Woodsy, piney, nutty, with some honeyed apricot and a cold steely streak. Waxy textured but lean - very little fruit left here, mostly about the chilled dairy and resin. Still drinking well an account of its good acidty.
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Gold color. Nose opens with oxidation notes of maturity. Nutty, sunflower oil, grassy. Very round creamy thick texture on the palate. Acidity is lively.
Past its prime and declining but still in not bad shape.
Whole-cluster pressed, barrel fermented, and held on their lees through a natural MLF. Bottled without filtration 17 months after vintage.
Grapes come from 3 vineyards, but for this flagship wine only most typical of Monte Bello's character are selected.
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From an Enomatc sample at Hedonism. Very advanced and fully matured but in a good state. Nutty, leathery, buttery and round, soft dried fruit like apricots. Full bodied. Fine complexity and very burgundian. Really like!
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Brought as an unexpected addition to the Ridge night by Eric Baugher. Rather Burgundian nose with plenty of nutty/nougat honey and nutmeg spice. Round buttery palate, dipping into a long smoky finish Fully mature and ready to go, but this is no wallflower. May overpower more delicate foods.
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Golden yellow color, nose of pine nuts and alcohol. Taste of old white wine and alcohol, interesting taste but not for my palate. Seemed well beyond its peak.
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Didn't take notes, but showed a huge amount of sulfur which gradually dissipated over time. Very tight and youthful. Shows good potential, so I'd like to revisit in a decade or more. But disappointing showing this night.
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Decanted...delicious ringer for white burgundy. Minerally and balanced...like an aged burgundy. Ready, but by no means in any hurry. The higher alcohol holds the score back a touch.
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TN: Burgundy vs. U.S Pinot Noir blind tasting....plus a dozen others!!! (Buzzini House): Slightly oxidized, but not dead. Darker golden yellow color, baked apple, caramel, hazelnut butter. This wine went in and out of greatness. At times, oxidative...but then wonderful mineral and spice would take over. Definitely not like the last bottle I had a few years ago, but not at all dead yet. In the end, a tasty, mature Ca. Chard.
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I don't think it's in an awkward phase. I think it's past its prime. Light gold in apperance, almost watery in the center of the glass. Topical fruits on the nose that leap out of the bottle as I poured. Hightoned citrus fruits show on the palate, with granny smith apples and a hint of pear. The finish was unpleasant for about two hours, very bitter almonds with a rubbery, slightly sulphured note at the end. Eventually the almonds lost most of their bitterness and the rubber and sulphur vanished, leaving a perfectly adequate Chard, nothing more. My last bottle, and I'm OK with that.
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Light golden color and nose of citrus peel, crushed rock, toasted nuts, and a hint of honey. Orange rind, honey comb, mineral, honeysuckle, and oak flavors. Finishes well and dry. Although many other tasters report this being over-the-top oaked, I cannot taste the same thing. I believe this is an atypically mineral driven Chard that still has a long life ahead of it. Recommended.
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A friend got this as a close-out item at a local wine shop. Color is medium gold. Nose shows a good bit of creamy oak, lemon, and toast. On the palate, there is a citrus oil quality that is swaddled in a significant amount of oak. Acidity is decent. Overall, not a bad example of big California Chardonnay for the bargain price.
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Overly sulphuric on the nose when first poured and then the oak took over. It had some fine butterscotch flavors but the oak overpowered most of the other flavors and aromas in the wine. Probably time to drink up.
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Medium gold. Big nose, dominated by almonds/nuts, ripe bananas and pears, and a good dose of toasty oak. Full bodied, smooth and creamy, lots of nuttiness, with lemons, bananas, apricots and a good dose of toasty oak. Tastes more integrated than last drunk a couple of years ago, but still young. The nuttiness is very "White Burgundy" but not racy, more fat and rich. Finish is a little short for the big flavors that preceded it.
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The nose of this wine could be mistaken for that of a White Burgundy. Nutty aromas along with wet stone, slight minerality, and super-pure fruit dominate the nose. The palate features a silky smooth mouthfeel and smooth, soft, almost creamy and sweet Chardonnay fruit that impairs apple and pear flavors as well as flavors of "wet stone." Really a stunning wine that has a very nice finish to boot.
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Medium amber/gold color. Powerful nose of honey, lots of toasted oak, nuts, apricots, figs and very ripe pears. Ripe apricots and pears , with figs, butter and toasty oak on the palate. Toasty oak dominates the finish, which is a little dissapointing. Will the oak integrate with some bottle age? My guess is this needs time to come together a little bit, but it's nonetheless an impressive, powerful wine that is a great drink, but it feels more made up of disparate elements than a wholly integrated wine at this point.
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4/11/2024 - DeniseDenise wrote:
This way entered incorrectly was actually a red monte bello
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11/2/2023 - winecoffee wrote: 95 Points
wow! wow! wow! Dark caramelized toasty white wine. Omg! Amazing!
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6/13/2023 - andtheodor wrote: 90 Points
Woodsy, piney, nutty, with some honeyed apricot and a cold steely streak. Waxy textured but lean - very little fruit left here, mostly about the chilled dairy and resin. Still drinking well an account of its good acidty.
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8/22/2020 - jgh123 wrote:
Oxidized. This was once a lovely chardonnay but this, my last bottle, is gone.
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12/10/2017 - StasMedvedev.lv Likes this wine: 89 Points
Gold color. Nose opens with oxidation notes of maturity. Nutty, sunflower oil, grassy. Very round creamy thick texture on the palate. Acidity is lively.
Past its prime and declining but still in not bad shape.
Whole-cluster pressed, barrel fermented, and held on their lees through a natural MLF. Bottled without filtration 17 months after vintage.
Grapes come from 3 vineyards, but for this flagship wine only most typical of Monte Bello's character are selected.
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12/10/2017 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 93 Points
From an Enomatc sample at Hedonism. Very advanced and fully matured but in a good state. Nutty, leathery, buttery and round, soft dried fruit like apricots. Full bodied. Fine complexity and very burgundian. Really like!
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5/27/2014 - andtheodor wrote: flawed
Pineapple, nuts, resin & smoke. Drinkable, but the TCA covers enough of the fruit to mess it up.
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5/18/2014 - blanquito wrote:
Lightly corked, this showed some oxidized character but still good with grill pineapple and caramel.
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3/26/2011 - Khamen wrote: 92 Points
Brought as an unexpected addition to the Ridge night by Eric Baugher. Rather Burgundian nose with plenty of nutty/nougat honey and nutmeg spice. Round buttery palate, dipping into a long smoky finish Fully mature and ready to go, but this is no wallflower. May overpower more delicate foods.
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3/22/2011 - pjaines wrote:
Ridge Montebello Tasting & subsequent drinks; 3/22/2011-3/24/2011 (Berry Brothers, London): Burnt butter, lemon, flint, minerals - very powerful nose. Big smokey finish. Decent but half a glass is enough. Lacks freshness.
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1/13/2011 - Jack O'Brien wrote:
Golden yellow color, nose of pine nuts and alcohol. Taste of old white wine and alcohol, interesting taste but not for my palate. Seemed well beyond its peak.
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6/20/2010 - yhn wrote:
Didn't take notes, but showed a huge amount of sulfur which gradually dissipated over time. Very tight and youthful. Shows good potential, so I'd like to revisit in a decade or more. But disappointing showing this night.
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3/12/2010 - dboutt wrote: 94 Points
Wow, an unbelievable wine that is at its peak.
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10/21/2009 - mmasterson wrote: 93 Points
Decanted...delicious ringer for white burgundy. Minerally and balanced...like an aged burgundy. Ready, but by no means in any hurry. The higher alcohol holds the score back a touch.
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7/27/2009 - Mrbuzz wrote: 92 Points
TN: Burgundy vs. U.S Pinot Noir blind tasting....plus a dozen others!!! (Buzzini House): Slightly oxidized, but not dead. Darker golden yellow color, baked apple, caramel, hazelnut butter. This wine went in and out of greatness. At times, oxidative...but then wonderful mineral and spice would take over. Definitely not like the last bottle I had a few years ago, but not at all dead yet. In the end, a tasty, mature Ca. Chard.
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6/20/2009 - suttonri wrote: 82 Points
I don't think it's in an awkward phase. I think it's past its prime. Light gold in apperance, almost watery in the center of the glass. Topical fruits on the nose that leap out of the bottle as I poured. Hightoned citrus fruits show on the palate, with granny smith apples and a hint of pear. The finish was unpleasant for about two hours, very bitter almonds with a rubbery, slightly sulphured note at the end. Eventually the almonds lost most of their bitterness and the rubber and sulphur vanished, leaving a perfectly adequate Chard, nothing more. My last bottle, and I'm OK with that.
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4/1/2007 - steffenpelz wrote:
Light golden color and nose of citrus peel, crushed rock, toasted nuts, and a hint of honey. Orange rind, honey comb, mineral, honeysuckle, and oak flavors. Finishes well and dry. Although many other tasters report this being over-the-top oaked, I cannot taste the same thing. I believe this is an atypically mineral driven Chard that still has a long life ahead of it. Recommended.
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10/20/2006 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
WS California Wine Experience Secrets of the Santa Cruz Mtns (San Francisco Marriott): Full yellow color. Huge aroma of lemon butterscotch yellow fruit. Nice rich caramel yellow fruit with an incredible long finish. Very similar to a nice Corton Charlemagne.
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8/26/2006 - Thilo wrote: 87 Points
A friend got this as a close-out item at a local wine shop. Color is medium gold. Nose shows a good bit of creamy oak, lemon, and toast. On the palate, there is a citrus oil quality that is swaddled in a significant amount of oak. Acidity is decent. Overall, not a bad example of big California Chardonnay for the bargain price.
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7/22/2006 - Winetex wrote: 87 Points
Overly sulphuric on the nose when first poured and then the oak took over. It had some fine butterscotch flavors but the oak overpowered most of the other flavors and aromas in the wine. Probably time to drink up.
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7/4/2006 - mangell wrote: 88 Points
Deep amber in color with a flowery honey nose. Intense minerality that stays centered around nutty pear and a flint aftertaste.
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12/30/2005 - PBaird wrote: 88 Points
Medium gold. Big nose, dominated by almonds/nuts, ripe bananas and pears, and a good dose of toasty oak. Full bodied, smooth and creamy, lots of nuttiness, with lemons, bananas, apricots and a good dose of toasty oak. Tastes more integrated than last drunk a couple of years ago, but still young. The nuttiness is very "White Burgundy" but not racy, more fat and rich. Finish is a little short for the big flavors that preceded it.
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4/26/2005 - steffenpelz wrote: 91 Points
The nose of this wine could be mistaken for that of a White Burgundy. Nutty aromas along with wet stone, slight minerality, and super-pure fruit dominate the nose. The palate features a silky smooth mouthfeel and smooth, soft, almost creamy and sweet Chardonnay fruit that impairs apple and pear flavors as well as flavors of "wet stone." Really a stunning wine that has a very nice finish to boot.
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2/14/2004 - PBaird wrote: 88 Points
Medium amber/gold color. Powerful nose of honey, lots of toasted oak, nuts, apricots, figs and very ripe pears. Ripe apricots and pears , with figs, butter and toasty oak on the palate. Toasty oak dominates the finish, which is a little dissapointing. Will the oak integrate with some bottle age? My guess is this needs time to come together a little bit, but it's nonetheless an impressive, powerful wine that is a great drink, but it feels more made up of disparate elements than a wholly integrated wine at this point.
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