April 18, 2024 - Very nice but it is obvious that it is near the end. Glad it is my last bottle.
February 25, 2024 - Birthday Dinner (Hawksmoor Seven Dials): All the characteristics you expect from a somewhat mature Ridge cab - cigar box nose, the vanilla from the American oak with good structure and a spine of lovely acidity. I do think, though, that this was a tricky period for Ridge - it doesn’t quite deliver in the way that wines from the 80s / 90s and 2010s seem to.
February 18, 2024 - this was much better than the last bottle and improved surprisingly and considerably in the glass - best after an hour or so - lovely!
February 11, 2024 - This one never disappoints. Still have another one.
July 3, 2023 - This bottle was clearly better than last year's. Substantial fruit all the way through. Very well balanced. Similar to a very good right bank Bordeaux. In a nice window. Give it some air.
April 6, 2023 - I think I have left this too long - the fruit has faded leaving quite a dry, dark brooding wine that at the very least needs quite robust food
June 13, 2022 - Life's too short.
This isn't my cup of tea. Low acidity and no tannins...
Isn't going away anywhere soon, and also won't grow.
Deep, rich and a definition of Cassis/black currants in wine.
June 5, 2022 - Beautiful nose with dark cherries, blackberries, vanilla and dried medeteranian herbs.
Taste follows the nose,very delicate yet structured. This is drinking perfect now.
January 14, 2022 - Cork shows next to no ingress. Deep, rich purple still. No light gets through and barely a tinge of bricking. Vanillin oak, redwood and plum nose. A touch warm and rich. Sort of cedary Cab up front on the palate but with a more plum Merlot middle. The middle is weaker though and the Cab seems barely near maturity. Maybe I'm overexplaining for my own contentment. Medium grip and expressive acidity. This has a nice Bordeaux like character after a good amount of air. There is depth yet also a touch hollow. I can't help but wonder if the half that is Merlot is maturing faster than the half that is Cab. Maybe I'm full of it. Enjoyed this a good deal still but it also raises questions. I'm also feeling wistful for the days when it was hard for stores to move this leftover Monte Bello for $35 a bottle. Somehow more expressive and integrated on night two but only as a matter of degree.
November 27, 2021 - A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Merlot (42%) and Petit Verdot (2%) from the Monte Bello vineyard in Santa Cruz Mountains. The harvest started on 18th of September and ended on 25th of October. Destemmed, fermented spontaneously, macerated with the skins for 9 days. The wine was blended using 19 separate fermentation lots, selected from a total of 36 different ferments.. Aged in American oak (first 5-6 months in 100% new, then the remaining 15 months in 54% new, 28% second use and 18% third and fourth use) for a total of 20 months. 13,7% alcohol. Tasted in a mini-vertical of Estate Cab 2014, 2011, 2009 and 2006.
Moderately concentrated, somewhat translucent and slightly evolved dark cherry color. The nose feels rather dull, closed and even slightly oxidative at first with understated aromas of blueberries and blackberry jam, some beef jerky, light wizened dark plum notes and a little bit of earth. As the wine opens up in the glass, the aromas start becoming more expressive, introducing more pronounced dried-fruit elements of raisins and prunes. The wine feels savory, meaty and slightly oxidative on the palate with a full body and complex, evolved flavors of gamey meat, raisins and prunes, some sweet blackcurrant marmalade tones, a little bit of earth, light figgy notes, a sweet hint of plum liqueur and a creamy touch of sweet vanilla oak. The gently grippy medium tannins bring some firmness and texture to the mouthfeel, but most of the structure relies on the rather high acidity. The finish is rich, dense and moderately grippy with juicy, slightly oxidative flavors of wizened dark plums and ripe bilberries, sweet blackcurrant jam, a little bit of beef jerky, light peppery tones, a hint of toasty oak spice and a touch of olive.
At first the wine was surprisingly dull and underwhelming, coming across very disappointing after the three other Ridge Cabs we tasted. However, the wine fortunately opened up in the glass and turned out to be enjoyable and quite lively, if not particularly vibrant or youthful anymore. Even though the 2009 vintage came across as a bit evolved, all the other three vintages were noticeably youthful in style compared to this 2006 vintage, which was getting surprisingly tertiary and at times even slightly oxidative. Based on this sample, I would say Ridge's assessment of this wine aging for 10-15 years is pretty much spot on, as at 15 years of age this wine doesn't really feel like it could improve much - or at all - from here. Due to its slightly understated nature, somewhat dull and oxidative feel and a bit tired energy, this wine didn't really reach the level of the younger vintages, but it's hard to say if it was just the age, or if this was a lesser vintage in quality. All in all, based on how this wine was drinking now, it felt perhaps a bit pricey for its quality at 45,60€.