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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.3 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 207 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by bottles.and.bites on 4/6/2024 & rated 94 points: 13.3% ABV, 72% cab, 28% Merlot.
Summer bing cherries, cinnamon, mushroom. Complex and intense, shapeshifting on each sip. Some rose florals, then thyme savoriness, then a kick of cherry acidity, and on it goes. There is weight in the palate and a delicious umami factor to the wine. 4 hours open, it had a nearly candied cherry finish which wasn’t my favorite. Revisiting 12 hours in, it’s gone more tertiary on the finish and very enjoyable. Still needs time I expect or a long decant.
Bought off auction, brought back to Monte Bello to enjoy it where it was grown & made. (638 views) | | | Tasted by dougsmith on 2/12/2024 & rated 92 points: Deep ruby color. Nose of blackberry syrup, floral notes, and a touch of mountain herb. Medium bodied on the palate with very good presence and length. (1394 views) | | | Tasted by englishman's claret on 12/3/2023: Obviously very young; will it develop into a more classically-styled Monte Bello with age? Oaky, jammy now - unlike the others on show. (2140 views) | | | Tasted by Montesquieu on 12/2/2023 & rated 93 points: As a long time MB collector and fanatic, I confess this was not one of my favorite bottles and vintages. It featured more California-typical cassis than normal, and less MB-typical green, lean, eucalyptus. It's a good wine for sure, but not a great MB. Fans of Napa cab might actually prefer this vintage. (1555 views) | | | Tasted by lozatron on 11/23/2023: Thanksgiving Wimps 2023 - Alfred Stieglitz Table (La Trompette): Yum. More ready to drink than the 10 served alongside it, more earthy notes, but still so much substance and class to it. No rush to drink but if you've got them you should feel pretty good about that. (1801 views) | | | Tasted by deadwax on 10/8/2023 & rated 94 points: Double decanted about 3 hours before drinking. At age 15 this still has a long way to go. Tasted blind with regular wine group, a couple guessed BdM. There was a slight funk/brett - just enough to throw you off. Terrific wine. (2050 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 9/3/2023 & rated 93 points: Terrific but still very tight and young. Nose still shows the American oak with a stroll dill notes mixed with typical nack SCM fruits. Palate is delicious, fine, with black fruits and toacco notes. Though tannins are in check oak influence still sticks out. Lengthy finish. Great stuff. Just not quite ready yet. (2032 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 6/30/2023: A Ridge Tahoe Weekend; 6/29/2023-7/2/2023 (Edgewood Resort): One of my favorite years for Cali cabs and this fit right in with that. It is of course very young. Lots of blackberries and brambles. There’s a flavor that I can’t quite place that’s like some type of wild grass maybe. This was double decanted before pouring and it was maybe more open than either of the others right in the beginning but it hasn’t had time to evolve quite the same way the ‘99 has and it surpassed it. (2772 views) | | | Tasted by rosenst1 on 6/18/2023 & rated 94 points: PnP. Medium deep red. Initially this had a green olive and weedy nose and was rather narrow on the palate. However, after an hour or so of air the fruit just took over and the wine softened dramatically and integrated the tannins and herbal character in a seamless manner. I expect will be even better tomorrow. (2164 views) | | | Tasted by guitarguy on 6/18/2023 & rated 95 points: Expressive nose with lifted notes of green olive and tea leaves. Blue fruit, volcanic ash, mouth filling with moderate tannin and hints of cedar wood. Still plenty of acidity. Really great right now. (2058 views) | | | Tasted by Eagle13 on 6/17/2023 & rated 90 points: Very good but backward due to 08 drout. Only Cab and merlot were used... (1894 views) | | | Tasted by lozatron on 5/21/2023: Double birthday dinner with friends (Hawthorn): Woof. The best 08 MB I've tasted? Or am I just starting to understand it? It has the menthol characteristics, a kind of freshness but it's just completely THERE. This is absolutely singing. The sommelier mentioned he'd tasted a 10 recently and that this 08 was much better. Obviously no rush with these but my goodness this is delicious now. (2133 views) | | | Tasted by mowtod on 5/1/2023 & rated 83 points: Still young even in this format but good potential . (1927 views) | | | Tasted by Collector1855 on 4/15/2023 & rated 96 points: Beautiful nose right from teh start. Classic proportions, nothing heavy here, lots of cassis and underbrush. Tannins still young but of great quality. Early drinking window, now until 2035. (2434 views) | | | Tasted by chicsucre on 4/6/2023: Had it off the list at Nikuya Tanaka Ginza 肉屋田中 銀座 (they did not offer a decanter)
Color is opaque ruby with tiny touch of purple still - no sign of garnet
The nose is very open to start, tobacco leaf, eucalyptus, cassis, longan fruit, intoxicating!
On the mouth it is not as open
Long finish
Had I known the food is actually well balanced and more delicate and fatty (duh) should’ve gone with champagne pairing for the night. But still a good price to order a Monte Bello (JPY 40000) :)
Day2 evening - even more eucalyptus on the nose & the palate, the taste has developed but still needs more time
Day3 evening - fully developed and light on the palate, enjoyable ! (2012 views) | | | Tasted by RickyBobby62 on 4/1/2023 & rated 97 points: Deep red garnet color. Juniper, herbaceous nose. Dark fruit, wonderful structure. Hint of cherry on the aftertaste. Excellent wine. (2013 views) | | | Tasted by guitarguy on 2/9/2023 & rated 92 points: Ashy, cocoa and blueberry but falls just a bit on fibish. Still, a great, lively drink. (2232 views) | | | Tasted by rwerner on 2/3/2023 & rated 92 points: Felt this did not have the weight of some of my other Montebello's in the cellar. Nice nose , delicious with good acidity and soft finish. Might have been better a few years ago however. (1947 views) | | | Tasted by mowtod on 10/8/2022 & rated 87 points: K&I with cheese good fruit & finish (2814 views) | | | Tasted by oldwines on 8/28/2022 & rated 94 points: In my cellar since release. Decanted at 5pm and tasted over the next 6 hours. As I poured it into the decanter the bouquet was amazing. Lots of reddish florals, sweet spices, cedar, cassis and black raspberry. The nose was excellent throughout the evening but was never better than the wafting first impression. The color is a translucent medium to dark garnet with a slightly crimson edge but no sign of bricking. The palate was bright with acidity, modest in drying tannin and quite layered with similar flavors to those in the nose perhaps with a little richer depth and some blackberry. Nice complexity and a fairly long finish. While I usually like lots of aeration for a wine like this, including many other vintages of this wine, I was struck that this bottle was most certainly best in the first 90 minutes or so. It did go quite well with some grilled, locally raised beef ribeye steaks. I was hoping for this to kick into a higher gear at some point but it didn’t and was a little bitter on the finish toward the end of the evening. (3250 views) | | | Tasted by SonnyChiba on 8/23/2022 & rated 94 points: Beautiful wine - layers of dark, sweet fruit, all in balance. Will improve, but damn good right now. (3009 views) | | | Tasted by lozatron on 8/13/2022: Wine and BBQ Dinner (At home in leafy West London): Drinking so well just now. Still a bit of a loud teenager, but doing it in a somewhat graceful and articulate way - like your own child giving you backchat and telling you what's what, but in such a way that you can't help feeling proud. A lot of time ahead of it for sure, but drinking so well now it's no waste to drink it. (2908 views) | | | Tasted by Sonoma-W on 7/9/2022 & rated 96 points: Outstanding! very Bordeaux-like with strong fruit and a touch of earthiness and pine. Finish was all fruit. The best 08 yet -- at 14 years. Rating higher than last time. (2969 views) | | | Tasted by lozatron on 7/3/2022: Hampshire Garden Barbecue: Drinking well now - more enjoyable at this age than other Monte Bellos I’ve tried. Nose is ravishing - the vanilla is there, a bit of menthol, but also some fruit. On the palate - fine tannins seem fully integrated, the fruit is there for sure but in balance - gave a lot of pleasure but no need to open the next one for a year or two. (2601 views) | | | Tasted by winot on 6/4/2022 & rated 95 points: Medium deep ruby with staining. Huge nose leaps out of the glass. Red berries, subtle oak, a touch of root. Very enticing. Yes, you want to put that in your mouth. Delicious palate starts off with abundant fruit, then cinches up a bit on the finish, so a decent decant is called for. Wonderful balance, great depth, strong tannin backbone, perfect acidity, long finish. Gorgeous wine. (2332 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Brook
Decanter, Ridge Monte Bello retrospective (10/25/2022)
(Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Brook
Decanter, Ridge Monte Bello retrospective (10/25/2022)
(Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/25/2022)
(Ridge, Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Santa Cruz Mountains: Wines of Breathtaking Pedigree (Sep 2020) (9/20/2020)
(Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Central Coast Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vintage Retrospective: The 2008 Napa Valley Cabernets (May 2018) (5/18/2018)
(Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Central Coast Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jon Bonné
Decanter, Top USA Bordeaux-style blends (7/26/2012)
(Monte Bello, Ridge, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, November/December 2011, IWC Issue #159
(Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/15/2011)
(Ridge, Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Exploring California's Central Coast (Aug 2011)
(Ridge Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (5/4/2011)
(Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (3/2/2010)
(Ridge, Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (6/11/2009)
(Ridge, Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (5/19/2013)
(Ridge Monte Bello) From magnum - very dark red violet color; maturing, tart berry, violets, tart black currant nose; tasty, maturing, rich, tart black currant, violets, cedar, cassis cream palate; medium-plus finish 94 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/17/2011)
(Ridge Monte Bello) Dark ruby color; tart cassis, oak, menthol nose; youthful, tart cassis, oaky, menthol palate; medium finish (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc) 88 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/6/2011)
(Ridge Monte Bello) Dark red violet color; Lovely, rich, cassis, red berry nose; tasty, rich, poised, ripe cassis, red currant, tart plum palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points (72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot) 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and JancisRobinson.com and Vinous and WineAlign and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Ridge Producer website | Wikipedia
Ridge Vineyards is a California winery specializing in premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay wines. Ridge produces wine at two winery locations in northern California. The original winery facilities are located at an elevation of 2,300 feet (700 m) on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA near Cupertino, California. The other Ridge winery facilities are at Lytton Springs in the Dry Creek Valley AVA of Sonoma County.2008 Ridge Monte Bello 72% Cabernet Sauvignon
28% MerlotRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.Monte Bello On weinlagen-infoUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
Once referred to by wine writers as the Chaine d'Or -- or "golden chain" -- the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA sits above Silicon Valley, running along the craggy range next to the Pacific on some of the prettiest parts of Northern California. The area supports more than 75 wineries, despite being limited by geography and high land prices.
In 1981 the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation became federally recognized, one of the first American viticultural areas to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors. The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the south. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west. |
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