Lighter in colour than the '97 enjoyed alongside. Nose of sandalwood, bglackcherry, glycerin, and big stoney / gravelly minerals. Round, opulent and juicy palate. Tannins not totally integrated. Farther advanced than expected and perhaps a bit off balance. Both '97s were better put together.
Medium nose, black cherry and currant, heavy California fruit still dominates palate. Expansive and round on palate. In a pleasant spot for drinking now but is still pretty big. Didn't match up to the '97 Heitz Martha's side by side.
Medium nose, red and black cherry, currant, becomes more expressive with time. Both more powerful and with better development than the '97 Ridge Monte Bello. Expansive and dense on the palate, loads of fruit. In a good place for drinking now.
Deep and fascinating nose, coffee, cola, damp leathers, black cherry, and rustic underbrush. Good development here. Meaty and intense on the palate. Deep fruit power. Dry notes of balsa wood intermittent with some menthol as well. Mostly secondary.
Great nose, highly expressive, nearly floral, dry underbrush. Beautiful drinking right now. Still very big on the palate with black currant, strawberry, black cherry, and menthol notes. More advanced than the '94, which was brooding by comparison. Good one to take now.
Reads much younger and primary at first but opens into an aromatically complex and beautiful bouquet. Big with black cherry, loads of menthol, and big minerality. Sensational nose but massively tannic on palate, good acid and high minerality. Rich and dense.
Unlucky, another less than perfect example here. Somewhat closed down, chemical, flat, and not giving up anything on the nose. Better on the palate but still not totally with it, leathers and coffees. Not the allstar one would hope for here.
Perfumey bouquet, spices, major eucalyptus and mint aromas, leathers, drying red cherry and cranberry, chai teas. Complex and highly expressive. Menthol. Dense fruit still present on palate, firmly secondary and peeking tertiary. Excellent right now and distinctly old Heitz Martha's. Close second for wine of the entire event, neck and neck with the '87 Ridge Monte Bello.
Cool nose of menthol over developed red fruit. Reads a little tired initially but opens right up into an expansive and pretty wine. Still dense on the palate with rich meaty notes, some black pepper, and smoke. Great but the '90 Heitz Martha's has the edge here.
Starting to get really interesting at this age. Intriguing nose of damp soil, mushrooms, and intense eucalyptus on top of rich blackberry fruit and black cherry. Robust on palate with plenty of fruit but nice development. Firmly secondary. Great drinking right now.
Amazing bouquet. Lots of brett here, farmy, barny, animalistic and unusually rustic. Fascinating aromatic complexity, very wild and alive. Fresh grass notes as well. Good balance of red berry fruit, earth, and minerals on the palate. Great acid and finish. Really interesting. The best of the Ridge Monte Bellos this afternoon for sure, possibly the wine of the event...
Tertiary on nose and quite far developed on the palate but while retaining a ton of tannic grip. Falling apart a bit relative to the '87. Fairly flat and uninteresting sadly. Tough to compare in such stellar company.
Rusty garnet in the glass with a cloudy core. Unique bouquet. Definitely tertiary but still beautiful and highly expressive. The eucalyptus is nearly overwhelming. Fresh. Creamy coffee, Chai teas, mild spices, herbal, and somewhat medicinal. Nearly Burgundian in aromatic complexity and on the palate as well. A unique and spectacular drinking experience.
2000 Ridge Monte Bello 90 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lighter in colour than the '97 enjoyed alongside. Nose of sandalwood, bglackcherry, glycerin, and big stoney / gravelly minerals. Round, opulent and juicy palate. Tannins not totally integrated. Farther advanced than expected and perhaps a bit off balance. Both '97s were better put together.
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1997 Ridge Monte Bello 90 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Medium nose, black cherry and currant, heavy California fruit still dominates palate. Expansive and round on palate. In a pleasant spot for drinking now but is still pretty big. Didn't match up to the '97 Heitz Martha's side by side.
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1997 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Medium nose, red and black cherry, currant, becomes more expressive with time. Both more powerful and with better development than the '97 Ridge Monte Bello. Expansive and dense on the palate, loads of fruit. In a good place for drinking now.
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1996 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard Flawed
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
TCA
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1994 Ridge Monte Bello 92 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Deep and fascinating nose, coffee, cola, damp leathers, black cherry, and rustic underbrush. Good development here. Meaty and intense on the palate. Deep fruit power. Dry notes of balsa wood intermittent with some menthol as well. Mostly secondary.
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1993 Ridge Monte Bello 92 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Great nose, highly expressive, nearly floral, dry underbrush. Beautiful drinking right now. Still very big on the palate with black currant, strawberry, black cherry, and menthol notes. More advanced than the '94, which was brooding by comparison. Good one to take now.
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1992 Ridge Monte Bello 92 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Reads much younger and primary at first but opens into an aromatically complex and beautiful bouquet. Big with black cherry, loads of menthol, and big minerality. Sensational nose but massively tannic on palate, good acid and high minerality. Rich and dense.
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1991 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Unlucky, another less than perfect example here. Somewhat closed down, chemical, flat, and not giving up anything on the nose. Better on the palate but still not totally with it, leathers and coffees. Not the allstar one would hope for here.
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1990 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Perfumey bouquet, spices, major eucalyptus and mint aromas, leathers, drying red cherry and cranberry, chai teas. Complex and highly expressive. Menthol. Dense fruit still present on palate, firmly secondary and peeking tertiary. Excellent right now and distinctly old Heitz Martha's. Close second for wine of the entire event, neck and neck with the '87 Ridge Monte Bello.
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1990 Ridge Monte Bello 91 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Cool nose of menthol over developed red fruit. Reads a little tired initially but opens right up into an expansive and pretty wine. Still dense on the palate with rich meaty notes, some black pepper, and smoke. Great but the '90 Heitz Martha's has the edge here.
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1987 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Starting to get really interesting at this age. Intriguing nose of damp soil, mushrooms, and intense eucalyptus on top of rich blackberry fruit and black cherry. Robust on palate with plenty of fruit but nice development. Firmly secondary. Great drinking right now.
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1987 Ridge Monte Bello 92 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Amazing bouquet. Lots of brett here, farmy, barny, animalistic and unusually rustic. Fascinating aromatic complexity, very wild and alive. Fresh grass notes as well. Good balance of red berry fruit, earth, and minerals on the palate. Great acid and finish. Really interesting. The best of the Ridge Monte Bellos this afternoon for sure, possibly the wine of the event...
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1980 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Tertiary on nose and quite far developed on the palate but while retaining a ton of tannic grip. Falling apart a bit relative to the '87. Fairly flat and uninteresting sadly. Tough to compare in such stellar company.
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1974 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Rusty garnet in the glass with a cloudy core. Unique bouquet. Definitely tertiary but still beautiful and highly expressive. The eucalyptus is nearly overwhelming. Fresh. Creamy coffee, Chai teas, mild spices, herbal, and somewhat medicinal. Nearly Burgundian in aromatic complexity and on the palate as well. A unique and spectacular drinking experience.
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