June 30, 2023 - A Ridge Tahoe Weekend; 6/29/2023-7/2/2023 (Edgewood Resort): This was pure butterscotch/caramel intensity. Maybe almost a bit toasty. Still that sweeter state. Maybe some pineapple? The most intense of the wines and a bit too much for me.
September 23, 2021 - Coravin sample . Compared to the previous bottle this has grown into somehting much more interesting and appealing. Tried at a cool temperature about 9-10 C degrees.
Buttery popcorn, pear and pineapple on the nose. Slightly oxidized but not in a deterring way. Still rich and big. In the mouth a bit coarse. The oak is there but much better integrated now. Very complex and an extremely rich and long finish. A powerhouse with refinement. Today I really liked this.
April 24, 2021 - Flawed, or over the hill.
January 22, 2021 - Courtesy of tlv, this pours a pale youthful color- in fact there is still a slight green tint to the wine. Coconut!apple and orchard fruit aromas along with vanilla and barrel elements. Marshmallow and orchard fruit flavors. There is more than enough for the oak. So very well done. WOTN to this point. This bottle showed on the young side, so if it is representative, give this an hour in a decanter and don’t serve it too cold or in a typical small white wine stem. 93+ pts.
December 15, 2020 - 2011 bottled in 2013 with winemaker's note of it developing over the next ten to 15 years. I pulled this from the cellar a little early, and I should have waited a couple of years more. Nonetheless, after about an hour decant and reaching about 60ish degrees (F), it opened up and was a treat, not acidic at all but smooth and creamy with stone fruit at the forefront with a buttery aftertaste. Sad to say that it was my only true Monte Bello Chard, that I had in stock. I can't remember if I had it before. I am weird in liking well-aged Chardonnays at room temp, and this was one made it to the top of the list. If you have a chance to get a bottle, it is worth it. I am not a huge fan of the Blancs as I get heartburn, but this did not give me heartburn. A+
November 26, 2020 - A bit over the hill.
May 13, 2020 - My final bottle of the case. I do think 90 is fair. This is too oaky for me and a little out of balance. Very heavy vanilla. I’ve had other vintages if this wine and they were more balanced than this. Was still lovely and it had good apple and peach notes but just not as good as I wanted it to be.
February 16, 2020 - Ridge Monte Bello 2011 ! I opened a bottle a few years ago and thought this wine to buy was a mistake. But I read that you have to wait up to ten years for the full potential of this wine. Now I opened one bottle again:-) the nose has a light buttery note and some kind of fresh mowed green grass, white flowers . In one word : freshness . The mouth is creamy even buttery , good acidity. A little bit reductive aromes, but very concentrated . The color is pretty golden. At least it was not a mistake to buy it. Still bought 12 13 15 and 16 ....so let's go :-) ��Over the last two years I tried a lot of 1er crus and some grand crus from burgundy , but I'm not able to make a comparison. So let's say : chardonnay and chardonnay ist not the same ! Cheers !
April 12, 2019 - Light medium yellow; faint nose, a bit citrus; nice and rounded but also somewhat flat, nice long aftertaste, really tasty; believe it is past its peak so drink up
June 30, 2018 - From memory without a lot of detail from a party at our house. Like previous bottles. Lemon cream and moderate oak and a bit buttery. I preferred the 2010 version of this we also had.