Unexpected win at fundraiser auction. Decanted 90 mins. March 21, 2021 & paired with lamb shanks: deep complexity & nose, extraordinary balance; drunk after more tannic 1990 Von Strasser Diamond Mountain Cab. Sauvignon; very little sediment; still good one day later.
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Cork was depressed a bit but otherwise it held in great shape with seepage only about 2/5 of the way up. Bit of funk at the start but after some breath it came to life, well as much life as it had left in it. It was complex with a long finish, nice fruit but lacked the liveliness I was hoping for. I could tell this wine was once great but had seen better days.
At any rate, always special to have a birth year wine and I am glad I had the opportunity. The 60 day dry aged wagyu rib-eye certainly stole the show tonight. Once more bottle waiting in the wings but think I will drink it next year rather than wait for my 40th.
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Medium reddish garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & fragrant nose of well developed & mature ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & cassis with overtones of cedar & floral notes, earthy/dusty, spices, dark cocoa, mint, herbs, bell pepper, tobacco, minerals, smoky with a slight hint of oak/vanilla. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, well-integrated & mature, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blueberries & plums, dark cocoa, herbs, spices & a hint of oak/vanilla. Long lingering & silky-smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present & may be at its peak of development but has the structure & fruit to last a few more years longer although I doubt any further development would occur. Fill was mid-neck level; cork was intact & stained on lower 1/4.
wine is in a great spot - everything you want from a well put together Montebello - fresh lively fruit intermingling with complex earth tones and pepper wrapped together in a velvet texture.
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An amazing wine! Notes of bay leaves, peppercorns and blackberry! It has aged wonderfully and paired nicely with a slow cooked beef. A lingering finish that fades into a wonderful memory! 5.0 Stars!
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TobI's Firework (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): blind I guessed California but has no hint to producer or vintage. I preferred it against the famous 74 in the same flight. It is fresher with more primary notes and a great balance. Doesn't reach his peak. 97
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Unbelievable bottle of aged californian wine, a perfect tribute to what Ridge Monte Bello can achieve in terms of quality and longevity. Ridiculously young colour, very dark, it comes across as a ten to fifteen year old wine. The first whiff after decanting, we knew we were in for a treat. Dark berry fruit, leather, cigar ash, beef stock, a touch of caramel, this was just so complex. Same on the palate with nice acidity giving the wine freshness. It held up strong and never let down so I assume this has at least a decade of great pleasure ahead. 97P
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I’m just absolutely in awe of this wine. Had it twice (first time 10 years ago) and I remember how wonderful it was. Now it’s my second time and it was everything I remember plus more age. Lots of earth, pine, and dust on the nose. Some light floral hints, graphite and silk on the palette. Very long finish with that him you hope for.
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In my cellar since release. Double decanted and served at my daughter’s wedding for her and her new husband (and a few others) representing her birth year. This wine was wonderful, rich balanced layered and surprisingly youthful. Gorgeous, long and great on the finish with blackberry, mint, graphite and chocolate being the main flavors and aromas.
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California Dreaming (Mark's Duck House, Falls Church (VA)): At first, it seemed a bit lean. “Not a great bottle,” said our host. “It should have a nose that just jumps out of the glass.” But as it sat in glass, it got better and better; we simply popped and poured the wines … The palate is very elegant throughout and the alcohol is 12.9%. The wine revealed pleasing notes of leather, plum and tobacco and even some floral notes. It just opened up with time, and seemed juicier on the palate than, say, the Dunn, which we tried later and seemed at first more impressive. In the end, this wine proved to be the smoothest and most elegant of all over dinner.
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Color was medium garnet. Nose of cedar, pencil shavings, red currant, earth, faint floral notes. Elegant, integrated flavors of currant, beef blood, black plum, tobacco, and barest hint of green pepper layering on the tongue with slowly building persistence. Plucky acidity and softened tannin leading to a long, whispery finish of stony sweet grip. We visited this bottle in its autumn phase but what a treat it was.
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Drank from the bottle over 2 hours and continued to improve. Minimal sediment on the one with most sticking to the side and cork intact. Eucalyptus, spearmint, aged leather, and syrupy red fruit. Very vegital at first but blew off after an hour. Alive but not getting better.
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Deep red color, showing no sign of its age. Almost no sediment. Cork intact, with seepage outside almost to end. Drunk w/o decanting over about two hours. Muted smell and flavor. Elegant and restrained, with just vestiges of fruit. Didn't develop over the two hours but didn't die off either, so maybe decanting would add something. I would not wait long to drink.
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Awesome, at full maturity but such a lively showing! Staggering complexity of wood smoke, cedar, fresh rosemary, sassafras, black olive, black currant. Generous and plush on the palate where the leather wafts into the back palate and finish.
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Finally drank the wine at our D's wedding. Shipped a case to New Orleans two weeks before the wedding, stored in restaurant (Antoine's) cellar. Opened two hours before dinner & decanted.
The wine was in perfect condition, with silky tannins and very long finish. The color was till inky with no tinge of oxidation. Hard to believe the wine was 31 years old. Dark fruit was still very present with secondary aromas developing as the wine opened. Just superb. Ended up drinking a whole bottle, which numbed me just enough for when the bill for the evening came!
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Decanted for 1 and 1/2 hours. Had alongside the 90 MB. The 84 was dark, rich and filled with black fruits. I had thought it might be over the hill, but not this bottle. It was terrific and lingering. Behind the still forward fruit, there was nuance with a little leather and tobacco. Showed just a notch better than the 90.
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Still very much a California Cabernet with the fruit-driven horsepower, still inky purple in appearance, but with relaxed silky smooth tannins. Very elegant at 31 years old and showing the California version of terroir that begins to come out as these wines age, primary blue and black fruit yielding to a Left-Bank-inspired aroma of damp earth, lead-pencil, forest, etc., A beautiful bottle and a real pleasure to drink with a bacon cheeseburger and fries. Fun comparison with the '95 Monte Bello.
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Sister's Birthday Dinner: The cork had only come out half an inch and I had to pause to admire the intensely sweet fragrance, and I'm thinking this is going to be good. Sample pour is still quite tannic though and this needs every bit of 3 hours of slow-ox to drink well. Pretty much the complete package for Montebello, sweet high-toned red fruits, touch of resiny complexity, continues to improve over 2-3 more hours. This should hold for years. Cellared since release, my last bottle.
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Had with a tomahawk steak with my mother. Not as powerful as the last 84 Monte Bello I drank a month ago; however, this was because we only spent about 1 hour letting it breathe. Cork was very brittle. This wine was closed for a long amount of time before hints of it's power started to open up. Currant, Raspberry, cocoa to the taste. Long, complex finish. Still a wonderful wine but to be consumed now. Don't hold any longer.
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Simply a perfect wine. Elegant, rich, layered, and massive depth. Bordeaux in style with a nose that I could smell the entire night. A huge hit with the table. Glad I have more of this!
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I could've better planned tasting this bottle :) Impromptu cellar pull with a dear pal visiting, so popped and dumped into decanter. Amusingly, this was strikingly similar to the Dec 2012 TN of my '85 MB:
Cork was bone dry and literally disintegrated. Poured into decanter and enjoyed with a buddy (no food, just bourbon!). This one was much darker in color than that '85. Similarly though, this had a slightly cloudy, impure appearance. Muted nose, of pleasant blackberry and hints of eucalyptus. Again, the adage of "there are only good bottles" at this age seemed to be telling the story. Wine was pretty astringent - almost sour - upon first tastes, but settled down after 30 min. Very round, soft primary bright red fruit - nice mouth feel but only a medium finish. All in all, an elegant, enjoyable drink, but I'm very surprised how primary this still seems! And certainly had higher hopes for this aged gem.
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I've read that this bottle is in a perfect spot, so I did my best to temper expectations. Astonishing experience overall. The top of the cork had mold and the area under the capsule looked worse for the wear, but the contents were something to behold. I'm writing this note after trying the 2004 a few days later and I absolutely loved the comparison. There were hardly any tertiary notes present in the 1984, which I find so hard to believe considering it's my birth year. Not a wrinkle in it's delivery which I cannot say for my own appearance. This could without a doubt last many many more years and I will be on the lookout for more to sample when I turn 35 and 40.
The oak is reminiscent of a mid-term barbaresco, somewhat cheesy and funky, while the fruit tastes as fresh as the newer montebellos but backed with less acid and tannic punch. I'd say you need to try it to understand it, but I don't want any competition to find the remaining bottles on the market!
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Ridge Monte Bello Vertical Tasting 1974 - 2008 (Switzerland): And another well aged Monte Bello. Nice aged red. Taste of Coffee and Chalk. Nicely integrated acidity and lots of dark berries. For me a tick behind the great 1978. Drink now with no hurry. Anticipated maturity now - 2020.
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This was definitely overshadowed by the Schrader and SQN that we had alongside this, but it was a great learning experience I think. This was made in a very different style to begin with, and it's also a style I don't have a lot of exposure to, since I tend to drink fairly young CA wines at this point.
This had an array of much more subtle, mature flavors, and was still drinking just fine. I got a bit of wood off of it, as well as cured meat and leather. Not much in the way of fruits I thought, and as PinkMoon noted in his note, there was some underlying flavor which wasn't the most pleasing. Maybe just a hint of TCA?
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wineberg welcoming me to DC (Vidalia, Washington): quite classic mature napa valley, elegant with nice notes of leather, plum but somehow it was a bit dominated by the horse sweat notes which unfortunately did not go away with air. nevertheless a very good wine
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color: deep purple with ochre/rust rim nose: pronounced ceder, pine and tobacco taste: complex and fully integrated. cedar, pine and tobacco plus tar, black cherry, mint/menthol and dirt. chemistry: tannins are smooth yet fully present and very noticible. very good acid level. strong backbone with structure. Very much in balance. finish: just awesome. Dry mouthfeel with fruit lingering on for some time.
This is a supurb 28 yr old wine aging and tasting EXTREMELY well. Strong acid, tannins and complex flavors are very well knit together with everything in balance. Very nicely done. Showing and drinking very strongly. Cellared since purchased upon release.
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Ridge- Monte Bello 1975-1991 (Beacon Restaurant): (93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 12.9% alc.) This was a show stopper. Just gorgeous. It's exuberant and gregarious, but shows depth and a real personality as well. The sweet cherry fruit is concentrated and layered, but also supple and is fully integrated with the herb, cedar and earth components. Despite the richness, the wine has a wonderful elegance thanks to its low alcohol level and acidity. It's drinking wonderfully now, though as open and seamless as this bottle is showing, there's still some tannins lingering around and in the overall scheme of things, there's still not a lot of secondary development yet. Seriously good wine here. A.
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Fully resolved and pretty similar to a superior left bank bordeaux, though with a slight (and enjoyable) new world touch of mint. Won't be getting any better - drink up!
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Magnum decanted 1 hr- consumed over 3hrs dark Ruby; rich nose of cedar, plum,black cherry; very ripe black cherry, dark plum flavors but not too fresh- has softness and elegance that restrains the California "fruit bomb" style, also hints of complex dark chocolate toasty notes beginning to emerge; great balance, good fruit, good mouth feel; very long finish but acidity keeps it "light"- no cloying "extracted" character. This is a pleasure to drink but for me- future tertiary character will make it 1-2 points better;10-15+ more yrs for that pinnacle, at least in magnum.
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Ridge Vineyards and Monte Bello Masterclass at the Decanter Fine Experience (Landmark Hotel, London): Medium to deep red colour, faded at the edge. Nose with noticeable barnyard notes, dark berries, tar, spice, nuansed. Reminds me of a classical developed Bordeaux, mostly of left bank character. Medium bodied++, palate with ripe dark berries, some red berries, medium(+) softened tannins wit some dryness and tannic aftertaste. Mature, nuanced, with a lot of vigour. 93-94 p
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Decanter Ridge Vineyards Masterclass (Landmark Hotel London): Sweet and earthy nose. Evolved, mature but elegantly so. Less black fruit that is typical for the wine, so more to my liking. In the palate a mineral dimension complements earthy flavors, cassis fruit and sweet spice like cinnamon and nutmeg. Ripe and elegant with beautiful texture its earthiness reminded me a little of a top Pessac-Leognan.
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From half bottle. Quite smelly on first opening, but that blows off within 30 minutes leaving a lovely bouquet of black raspberry with a hint of sandalwood. Appropriately mature appearance with dark garnet center and onion skin edge. Silky and mellow in the mouth with dried red fruit, licorice, cedar, and a touch of iron on the long finish. Forest floor. Delicious, but fully mature. Won't get better, but terrific now. Definitely drink soon.
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Medium red-garnet. Woodsy, menthol-laden nose with lead pencil, leather, cassis and mushroom. Low tannin, low acidity. Mature flavors of a fairly chameleon-like California/Bordeaux hybrid style, mostly prune, herbs and graphite. Finishes lean and long, elegant. Bottle #2 of two.
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Medium brick red color with some thinning at the rim. Aromas of sweet cherry, cedar, cassis, and a hint of black truffle. On the palate this shows round cherry and cedar notes and a long black truffle finish. Sadly, this note is based upon the dregs that were not decanted, as the decanter was contaminated and imparted a cheesy flavor into the wine that got progressively worse as the night wore on. Judgement reserved, but seemingly a great wine under that cheese. Drink or hold.
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Doubble decante, spent one hour in the carraff. Deep and dense red colour with some bricking at the edge.Big aromatic and spicy on the nose. Good fruit, tobacco, cedar, and loads of eucalyptus leefs. Some floral notes and pickled ginger. Cherries, cassis, fresh pears. Very rich and aromatic taste - like a big wall of fruit, spices, fudge and some sweetness. There are good tannins and also an earty/minerally/tary tone that also gives an almost harsh component. Fantastic lengt. Very good, but the harshness cost one or two points in my judgement.
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Nose - warm/savory, dried herb, black currant, nice mature notes. Warm charry mature black currant, touch of cedar, gritty/dusty tannin - not resolved, touches of black pepper and green peppercorn.
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Nose - bright, tobacco, dark minerality, graphite, sweet French oak, dried basil. Tobacco, black currant, cedar. Classic. Touch of green peppercorn, good minerality, intense. Seems a decade younger.
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From a magnum. No signs of bricking. Dark to the edge of the glass. A rich and smooth glass of wine, ready to drink. Full bodied. Showing mocha, chocolate, a hint of cedar, cassis. Wonderful aroma. Very round in flavor with a nice refined warmth from the fully resolved tannins and balanced alcohol. A fine wine that is showing extremely well right now. -JBL
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Tasted blind: Being that Lance brought this wine, all guess immediately pointed to a Piedmontese wine. It had a lot of the same notes as my wine (86 Gaja Barbaresco) when tasted side by side. Beautifully aged nose of mushrooms and coriander. Still possessing a great body and velvety mouthfeel. The most interesting part was the unmistakable strong note of black olives that came up on the finish. Very elegant wine and drinking amazingly well right now. This is in no danger of dying soon, but why wait?
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I think this would normally be a pretty good wine but unfortunately tonight it was totally smoked by a bottle of 82 Gruaud Larose served alongside of it. Color was suprisingly dark and the nose was quite plummy and minty. Another taster mentioned that Chinese Herbal Tea taste. Drinking very well now.
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Well aged, brown colored edge, delicious soft black currant fruit with characteristic Ridge chalky, cedar, and cassis flavors, good structure, slightly past its prime but still a very good bottle of wine
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What a treat with Bryans Kobe style aged strip. Dark red color with minimal bricking at the edge. Fantastic nose anybody who says California wine will not develop tertiary characteristics should stick their nose in a glass of this. Cedar and red fruit. The palate is also wonderful very sweet for a 25 year old wine, in a good way. Tannins are resolved and bright red fruits predominate. Finish is medium. Nice experience.
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In the glass a medium dark ruby and garnet pearls at the rim - A wonderfully fragrant cabernet nose of a fully mature wine that promises an evening of dancing and humor and oh so much fun.This wine had a precocious youth while its younger sister was always in the background - it became truly a Cinderella at the ball. In the mouth a softness and elegance and again those marvelous flavors of a fine old cabernet but alas the princess in the glass some how ignored the strike of midnight and with the light of dawn the bloom that was there was gone - the ball gown in daylight showed how tattered it was as were the slippers that no prince would carry across the country side to seek the owner. The wine literally died in the glass in less than 30 minutes - Long live the new Princess - the 1985
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Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (The Wine Summit, Lake Louise, Alberta): 93% CS, 7% M – 12.9% ALC. Medium dark, mostly garnet hued, with an amber rim; on the nose black currant – pronounced cedar; elegantly styled, with great depth of flavours; balanced as between the fruit, acidity, with most of the tannins fully integrated; nice show of extract – mouthful of black currant fruit which persists through to a lingering finish. Most attractive wine ! Paul Draper felt they were looking for maturity in the grapes at harvest, and this selection resulted with this blend.
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The Wine Summit at The Post Hotel in Lake Louise Alberta Canada was fortunate to have Mr. Paul Draper as one of the presenters. After taking us all down a brief but interesting trip down memory lane, Mr Draper lead us trough a technical tasting of 8 Monte Bellos covering a range or 23 years. All good things must come to an end and this 84 was our last MB of the morning. Not as dark purple as many of the glass but darker than the 88. Not a lot of big aroma jumping out of this and it had been open and decanted for about two and half hours. There was the ever present licorice and some non citrus fruit smells. The taste brought the fruit out front with a luscious texture and proper acidity. I did not pick up on the currant and blackberry that Paul was mentioning, but I really tried and tried until the three fingers of wine was gone.
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The moment I poured this into the decanter, I was afraid something was up. The color was a light brown with significant bricking. Not giving up too much on the nose, but certainly not corked. So, left in the decanter for about an hour or so. I tasted intermittently as I was preparing dinner to see how the wine evolved, as I've read some notes that indicated it needed some time to open.
Well, this never came around. Very thin and disinterensting on the palate and a total lack of fruit. Some tobacco/cedar, but really nothing like the wine I've read raves about. It stayed this way for about 2 hours or so, but I continued to drink it in hopes that it some miraculous would occur. It actually ended-up going downhill fast and the last sip I took I immediately had to spit because it was undrinkable at this point.
I suspect this wine may have been heat damaged at some point in its life. I picked up several bottles of this at auction and can only hope that the rest in the lot are not like this bottle. A very disappointing experience.
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Had it with a variety of cheeses. Worked well especially with the strong hard ones. Slightly rustic nose, when tasted felt as if it was at least 10 years younger. Was open for 4 hours and did not deteriorate. Good fruit flavors and did not taste like Bordeaux which is great (need to differentiate).
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Christmas 06, opened early to "Audouze" the wine 5 hours before dinner. Well balanced, cedar and currant nose. Great mouth feel, although a little on the lean side. The wine was a great match for a standing rib roast, and is drinking fantastically right now. Tannins have completely resolved, and IMHO these will not improve from this point.
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This was served first among the reds so we could give it the attention it deserved. The color was a jeweled ruby with just a touch of amber. Nice legs on this one. The nose was black olives bigtime, followed by milk chocolate, cedar, plums, brambly (almost) berries, lovely. The palate was medium full bodied and very well balanced. More baking chocolate and olives, more black stone fruits than cassis, wet leather, and some cocoa powder. Fine tannins and a great finish. The best balanced wine of the night. At peak. 94 pts.
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At Mark's Las Olas w Steve, Joyce & Greg Rapaport, and Justin & Janet Mannes. Difficult cork, wouldn't come loose, broke off top 1/2 and pushed down the rest. Didn't affect the wine. Double decanted in am and poured back into an empty Beringer bottle. Is truly a wonderful wine, that rivals the finest Bordeaux. Prefer this to the 82 Latour, and is equal to the timeless 82 Mouton.Wonderful aromativ complexity, great mouthfeel and lingering cassis aftertaste.nfortunately my last bottle. Will buy again at auction, if I see some.
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Back to form! Vibrant youthful ruby colour, beautiful layered nose of ripe sour cherry and bramble. Ripe, rich Pomerol-like balance of rich mature fruit and a maintained tannic depth, tannins still performing strongly, superb balance. A long life ahead of it.
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Brilliant ruby color, still tight bouquet, delicious palate, and lingering aftertaste. Still youthful at 21 years. Purchased at auction in September, bottle appearance excellent, cork solid and fully intact. Double decanted in am. Reopened at dinner at Prime 112, Miami Beach.
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Wine tasting at home w/friends. Still a very deep ruby red. Beautiful aromas of bitter chocolate, spices and a little game. Smooth, round tannins now, no sharp edges and a long, lingering finish. Loads of dark berries and tobacco. This is a beautiful wine. I'd give it another 10 years if you want, but no reason not to drink it up now. I don't think it will get any better. BTW, this was good right out of the bottle!!!!!!
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Glasgow Offline (Chardon d'Or): A touch dumb on the nose, but eventually revealing some very pure fruit. A touch of oversweet fruit on the palate, balanced by dry tannins. This is very fine and quite restrained. Possibly a little jet-lagged (it had flown into Glasgow from Minneapolis that morning), and a bit overshadowed by the surrounding wines, which, given that they were served blind, took more attention. Very Good Indeed (+)
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Dave's Dinner Hosting the DC Crü (Dave's Casa): A nose of Sharpie and a bit of stinky cheese, this settled down to reveal some wonderful spice and woodsy flavors. It then emerged to show loads of tobacco notes, sort of like a pipe. All of this nicely packaged around a nice velvety core of fruit. Very, very nice. 94
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Not nearly as big as I remember, but still going strong. Good color, nice nose, and lots of fruit. The finish is long, if a bit acidic. Took a good half hour to get past its initial earthiness and settle down.
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Greg brought this bottle to Marks SoBe to compare with an '85 LLC I brought. It was immediately obvious that the Bordeaux would outclass the Cal Cab and so it did, from the first sniff to the last drop. There's a certain coarseness here, of scent, flavor and texture, that makes it distinctly less pleasurable that the LLC. Still, it's powerful, lively and concentrated and not fading at all. Very cabernet (93% cab sauv, 7% merlot). But it tastes like drinking sandpaper when comparing it to the velvety Bordeaux. I am not persuaded that Cal Cabs age gracefully, even if they do not fall apart.
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Drank on Clark’s B’Day 2004. Perhaps I had a bad bottle because it was not nearly like the ratings. It had lost its depth, although still had some tannin, and had a slightly off flavor. Try another.
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DEEP BLACKCURRENT FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR WITH A TOUCH OF MINT AND LICORICE. ELEGANT WINE, NICE COMPLEXITY, AND A MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH. EVEN BETTER THAN 2/03 TASTING (92)
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With BLR and Bruce E. at Ricardo's in San Anselmo at dinner (pizza). Rich ruby robe. Good legs. Nose is an absolute revelation. All the things you look for in a cab. Just a tremendous perfume, bursting from the glass. Wow! Palate is very rich and packed with fruit. Still has some unresolved tannins. Should age well. Yes! Complete. Harmonious. Everything in perfect balance. 5-15-17-9: 96/100.
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With Michael Lehmann at Singer & Foy survey of 1984 Cabernets. Nice wine. Good medium dark ruby. Luscious red fruits in the bouquet. As lovely as ever. Complexity galore. Rich and elegant. Couldn't ask for more. Very fine flavor, too. Cabernet fruit is beautifully displayed. Absolutely perfect balance. I really like this wine! 5-13-18-8: 94/100.
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VERY BIG WINE. CAN ONLY GUESS WHAT THIS ONE WILL BECOME. DEEP RICH FRUIT, BLACKCURRENT AND A TOUCH OF SPICE. STILL VERY YOUNG. LONG FINISH. GREAT COMPLEXITY. TRY AGAIN IN 6 YEARS.
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With Brett Raven at lunch at MacArthur Park. Very rich red ruby. Very nice nose. Good cassis. Great flavor, very elegant, smooth, yet rich! Wow! 5-13-18-9: 95/100.
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With Michael Lehmann at lunch at MacArthur Park restaurant in San Francisco ($48 on the wine list). Extremely deep, lovely medium-dark ruby. Beautiful Cabernet nose, featuring cedar, cassis and flowers. It is lovely. On the palate, this wine is a revelation; smooth, elegant, sweet, rich, perfect--its everything I look for in a Cabernet. Firmly structured but quite approachable now. Perfect balance, good body. What a tremendous bottle of wine. 5-13-17-8: 93/100. Six hours later, it is even better, more developed. 5-14-18-9: 96/100.
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12/31/2023 - Old Claret Likes this wine: 93 Points
good but not as spectacular as the last bottle several years ago
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11/17/2023 - roddey3 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Unexpected win at fundraiser auction. Decanted 90 mins. March 21, 2021 & paired with lamb shanks: deep complexity & nose, extraordinary balance; drunk after more tannic 1990 Von Strasser Diamond Mountain Cab. Sauvignon; very little sediment; still good one day later.
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12/21/2022 - hadukla Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cork was depressed a bit but otherwise it held in great shape with seepage only about 2/5 of the way up. Bit of funk at the start but after some breath it came to life, well as much life as it had left in it. It was complex with a long finish, nice fruit but lacked the liveliness I was hoping for. I could tell this wine was once great but had seen better days.
At any rate, always special to have a birth year wine and I am glad I had the opportunity. The 60 day dry aged wagyu rib-eye certainly stole the show tonight. Once more bottle waiting in the wings but think I will drink it next year rather than wait for my 40th.
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5/16/2022 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium reddish garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & fragrant nose of well developed & mature ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & cassis with overtones of cedar & floral notes, earthy/dusty, spices, dark cocoa, mint, herbs, bell pepper, tobacco, minerals, smoky with a slight hint of oak/vanilla. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, well-integrated & mature, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blueberries & plums, dark cocoa, herbs, spices & a hint of oak/vanilla. Long lingering & silky-smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present & may be at its peak of development but has the structure & fruit to last a few more years longer although I doubt any further development would occur. Fill was mid-neck level; cork was intact & stained on lower 1/4.
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1/13/2022 - clayfu wrote:
wine is in a great spot - everything you want from a well put together Montebello - fresh lively fruit intermingling with complex earth tones and pepper wrapped together in a velvet texture.
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12/24/2021 - Fiorano wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful wine with years of life ahead. Excellent color, fruit and finish.
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11/25/2021 - jcoemd Likes this wine: 99 Points
An amazing wine! Notes of bay leaves, peppercorns and blackberry! It has aged wonderfully and paired nicely with a slow cooked beef. A lingering finish that fades into a wonderful memory! 5.0 Stars!
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10/14/2021 - MichielV wrote: 93 Points
Opening night at Ridge weekend! Super good wine. Very smokey but great fresh fruit flavors and great balanced length!
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2/27/2021 - DBenke wrote: 96 Points
Amazing nose. Solid fruit. Shocking how lively and fresh this was. Wish I had morw
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12/24/2020 - Silkeyj Likes this wine: 93 Points
So so good. Rich, smooth, lost some of its complexity but still super enjoyable. Plenty of depth and finish.
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10/18/2020 - aquacongas wrote: 97 Points
TobI's Firework (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): blind
I guessed California but has no hint to producer or vintage. I preferred it against the famous 74 in the same flight. It is fresher with more primary notes and a great balance. Doesn't reach his peak. 97
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8/27/2020 - tmiller wrote: 97 Points
Unbelievable bottle of aged californian wine, a perfect tribute to what Ridge Monte Bello can achieve in terms of quality and longevity. Ridiculously young colour, very dark, it comes across as a ten to fifteen year old wine. The first whiff after decanting, we knew we were in for a treat. Dark berry fruit, leather, cigar ash, beef stock, a touch of caramel, this was just so complex. Same on the palate with nice acidity giving the wine freshness. It held up strong and never let down so I assume this has at least a decade of great pleasure ahead. 97P
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3/19/2020 - napasoutherner wrote: 96 Points
I’m just absolutely in awe of this wine. Had it twice (first time 10 years ago) and I remember how wonderful it was. Now it’s my second time and it was everything I remember plus more age. Lots of earth, pine, and dust on the nose. Some light floral hints, graphite and silk on the palette. Very long finish with that him you hope for.
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7/18/2019 - scamhi wrote:
tasted blind. I guessed it was a 2014 Chinon... huge green pepper upfront. Couldn't get past it
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6/29/2019 - The Beldens Likes this wine: 80 Points
My bottle was way past prime.
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1/12/2019 - oldwines Likes this wine: 96 Points
In my cellar since release. Double decanted and served at my daughter’s wedding for her and her new husband (and a few others) representing her birth year. This wine was wonderful, rich balanced layered and surprisingly youthful. Gorgeous, long and great on the finish with blackberry, mint, graphite and chocolate being the main flavors and aromas.
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9/15/2018 - kronfeld wrote:
My last and best bottle. A little tired and faded, but complex and well balanced. Drink up soon.
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2/1/2018 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 94 Points
California Dreaming (Mark's Duck House, Falls Church (VA)): At first, it seemed a bit lean. “Not a great bottle,” said our host. “It should have a nose that just jumps out of the glass.” But as it sat in glass, it got better and better; we simply popped and poured the wines … The palate is very elegant throughout and the alcohol is 12.9%. The wine revealed pleasing notes of leather, plum and tobacco and even some floral notes. It just opened up with time, and seemed juicier on the palate than, say, the Dunn, which we tried later and seemed at first more impressive. In the end, this wine proved to be the smoothest and most elegant of all over dinner.
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12/17/2017 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Last bottle. Sorry to see it go. This is what a mature California cabernet can really be!
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10/1/2017 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Color was medium garnet. Nose of cedar, pencil shavings, red currant, earth, faint floral notes. Elegant, integrated flavors of currant, beef blood, black plum, tobacco, and barest hint of green pepper layering on the tongue with slowly building persistence. Plucky acidity and softened tannin leading to a long, whispery finish of stony sweet grip. We visited this bottle in its autumn phase but what a treat it was.
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8/11/2017 - kronfeld wrote:
Same as my March note although this time no seepage around cork and slight raisin notes. Shame. Should have been drunk years ago.
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6/24/2017 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 92 Points
Drank from the bottle over 2 hours and continued to improve. Minimal sediment on the one with most sticking to the side and cork intact. Eucalyptus, spearmint, aged leather, and syrupy red fruit. Very vegital at first but blew off after an hour. Alive but not getting better.
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3/10/2017 - kronfeld Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep red color, showing no sign of its age. Almost no sediment. Cork intact, with seepage outside almost to end. Drunk w/o decanting over about two hours. Muted smell and flavor. Elegant and restrained, with just vestiges of fruit. Didn't develop over the two hours but didn't die off either, so maybe decanting would add something. I would not wait long to drink.
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1/3/2017 - andreawine Likes this wine: 97 Points
Awesome, at full maturity but such a lively showing! Staggering complexity of wood smoke, cedar, fresh rosemary, sassafras, black olive, black currant. Generous and plush on the palate where the leather wafts into the back palate and finish.
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11/21/2015 - curtr Likes this wine: 92 Points
My last bottle from my original case. Mellowing a bit with age. A great wine that should be consumed over the next two years if you have not already.
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10/8/2015 - cellardrinker wrote: 97 Points
Finally drank the wine at our D's wedding. Shipped a case to New Orleans two weeks before the wedding, stored in restaurant (Antoine's) cellar. Opened two hours before dinner & decanted.
The wine was in perfect condition, with silky tannins and very long finish. The color was till inky with no tinge of oxidation. Hard to believe the wine was 31 years old. Dark fruit was still very present with secondary aromas developing as the wine opened. Just superb. Ended up drinking a whole bottle, which numbed me just enough for when the bill for the evening came!
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9/19/2015 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 1 and 1/2 hours. Had alongside the 90 MB. The 84 was dark, rich and filled with black fruits. I had thought it might be over the hill, but not this bottle. It was terrific and lingering. Behind the still forward fruit, there was nuance with a little leather and tobacco. Showed just a notch better than the 90.
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9/19/2015 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dunkles purpurrot, intensive Beerenaromen, schwarze Johannisbeere, Brombeere, Schokolade, Zedernholz, elegante Reifenoten, prägnante Säure, feine, süßliche, weiche Tannine, mittlerer Körper, langer Abgang, immer noch fordernd.
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9/6/2015 - The Vines That Bind Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still very much a California Cabernet with the fruit-driven horsepower, still inky purple in appearance, but with relaxed silky smooth tannins. Very elegant at 31 years old and showing the California version of terroir that begins to come out as these wines age, primary blue and black fruit yielding to a Left-Bank-inspired aroma of damp earth, lead-pencil, forest, etc., A beautiful bottle and a real pleasure to drink with a bacon cheeseburger and fries. Fun comparison with the '95 Monte Bello.
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8/26/2015 - curtr Likes this wine: 93 Points
We were all impressed by how amazing this wine is at 31 years of age. Great character, leather, tobacco, balanced and vibrant.
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5/16/2015 - Force5 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sister's Birthday Dinner: The cork had only come out half an inch and I had to pause to admire the intensely sweet fragrance, and I'm thinking this is going to be good. Sample pour is still quite tannic though and this needs every bit of 3 hours of slow-ox to drink well. Pretty much the complete package for Montebello, sweet high-toned red fruits, touch of resiny complexity, continues to improve over 2-3 more hours. This should hold for years. Cellared since release, my last bottle.
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11/1/2014 - curtr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Peak.
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8/19/2014 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 95 Points
Had with a tomahawk steak with my mother. Not as powerful as the last 84 Monte Bello I drank a month ago; however, this was because we only spent about 1 hour letting it breathe. Cork was very brittle. This wine was closed for a long amount of time before hints of it's power started to open up. Currant, Raspberry, cocoa to the taste. Long, complex finish. Still a wonderful wine but to be consumed now. Don't hold any longer.
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7/25/2014 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 100 Points
Simply a perfect wine. Elegant, rich, layered, and massive depth. Bordeaux in style with a nose that I could smell the entire night. A huge hit with the table. Glad I have more of this!
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7/24/2014 - nortonnose wrote: 92 Points
I could've better planned tasting this bottle :) Impromptu cellar pull with a dear pal visiting, so popped and dumped into decanter. Amusingly, this was strikingly similar to the Dec 2012 TN of my '85 MB:
Cork was bone dry and literally disintegrated. Poured into decanter and enjoyed with a buddy (no food, just bourbon!). This one was much darker in color than that '85. Similarly though, this had a slightly cloudy, impure appearance. Muted nose, of pleasant blackberry and hints of eucalyptus. Again, the adage of "there are only good bottles" at this age seemed to be telling the story. Wine was pretty astringent - almost sour - upon first tastes, but settled down after 30 min. Very round, soft primary bright red fruit - nice mouth feel but only a medium finish. All in all, an elegant, enjoyable drink, but I'm very surprised how primary this still seems! And certainly had higher hopes for this aged gem.
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7/7/2014 - shaferguy91 wrote: 89 Points
Definitely passed its prime but still fun to drink.
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2/6/2014 - Michael Moore Likes this wine: 93 Points
great wine.........
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12/30/2013 - jeremy@ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dinner at the Fung's! (Fung's): The last bottle of the night. good dose of berries and leather. near perfect!
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12/2/2013 - curtr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 2 hrs. Smooth, refined, old school, great character.
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11/29/2013 - curtr wrote: flawed
Was slightly oxidized. Did not show the vibrancy I normally see in this wine.
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7/15/2013 - jrkennedy37 wrote:
I've read that this bottle is in a perfect spot, so I did my best to temper expectations. Astonishing experience overall. The top of the cork had mold and the area under the capsule looked worse for the wear, but the contents were something to behold. I'm writing this note after trying the 2004 a few days later and I absolutely loved the comparison. There were hardly any tertiary notes present in the 1984, which I find so hard to believe considering it's my birth year. Not a wrinkle in it's delivery which I cannot say for my own appearance. This could without a doubt last many many more years and I will be on the lookout for more to sample when I turn 35 and 40.
The oak is reminiscent of a mid-term barbaresco, somewhat cheesy and funky, while the fruit tastes as fresh as the newer montebellos but backed with less acid and tannic punch. I'd say you need to try it to understand it, but I don't want any competition to find the remaining bottles on the market!
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5/27/2013 - Nuromri Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep ruby. Classic montebello nose. Rusty pipes. Focus, complexity, length. Cellared since release. Delicious
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3/9/2013 - Lauraoliphant Likes this wine: 93 Points
nose still strong cherries, nice fruit, licorice taste, mellow tannins. Opened up really well after decanting. Still good to drink...
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1/6/2013 - hubas wrote: 98 Points
Simply superb
the aroma has hints of stable tones black currant, leather.
The taste is filled with fruit with great length with perfect balance. The acidity is high but in perfect pitch with the rest of the wine
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9/29/2012 - Wine_lvr wrote: 93 Points
Ridge Monte Bello Vertical Tasting 1974 - 2008 (Switzerland): And another well aged Monte Bello. Nice aged red. Taste of Coffee and Chalk. Nicely integrated acidity and lots of dark berries. For me a tick behind the great 1978. Drink now with no hurry. Anticipated maturity now - 2020.
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7/27/2012 - wineberg wrote: 88 Points
Dinner at Vidalia with PinkMoonWinery (Vidalia in DC): Since I so rarely drink old wine, I really wanted to try this when it was an option at the dinner with Pinkmoon.
This was definitely overshadowed by the Schrader and SQN that we had alongside this, but it was a great learning experience I think. This was made in a very different style to begin with, and it's also a style I don't have a lot of exposure to, since I tend to drink fairly young CA wines at this point.
This had an array of much more subtle, mature flavors, and was still drinking just fine. I got a bit of wood off of it, as well as cured meat and leather. Not much in the way of fruits I thought, and as PinkMoon noted in his note, there was some underlying flavor which wasn't the most pleasing. Maybe just a hint of TCA?
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7/27/2012 - G_H Likes this wine: 89 Points
wineberg welcoming me to DC (Vidalia, Washington): quite classic mature napa valley, elegant with nice notes of leather, plum but somehow it was a bit dominated by the horse sweat notes which unfortunately did not go away with air. nevertheless a very good wine
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6/24/2012 - AAVHJG wrote: 93 Points
color: deep purple with ochre/rust rim
nose: pronounced ceder, pine and tobacco
taste: complex and fully integrated. cedar, pine and tobacco plus tar, black cherry, mint/menthol and dirt.
chemistry: tannins are smooth yet fully present and very noticible. very good acid level. strong backbone with structure. Very much in balance.
finish: just awesome. Dry mouthfeel with fruit lingering on for some time.
This is a supurb 28 yr old wine aging and tasting EXTREMELY well. Strong acid, tannins and complex flavors are very well knit together with everything in balance. Very nicely done. Showing and drinking very strongly. Cellared since purchased upon release.
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3/5/2012 - BradKNYC wrote:
Ridge- Monte Bello 1975-1991 (Beacon Restaurant): (93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 12.9% alc.)
This was a show stopper. Just gorgeous. It's exuberant and gregarious, but shows depth and a real personality as well. The sweet cherry fruit is concentrated and layered, but also supple and is fully integrated with the herb, cedar and earth components. Despite the richness, the wine has a wonderful elegance thanks to its low alcohol level and acidity. It's drinking wonderfully now, though as open and seamless as this bottle is showing, there's still some tannins lingering around and in the overall scheme of things, there's still not a lot of secondary development yet. Seriously good wine here. A.
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2/14/2012 - don_quichotte wrote: 92 Points
Fully resolved and pretty similar to a superior left bank bordeaux, though with a slight (and enjoyable) new world touch of mint. Won't be getting any better - drink up!
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12/25/2011 - vinojones wrote: 95 Points
Magnum decanted 1 hr- consumed over 3hrs
dark Ruby; rich nose of cedar, plum,black cherry; very ripe black cherry, dark plum flavors but not too fresh- has softness and elegance that restrains the California "fruit bomb" style, also hints of complex dark chocolate toasty notes beginning to emerge; great balance, good fruit, good mouth feel; very long finish but acidity keeps it "light"- no cloying "extracted" character. This is a pleasure to drink but for me- future tertiary character will make it 1-2 points better;10-15+ more yrs for that pinnacle, at least in magnum.
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11/19/2011 - Vintomas wrote: 93 Points
Ridge Vineyards and Monte Bello Masterclass at the Decanter Fine Experience (Landmark Hotel, London): Medium to deep red colour, faded at the edge.
Nose with noticeable barnyard notes, dark berries, tar, spice, nuansed. Reminds me of a classical developed Bordeaux, mostly of left bank character.
Medium bodied++, palate with ripe dark berries, some red berries, medium(+) softened tannins wit some dryness and tannic aftertaste.
Mature, nuanced, with a lot of vigour. 93-94 p
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11/19/2011 - Stefanos T. wrote: 94 Points
Decanter Ridge Vineyards Masterclass (Landmark Hotel London): Sweet and earthy nose. Evolved, mature but elegantly so. Less black fruit that is typical for the wine, so more to my liking. In the palate a mineral dimension complements earthy flavors, cassis fruit and sweet spice like cinnamon and nutmeg. Ripe and elegant with beautiful texture its earthiness reminded me a little of a top Pessac-Leognan.
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9/24/2011 - kenv wrote: 94 Points
From half bottle. Quite smelly on first opening, but that blows off within 30 minutes leaving a lovely bouquet of black raspberry with a hint of sandalwood. Appropriately mature appearance with dark garnet center and onion skin edge. Silky and mellow in the mouth with dried red fruit, licorice, cedar, and a touch of iron on the long finish. Forest floor. Delicious, but fully mature. Won't get better, but terrific now. Definitely drink soon.
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9/2/2011 - curtr wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours. One of the most amazing older cabernets. Smooth with lots of character.
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4/23/2011 - Hodby wrote: 92 Points
Medium red-garnet. Woodsy, menthol-laden nose with lead pencil, leather, cassis and mushroom. Low tannin, low acidity. Mature flavors of a fairly chameleon-like California/Bordeaux hybrid style, mostly prune, herbs and graphite. Finishes lean and long, elegant. Bottle #2 of two.
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1/1/2011 - fredb wrote:
Medium brick red color with some thinning at the rim. Aromas of sweet cherry, cedar, cassis, and a hint of black truffle. On the palate this shows round cherry and cedar notes and a long black truffle finish. Sadly, this note is based upon the dregs that were not decanted, as the decanter was contaminated and imparted a cheesy flavor into the wine that got progressively worse as the night wore on. Judgement reserved, but seemingly a great wine under that cheese. Drink or hold.
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12/3/2010 - curtr wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours. Drinking beautifully right now.
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10/14/2010 - jantor wrote: 93 Points
Doubble decante, spent one hour in the carraff. Deep and dense red colour with some bricking at the edge.Big aromatic and spicy on the nose. Good fruit, tobacco, cedar, and loads of eucalyptus leefs. Some floral notes and pickled ginger. Cherries, cassis, fresh pears.
Very rich and aromatic taste - like a big wall of fruit, spices, fudge and some sweetness. There are good tannins and also an earty/minerally/tary tone that also gives an almost harsh component. Fantastic lengt. Very good, but the harshness cost one or two points in my judgement.
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6/20/2010 - yhn wrote: 91 Points
Nose - warm/savory, dried herb, black currant, nice mature notes.
Warm charry mature black currant, touch of cedar, gritty/dusty tannin - not resolved, touches of black pepper and green peppercorn.
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2/4/2010 - yhn wrote: 94 Points
Nose - bright, tobacco, dark minerality, graphite, sweet French oak, dried basil.
Tobacco, black currant, cedar. Classic. Touch of green peppercorn, good minerality, intense. Seems a decade younger.
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10/29/2009 - Chevaliers wrote: 94 Points
From a magnum. No signs of bricking. Dark to the edge of the glass. A rich and smooth glass of wine, ready to drink. Full bodied. Showing mocha, chocolate, a hint of cedar, cassis. Wonderful aroma. Very round in flavor with a nice refined warmth from the fully resolved tannins and balanced alcohol. A fine wine that is showing extremely well right now. -JBL
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9/3/2009 - Vinomarcus wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind: Being that Lance brought this wine, all guess immediately pointed to a Piedmontese wine. It had a lot of the same notes as my wine (86 Gaja Barbaresco) when tasted side by side. Beautifully aged nose of mushrooms and coriander. Still possessing a great body and velvety mouthfeel. The most interesting part was the unmistakable strong note of black olives that came up on the finish. Very elegant wine and drinking amazingly well right now. This is in no danger of dying soon, but why wait?
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7/22/2009 - cortoncharlie wrote: 91 Points
I think this would normally be a pretty good wine but unfortunately tonight it was totally smoked by a bottle of 82 Gruaud Larose served alongside of it. Color was suprisingly dark and the nose was quite plummy and minty. Another taster mentioned that Chinese Herbal Tea taste. Drinking very well now.
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6/30/2009 - Rupert wrote: 87 Points
Ridge Monte Bello vertical 1964 - 2002 (Institute of Directors, London): Sickly lactic nose, some mint chocolate on the palate, but faded, woody, dried out [a fair number of the others present were a lot more enthusiastic about this finding a cedary claret quality)
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6/14/2009 - depdoc wrote: 93 Points
fabulous
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6/6/2009 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Well aged, brown colored edge, delicious soft black currant fruit with characteristic Ridge chalky, cedar, and cassis flavors, good structure, slightly past its prime but still a very good bottle of wine
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5/16/2009 - Mike V wrote: 95 Points
What a treat with Bryans Kobe style aged strip. Dark red color with minimal bricking at the edge. Fantastic nose anybody who says California wine will not develop tertiary characteristics should stick their nose in a glass of this. Cedar and red fruit. The palate is also wonderful very sweet for a 25 year old wine, in a good way. Tannins are resolved and bright red fruits predominate. Finish is medium. Nice experience.
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2/21/2009 - elliotgl wrote: 87 Points
In the glass a medium dark ruby and garnet pearls at the rim - A wonderfully fragrant cabernet nose of a fully mature wine that promises an evening of dancing and humor and oh so much fun.This wine had a precocious youth while its younger sister was always in the background - it became truly a Cinderella at the ball. In the mouth a softness and elegance and again those marvelous flavors of a fine old cabernet but alas the princess in the glass some how ignored the strike of midnight and with the light of dawn the bloom that was there was gone - the ball gown in daylight showed how tattered it was as were the slippers that no prince would carry across the country side to seek the owner. The wine literally died in the glass in less than 30 minutes - Long live the new Princess - the 1985
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5/30/2008 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (The Wine Summit, Lake Louise, Alberta): 93% CS, 7% M – 12.9% ALC.
Medium dark, mostly garnet hued, with an amber rim; on the nose black currant – pronounced cedar; elegantly styled, with great depth of flavours; balanced as between the fruit, acidity, with most of the tannins fully integrated; nice show of extract – mouthful of black currant fruit which persists through to a lingering finish. Most attractive wine !
Paul Draper felt they were looking for maturity in the grapes at harvest, and this selection resulted with this blend.
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5/30/2008 - ewineguy wrote: 92 Points
The Wine Summit at The Post Hotel in Lake Louise Alberta Canada was fortunate to have Mr. Paul Draper as one of the presenters. After taking us all down a brief but interesting trip down memory lane, Mr Draper lead us trough a technical tasting of 8 Monte Bellos covering a range or 23 years. All good things must come to an end and this 84 was our last MB of the morning. Not as dark purple as many of the glass but darker than the 88. Not a lot of big aroma jumping out of this and it had been open and decanted for about two and half hours. There was the ever present licorice and some non citrus fruit smells. The taste brought the fruit out front with a luscious texture and proper acidity. I did not pick up on the currant and blackberry that Paul was mentioning, but I really tried and tried until the three fingers of wine was gone.
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2/14/2008 - M-driver wrote:
The moment I poured this into the decanter, I was afraid something was up. The color was a light brown with significant bricking. Not giving up too much on the nose, but certainly not corked. So, left in the decanter for about an hour or so. I tasted intermittently as I was preparing dinner to see how the wine evolved, as I've read some notes that indicated it needed some time to open.
Well, this never came around. Very thin and disinterensting on the palate and a total lack of fruit. Some tobacco/cedar, but really nothing like the wine I've read raves about. It stayed this way for about 2 hours or so, but I continued to drink it in hopes that it some miraculous would occur. It actually ended-up going downhill fast and the last sip I took I immediately had to spit because it was undrinkable at this point.
I suspect this wine may have been heat damaged at some point in its life. I picked up several bottles of this at auction and can only hope that the rest in the lot are not like this bottle. A very disappointing experience.
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12/26/2007 - Winevestor wrote: 95 Points
Had it with a variety of cheeses. Worked well especially with the strong hard ones. Slightly rustic nose, when tasted felt as if it was at least 10 years younger. Was open for 4 hours and did not deteriorate. Good fruit flavors and did not taste like Bordeaux which is great (need to differentiate).
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6/7/2007 - TylerMcNinch wrote: 98 Points
Wow...took forever to open up but well worth the wait! Excellent!
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12/25/2006 - llink wrote:
Christmas 06, opened early to "Audouze" the wine 5 hours before dinner. Well balanced, cedar and currant nose. Great mouth feel, although a little on the lean side. The wine was a great match for a standing rib roast, and is drinking fantastically right now. Tannins have completely resolved, and IMHO these will not improve from this point.
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7/16/2006 - cct wrote: 94 Points
This was served first among the reds so we could give it the attention it deserved. The color was a jeweled ruby with just a touch of amber. Nice legs on this one. The nose was black olives bigtime, followed by milk chocolate, cedar, plums, brambly (almost) berries, lovely. The palate was medium full bodied and very well balanced. More baking chocolate and olives, more black stone fruits than cassis, wet leather, and some cocoa powder. Fine tannins and a great finish. The best balanced wine of the night. At peak. 94 pts.
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4/29/2006 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 97 Points
At Mark's Las Olas w Steve, Joyce & Greg Rapaport, and Justin & Janet Mannes. Difficult cork, wouldn't come loose, broke off top 1/2 and pushed down the rest. Didn't affect the wine. Double decanted in am and poured back into an empty Beringer bottle. Is truly a wonderful wine, that rivals the finest Bordeaux. Prefer this to the 82 Latour, and is equal to the timeless 82 Mouton.Wonderful aromativ complexity, great mouthfeel and lingering cassis aftertaste.nfortunately my last bottle. Will buy again at auction, if I see some.
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1/23/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 97 Points
The Full Monte - 35 Year Monte Bello Vertical (Alba Restaurant, London): 93% CS, 7% M, 12.9% Alcohol
Back to form! Vibrant youthful ruby colour, beautiful layered nose of ripe sour cherry and bramble. Ripe, rich Pomerol-like balance of rich mature fruit and a maintained tannic depth, tannins still performing strongly, superb balance. A long life ahead of it.
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12/16/2005 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 96 Points
Brilliant ruby color, still tight bouquet, delicious palate, and lingering aftertaste. Still youthful at 21 years. Purchased at auction in September, bottle appearance excellent, cork solid and fully intact. Double decanted in am. Reopened at dinner at Prime 112, Miami Beach.
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11/18/2005 - G SQUARED wrote: 94 Points
Wine tasting at home w/friends. Still a very deep ruby red. Beautiful aromas of bitter chocolate, spices and a little game. Smooth, round tannins now, no sharp edges and a long, lingering finish. Loads of dark berries and tobacco. This is a beautiful wine. I'd give it another 10 years if you want, but no reason not to drink it up now. I don't think it will get any better. BTW, this was good right out of the bottle!!!!!!
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10/17/2005 - jwwinec wrote: 92 Points
Dinner Party (My Place): Really beautiful aromatics - cassis, lead pencil, and spices. Palate was nicely balanced, but a bit thin.
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10/12/2005 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 91 Points
Glasgow Offline (Chardon d'Or): A touch dumb on the nose, but eventually revealing some very pure fruit. A touch of oversweet fruit on the palate, balanced by dry tannins. This is very fine and quite restrained. Possibly a little jet-lagged (it had flown into Glasgow from Minneapolis that morning), and a bit overshadowed by the surrounding wines, which, given that they were served blind, took more attention. Very Good Indeed (+)
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9/24/2005 - Pool Boy wrote: 94 Points
Dave's Dinner Hosting the DC Crü (Dave's Casa): A nose of Sharpie and a bit of stinky cheese, this settled down to reveal some wonderful spice and woodsy flavors. It then emerged to show loads of tobacco notes, sort of like a pipe. All of this nicely packaged around a nice velvety core of fruit. Very, very nice. 94
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9/18/2005 - arappaport wrote: 90 Points
Not nearly as big as I remember, but still going strong. Good color, nice nose, and lots of fruit. The finish is long, if a bit acidic. Took a good half hour to get past its initial earthiness and settle down.
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8/20/2005 - sdr wrote: 85 Points
Greg brought this bottle to Marks SoBe to compare with an '85 LLC I brought. It was immediately obvious that the Bordeaux would outclass the Cal Cab and so it did, from the first sniff to the last drop. There's a certain coarseness here, of scent, flavor and texture, that makes it distinctly less pleasurable that the LLC. Still, it's powerful, lively and concentrated and not fading at all. Very cabernet (93% cab sauv, 7% merlot). But it tastes like drinking sandpaper when comparing it to the velvety Bordeaux. I am not persuaded that Cal Cabs age gracefully, even if they do not fall apart.
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7/17/2005 - jamiekutch wrote: 86 Points
Leaving NYC and moving to San Francisco; 7/16/2005-7/17/2005: Color wasn't totally sound. With its bricking rim. The palate was drying and seems like this particular bottles history might not have been sound. A dissapointment.
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11/15/2004 - bdenuyl wrote: 88 Points
Drank on Clark’s B’Day 2004. Perhaps I had a bad bottle because it was not nearly like the ratings. It had lost its depth, although still had some tannin, and had a slightly off flavor. Try another.
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2/1/2004 - buckeye76 wrote: 94 Points
DEEP BLACKCURRENT FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR WITH A TOUCH OF MINT AND LICORICE. ELEGANT WINE, NICE COMPLEXITY, AND A MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH. EVEN BETTER THAN 2/03 TASTING (92)
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6/20/2003 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
1984 Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon 4 Wines (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nose of mushrooms, lovely rich intensity on the palate, nice, Bordeaux like, medium touch of soft tannins. My #1 of 4. Group #1 of 4.
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11/21/1991 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 96 Points
With BLR and Bruce E. at Ricardo's in San Anselmo at dinner (pizza). Rich ruby robe. Good legs. Nose is an absolute revelation. All the things you look for in a cab. Just a tremendous perfume, bursting from the glass. Wow! Palate is very rich and packed with fruit. Still has some unresolved tannins. Should age well. Yes! Complete. Harmonious. Everything in perfect balance. 5-15-17-9: 96/100.
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6/1/1991 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 94 Points
With Michael Lehmann at Singer & Foy survey of 1984 Cabernets. Nice wine. Good medium dark ruby. Luscious red fruits in the bouquet. As lovely as ever. Complexity galore. Rich and elegant. Couldn't ask for more. Very fine flavor, too. Cabernet fruit is beautifully displayed. Absolutely perfect balance. I really like this wine! 5-13-18-8: 94/100.
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5/17/1990 - buckeye76 wrote: 94 Points
VERY BIG WINE. CAN ONLY GUESS WHAT THIS ONE WILL BECOME. DEEP RICH FRUIT, BLACKCURRENT AND A TOUCH OF SPICE. STILL VERY YOUNG. LONG FINISH. GREAT COMPLEXITY. TRY AGAIN IN 6 YEARS.
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1/16/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 95 Points
With Brett Raven at lunch at MacArthur Park. Very rich red ruby. Very nice nose. Good cassis. Great flavor, very elegant, smooth, yet rich! Wow! 5-13-18-9: 95/100.
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1/15/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 96 Points
With Michael Lehmann at lunch at MacArthur Park restaurant in San Francisco ($48 on the wine list). Extremely deep, lovely medium-dark ruby. Beautiful Cabernet nose, featuring cedar, cassis and flowers. It is lovely. On the palate, this wine is a revelation; smooth, elegant, sweet, rich, perfect--its everything I look for in a Cabernet. Firmly structured but quite approachable now. Perfect balance, good body. What a tremendous bottle of wine. 5-13-17-8: 93/100. Six hours later, it is even better, more developed. 5-14-18-9: 96/100.
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