847 views) | | | Tasted by peternelson on 1/14/2024 & rated 93 points: Stunningly good, balanced, slightly riper and more primary than the Latour and Lafite as you would expect, but good earth and mineral undertones and impeccable balance. Still has 10+ years ahead of it. EWG retrospective tasting dinner at Conrad's (1167 views) | | | Tasted by pdadams66 on 12/26/2023 & rated 93 points: Deep dark center, red rim with surprisingly modest signs of age.
Intense nose of blueberries and black raspberries, toasted oak.
Complex, blackcurrants and blueberries, polished wood, a touch of rosemary, oak barrel char, salted black olives, good tannin and acidity, fantastic long finish.
Fantastic Monte Bello, better on day 2 - so more time in bottle advised. (967 views) | | | Tasted by WineJ2019 on 12/25/2023 & rated 93 points: Fit the billing for a properly aged Monte Bello, but I give the higher score to the 2014 we had recently as that showed more personality and intensity of flavor. This was still a pleasure to drink and it’s no criticism, just a little surprising to me (925 views) | | | Tasted by lozatron on 11/23/2023: Thanksgiving Wimps 2023 - Alfred Stieglitz Table (La Trompette): First time with this vintage. Lovely stuff - just getting into the drinking window - all those lovely menthol / cigar box characters, and real structure on the palate. A treat to taste this and I hope i get to again. (1223 views) | | | Tasted by jonphillips on 11/5/2023 & rated 95 points: Needs at least an hour decant; still plenty of tannin. Wonderful. (1097 views) | | | Tasted by wchrisw on 6/19/2023: Magnum. I opened this 3 days ago on a bit of a whim— Father’s Day weekend, I need to move inventory, Ridge says this is in a “drink” status so why not? It’s 20 years old after all. Tasted this on various intervals day 1. It was lovely each taste and only needed a bit of airtime to show. Minerals, river rocks, cassis, some rusticity. I put the cork back in overnight, day 2 followed suit but with a bit of cocoa powder. Day 3 now and it’s falling off, tired and clearly not as perky as days 1 and 2. Glad I opened it, still can hold on for a few years but no point in waiting as I’d guess it’s peaking now. (1699 views) | | | Tasted by B&PBaker on 5/9/2023 & rated 94 points: just gorgeous. Needed an hour in the decanter. Just kept grtting better and never quit. Understated and classy. Little bit of everything good. Finish just kept going. Definitely old world. Yum. (1860 views) | | | Tasted by jjct on 5/6/2023: For my palate, this bottle was just entering maturity. After an hour in the decanter, those classic beautiful complex Monte Bello aromatics were pumping, and the palate was rich and long. Still lots of tannic grip. (1695 views) | | | Tasted by llink on 4/9/2023 & rated 94 points: Decanted for 1 hour. Purchased on release ($65) direct from Ridge, and stored in an active temperature controlled cellar for 20 years. Beautiful nose showing currant, coconut, cedar and vanilla. Very deep and balanced palate, velvety without being heavy, mouth coating with bright finishing acidity. In a great spot tonight. (1857 views) | | | Tasted by Rollerball on 2/24/2023: Understated perfection. Utter class but still so easy to drink alone or pair. I could enjoy (but not afford) drinking this regularly. (2192 views) | | | Tasted by rgujral on 2/14/2023 & rated 90 points: 750 ml bottle, decanted 6 hours and served after a dry Boulevadier. Tart. Light to mid-weight with soft, resolved tannins. The acidity of an Italian red. Unripe plums. Understated smoke. Good with a seasoned, grilled rack of lamb and some mashed parsnips. Drink up, nothing to indicate this is going to get better. (1499 views) | | | Tasted by WineJ2019 on 1/3/2023 & rated 95 points: Opened on New Years Day, transferred half and then let the remaining half sit in bottle for a few hours before drinking. Open for business right away and improved over those couple hours. The usual MB primary flavors plus secondary flavors of leather and tobacco. Also fuller mouthfeel than others I’ve had from this vintage. Drinking great now from my view. Second night was also very strong but lost a half step so I will likely drink my next (and final) bottle all in one sitting, (1565 views) | | | Tasted by t_moderne on 1/1/2023 & rated 96 points: Opened and poured into a decanter. Enjoyed with dinner (spaghetti with shrimp, zucchini and fried capers, and a pork rib cap with porcini mushrooms, in case you were wondering).
Good purple-garnet color.
Wonderful nose of ripe plums, cherries and hint of mint/menthol.
Wonderful dark fruit flavors - plum and cassis - with that herbal mint element adding a nice accent.
Tannins nicely integrated. Good mouthfeel and a long finish.
On this day, at this time, this bottle of wine was outstanding. (1572 views) | | | Tasted by davidspieker on 12/31/2022 & rated 90 points: Dark clear red color and viscus in the glass. Minimal aromas. Dark cherry and cranberry with silky tannin and lengthy finish. (1243 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 12/27/2022 & rated 95 points: Wow! I've heard many times how Monte Bello is not made in a big Cali style but is understated with an early pick. Not true for this bottle! This presents fully ripe blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, with a medium to full body. There is still some cassis here from it's youth along with leather and pepper. Great structure of acidity and fine tannins now beginning to soften. Drink now and over the next 20 years. (1213 views) | | | Tasted by Michael_D on 11/21/2022 & rated 87 points: Drank with friends. Was excited to drink it, thinking it was a solid 25-year + wine, but sadly, no. It has peaked and declined. Some acid and tannin remain, but the nose and pallet were both flat and lacking in flavor or smell. Nothing like previous bottles have been. Bummer. (1363 views) | | | Tasted by Swimbikerundrink on 10/30/2022 & rated 84 points: Bright red fruit at first. It did mellow out in the glass and probably should have been decanted for a couple hours. (1256 views) | | | Tasted by gteran76 on 8/20/2022 & rated 93 points: Opened for 10 min and then double decanted for about 10 minutes and start consuming 30 min later.
The wine has a medium to medium full body, the wine shows no age in the rims, it’s clear deep red and consistent with a young Cab. Very complex, lots of earth and acidity, with firm (also soft) tannins and nice finish.
Perhaps not the best Monte Bello but a nicely mature one with old world influences. (1846 views) | | | Tasted by Lipsman on 11/27/2021 & rated 94 points: Opulent and smooth, with an edge of fresh acidity. Definitely a less evolved wine from this magnum than from a 750. The complexity is still buried. Magnums need another five years at least. (2996 views) | | | Tasted by La Grappe on 10/30/2021 & rated 94 points: A deep colour; this is now an impressive wine, with everything in harmony and the oak well integrated. It has dark, rich, blackcurrant fruit, excellent balance and a very long finish. Very fine and will keep. (2704 views) | | | Tasted by KPieper on 10/3/2021 & rated 94 points: Served with grilled Filet Mignon with Plum Demi Glaze, Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts and Sunchoke Mash. Decanted for about an hour. Rich nose of napa black fruits dominate. Some herbal notes. Palate was plush and full. Blue and black fruits. Some leather and herbal notes. Fantastic and plenty of life left. (3066 views) | | | Tasted by WineJ2019 on 9/4/2021 & rated 94 points: This is the third bottle I’ve had of this wine - the first was flawed due to a crumbled cork, the second was great, and fortunately this was great also. Rich nose, with mocha / chocolate. Smooth flavors, oak is well integrated, primary fruits are still there and it has a long finish. Drink now but no rush either. (3019 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (3/19/2013)
(Ridge, Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (6/11/2009)
(Ridge, Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, July/August 2005, IWC Issue #121
(Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Red Blend) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, July/August 2004, IWC Issue #115
(Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Red Blend) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/15/2015)
(Ridge Monte Bello) From 375 ml - very dark ruby color; aromatic, ripe black currant, black cherry, black raspberry nose; silky textured, maturing, tart black currant, black cherry palate; medium-plus finish 92+ points 92 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Ridge Producer website | Wikipedia
Ridge Vineyards is a California winery specializing in premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay wines. Ridge produces wine at two winery locations in northern California. The original winery facilities are located at an elevation of 2,300 feet (700 m) on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA near Cupertino, California. The other Ridge winery facilities are at Lytton Springs in the Dry Creek Valley AVA of Sonoma County.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.Monte Bello On weinlagen-infoUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
Once referred to by wine writers as the Chaine d'Or -- or "golden chain" -- the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA sits above Silicon Valley, running along the craggy range next to the Pacific on some of the prettiest parts of Northern California. The area supports more than 75 wineries, despite being limited by geography and high land prices.
In 1981 the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation became federally recognized, one of the first American viticultural areas to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors. The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the south. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west. |
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