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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.6 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 84 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by fcxj on 1/19/2024 & rated 92 points: Fleshy, dark fruited. (587 views) | | | Tasted by deadwax on 12/25/2023 & rated 92 points: 92 points but a loving 92. Last bottle 3 years ago was a surpise with how good it was. This bottle was a bit flat-ish. No flaws, and balance was great - what you would hope for at 30 years. (433 views) | | | Tasted by hadukla on 7/26/2023 & rated 97 points: Simply beautiful. Rich, complex, lots of life left. (945 views) | | | Tasted by Vstalam on 12/20/2022 & rated 93 points: More primary dark fruit than expected. Recommend slow ox for 2 hrs to get to a more integrated texture given the heavy fruit. Or can let it age for another 3-5 yrs. Paired well with ribeye. (1277 views) | | | Tasted by Ben Christiansen on 11/6/2022: More black currant fruit to it. Not too savory. A bit more savory and beautiful on the palate. Serene and a just a touch savory. Beautiful. 20 years is not enough for monte Bello! The tasting group notes. 30 years! (1560 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 11/2/2021: Ridge Monte Bello Retrospective (Porter House): One of my favorites of the flight. This is more black fruits and freshness and mint and tea leaves and just really lovely. Maybe some black dahlia? Very vibrant and just jumps out of the glass at you. (2580 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 6/19/2021 & rated 96 points: The Society of St Tryfon Dinner (The RAC, London): From a beautiful magnum, decanted for a good 2 hours and served side by side with a magnificent magnum of 1995 L’Evangile ( Papies 97)
We compared these two like two non identical twins. Granted the cepage is different still the style was very much the same, classic, elegant and not pushed. This beautiful Monte bello was as expected the riper and bigger wine, full of dark fruits and frankly 28 years young and with another easy 15 years of great drinking . 1993 being a softer vintage lends well to the elegant side of the wine, the oak is fully assimilated , light secondary feel but really the fruit still is. Dry much on the fore front, soft spice, soft herby side too. A superb bottle of wine and a great testament to classical winemaking of 90s Cali Reds , and really this felt like a classic Bordeaux well aged but wih an extra dollop of ripeness coming from the Californian sunshine. 96 (2947 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 3/25/2021: Always really love this wine and this producer and especially with age. It's a real treat to get to drink one of these. Celebrating the last night with the parents before they head back north. Wine is very precise, good acid, darker fruits and a bit of shrubs. Drinking very well but also not going anywhere anytime soon. Pnp. (2748 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 2/5/2021 & rated 92 points: a little tight at this point (or maybe the fruit had faded)... anyway, I would do more than the two hour decant that I did (2560 views) | | | Tasted by deadwax on 1/8/2021 & rated 94 points: No tasting notes. Wine was decanted for 2 hours. Moderate/light sediment. Surprising youthful ruby color all the way to the edge with the glass sideways. This bottle stood out vs previous ones. Just hitting peak maturity? (2450 views) | | | Tasted by pavel_p on 12/18/2020 & rated 92 points: Brought to a blind, Bordeaux themed wine dinner. Showing little evolution in the glass with a medium garnet to the rim. Plenty of dark fruit, dry with a medium body. Medium length. Good but not great. Guesses were mainly Bordeaux mid 2000s. 92-93 (884 views) | | | Tasted by Collector1855 on 12/18/2020 & rated 94 points: Tasted blind. Medium garnet, not very dark. Spicy nose with red cherry, dark fruit, licorice, leather and tobacco. Precise palate, CabSav style, with good freshness. The fruit is ripe but the wine is mid weight. I was guessing Bordeaux 2009/10. Not surprised to see it was Monte Bello which is often Bordeauesque but I was surprised to see that I was so far off on the age. Drinking well now and will keep for a while as well. (2728 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 12/11/2020 & rated 95 points: Lovely velvet fruit of blackcurrant cassis and BlackBerry. Acidity quite high, just beginning to dry. Tannin now integrated but still robust. Medium + body mouthfeel. Long finish, complex. (1695 views) | | | Tasted by wurzel68 on 4/27/2019 & rated 94 points: Deutlich besser als die erste Flasche! Hocharomatisches Bouquet, dominiert von Heidelbeere/Blaubeere, Waldbeeren, Tabak, Bitterschokolade, Graphit, Lakritz, saftigem Pfeffer und Kräutern; am Gaumen voller Körper, saftige, weiche Tannine, sehr langer Abgang, leicht zehrend, sonst ausgesprochen lecker und ausgewogen! (3499 views) | | | Tasted by tak4 on 11/21/2018 & rated 88 points: Stood upright all day before opening. Decanted and consumed over about three hours.
Wine is deep crimson with bricking and a clear edge. Surprisingly bright.
Nose: shoe leather, tobacco, fruit underneath - plums, cherries, and a hint of Carnation instant breakfast.
On palate - still has tannins and an acidic core. Nicely structured. Fruit is present on palate but starting to fade and tertiary flavors are in play. Touch of soy sauce.
Overall - I do think this was a properly stored wine and it’s a representative example of its species. That said, I’m going to be a philistine and admit that I don’t think I like my wines this old. This is clearly a great wine and based on CT reviews there are many people who love this flavor profile. But for me, optimal drinking for this would have been 5-10 years ago. That’s good news for the wallet!! (3325 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 11/3/2018 & rated 96 points: Been holding this bottle for a while. This was ready to go as soon as the cork was pooped. Medium body, fantastic nose with a mild herbal nuance. Palate is quite plush (but not flabby) consistent with maturity. Not as powerful was maybe ‘91 or ‘92, but quite elegant with the expected complexity. Really special. (3566 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 8/28/2018: no notes so NR, this has much life ahead, was almost a little tight but full bodied nonetheless... maybe our two hour decant wasn't enough? (3447 views) | | | Tasted by Shrages on 5/9/2017 & rated 94 points: Beautiful, and if I hadn't known the year I would have thought it 10 years younger. Warm, spicy, and silky. Has at least 5 years to peak and 10 before fading.
Tasted at winery in a flight with 2003 and 2005. All are excellent and identifiable as the same wine. The 2003 identical to the 93, Just a bit more primary. The 05 a touch more stolid and less elegant.
This is truly an American Great Growth. (5929 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 5/9/2017 & rated 93 points: Cal Cabs (Chez Bruce, London): Cool, slightly minty blackcurrant fruit. Poised and balanced. A little fresher acidity cf previous wines tonight. Understated elegance in the Cal-Cab context. A wine one can drink and enjoy several glasses of. **** (4923 views) | | | Tasted by Rupert on 5/9/2017 & rated 92 points: California Cabernets (Chez Bruce, Wandsworth, London): Lovely balance - resolved, leaner and fresher than any of the first flight. (4558 views) | | | Tasted by rmcnees on 3/6/2017 & rated 92 points: Tasted at OTBN 2017. interesting vertical comparison to Monte Bello 1998. This was amazing in its graceful elegant, almost delicate floral tones, complex yet smooth and polished with layers of soft black raspberry and black currant fruits with subtle tones of vanilla, anise, and hint of graphite on a silky tannin finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/03/otbn-2017.html (4371 views) | | | Tasted by bravo.solares on 12/31/2016 & rated 95 points: Drinking really, really well. Shows what patience and cellaring can do for Monte Bellos. Tertiary notes were simply incredible. (4306 views) | | | Tasted by Ultimatewinekick_Andreas on 12/10/2016 & rated 91 points: Very earthy character and there is an abundance of blueberries, cedar, mushroom, graphite, vanilla, but also some leather notes. The fruit is ripe and almost dry in the character. The palate has a round and soft feeling with silky tannins and rather low levels of acidity. This is a wine that shows clear effects from aging, resulting in sa complex nose and palate but also a lack of energy, and I would be hesitant to store it longer. (2318 views) | | | Tasted by Tubulus on 11/21/2016 & rated 93 points: 375 purchased from winery, the cork was very crumbly (surprising) but the wine itself was in excellent shape. The tannic structure was more resolved than a young MB, but the flavor profile did not indicate much development. The herbaceous oak flavors were readily apparent with a real minty/eucalyptus streak running through (not really dill though). Great acid and lots of fruit, went very well with my birthday steak. (2497 views) | | | Tasted by skurtz on 10/1/2016 & rated 93 points: Tasted at the winery in Santa Cruz mountains. Extracted from the bottle using a coravin; in a flight with the '13 and '03. Wow this nose has leather and barnyard funk, the most fragrant of the wines we've tasted today at Ridge. Full mouthfeel, red fruit and earthy forest floor dominate, along with fine tannins in the finish. Looks like there is no rush to open these, they should be fine for at least five, maybe more years, at peak. My favorite of the tastings today. I expect this to be improved by decanting. (2734 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 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.Red 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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