1986 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello

Community Tasting Notes (43) Median Score: 92 points

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  11/30/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

  Piemonte: Truffles instead of Turkey; 11/23/2023-12/2/2023 (Barolo, Barbaresco, Alto Piemonte and of course Alba): From our collection at home. One of my favorite producers in California and I had a memory that at some point the friends we were dining with had mentioned liking these wines and the difficulty of finding them in Italy. So over the bottle went and I thought it was very good although I did sense just a slight undercurrent of brett (which I got in a few wines for about 24 hours that no one else go so that could just have been my nose being off). It was quite classic and balanced and overall very tasty.

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  9/6/2022 - acyso wrote: 95 Points

  Flickinger dinner (Chicago, IL): Been a while since I opened a bottle of old Monte Bello. The nose was almost slightly Rioja-like (thanks, American oak!) but otherwise there were classic notes of pyrazine and black fruit here. The palate is concentrated, but light (in fact, the wine only has 11.8% abv). There's an elegance from the acidity that I think is absolutely fantastic, and with air, this grew to be a little more herbaceous. Cabernet from a time that no longer exists; this is almost an historical treasure at this point.

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  11/2/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

  Ridge Monte Bello Retrospective (Porter House): My favorite of this flight in what was a pretty tough run competition because the 80's of these are just spectacular. Really vibrant. I get rosemary early on. Black fruits. There's a loveliness and a power to this wine that makes it clear it's nowhere near it's 'real' drinking window.

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  11/26/2020 - aaacerbic Likes this wine:

  Easily the best California Cab I’ve had with age. So lithe and elegant. Slight peppery and cedar notes along with fresh red and black fruits. Soft tannins and refreshing acid. So few signs of oxidation. Have had open for five hours and it’s only improved! Incredible wine at 34 years and 11.8% alcohol...

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  11/20/2020 - ekessler Likes this wine:

  Smooth and elegant. Some Brett on the nose which mostly dissipated with air. Berry, cherry, leather, wood, dark fruits. Fantastic with NY strip, butternut squash puree, and sautéed mushrooms.

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