2003 Ridge Monte Bello
Community Tasting Note
ESCO wrote:
Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - We tasted this blind and we are sure this fact contributed significantly to the enjoyment of our drinking experience and subsequent discussion.
None of four thought it Californian. It came as a complete surprise when our total conviction that it was left bank Bordeaux was destroyed by revelation.It is a restrained, structured thoroughbred of a wine but not flamboyant or showy. It has class and really goes to show how far removed from expectations Draper is willing to be, when creating his wines. There is no apparent posturing to popularity here, but just the enjoyment of pure, clean, dark fruit and menthol freshness overlying tannic bitterness.
Our pleasure comes with a caveat however ; it is so atypical as a CalCab, in our opinion, that we fear it may disappoint, may show a lack of fruit, may indeed suffer by comparison with fuller more intense neighbours and that would be disappointing. Our collective tasting history leans heavily to Bordeaux and this wine slips seamlessly into classed growth discussions of that area where it holds a natural place. We love our Californian cabernets and read no implied criticism in these words but we love them for different reasons. There is a real risk that expectations may dull the experience and we were very glad the decision to taste-blind excluded this scenario..The point is one dimensional granted, and the open-minded taster may never fall into such a stereotypical trap, but we would have.
A great wine to enjoy and discuss with friends; a real conversation starter.
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