2001 Ridge Monte Bello

Community Tasting Notes (195) Avg Score: 94.3 points

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  1/26/2024 - warrenpeace wrote: 95 Points

  A powerful wine if not the most finessed. Very enjoyable and likely to continue to improve for at least 5 years and then stay at peak for for 10-15 years thereafter

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  1/1/2024 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:

  2024 New Year's Day Double Blind Tasting: Double-blind. This is a superb wine and one that threw everybody off. Exotic nose that exploded in the glass. Deep, rich, perfumed fruit with a sweet finish with a touch of spice. Is it old world? New world? Nobody could nail it. I called it '04 Solaia and was obviously wrong. This is the best Monte Bello I've ever tasted. Wow!

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  9/30/2023 - familydoc Likes this wine: 97 Points

  Holy cow am I glad I sat on this wine, that said, it really needed a full 2 hour decant (from a magnum stored in a wine fridge).
  
  Nose: initially was a bosenberry/black berry bomb, the nose is really incredible right away where you think "could this be the best wine I've ever tasted?"
  
  with air you get a super balanced nose with more mushroom and a bit of minty tobacco
  
  Taste: this wine is just so complex and structured, layered with berrys, mushroom, tobacco and the tannins really are still surprisingly present but carrying those great flavors into a big finish of mint, tobacco, and dark cherry.
  
  The fact that this wine improved with 2 hours of air (from a magnum) at 22 years old is a telling testament to the structure and quality of this wine.

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  8/5/2023 - Michael Moore Likes this wine: 99 Points

  Perfect. Drank side by side with a 2007 Scarecrow at Mission Ranch in Carmel. Toss up for WOTN.

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  5/22/2023 - walkerjfw wrote: 97 Points

  Dinner at Union Square Cafe, brought this from my cellar, drank after a 2014 Antica Terra Pinot. It was open over an hour before drinking, consumed over an hour. Prior bottle 3 years ago. I had planned to wait longer on next bottles, but it was fun to show this wine to my guest.
  
  Prior notes: "Nose showing dark fruits, currants/cherry, pencil and sweet tobacco. Smooth and elegant texture. Palate showing dark cherry, spice, leather and black licorice. Tannins still present but softening a bit. Full bodied, long and layered finish."
  
  This bottle did not disappoint. Nose was extraordinary, jumping out of the glass. Cherry/dark fruits, graphite still showing. Full body, long finish. Ripeness and energy in this wine is notable. My guest made the comment that if drinking blind he would have guessed 5-7 years old.
  
  I was not in a spot to open this before arriving at the restaurant. It will benefit from a full 2 hour decant, it was good out the bottle, better at one hour and really shining by 2 hrs..at 22 years old it still needs to wake up a bit

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