November 9, 2023 - divine- always my favorites- ridge - in my heavy napa cellar. this ones' been sleeping since i purchased it, wow! I think it is at or near it's absolute peak...Amazing bouquet of rick dark, some floral. Definite mix of red and black fruit. Oak has mellowed out over the years. Definite herbal undertones. Very tasty and enjoyable, but drink it now or near now....
June 4, 2023 - Great grip and acidity, good freshness, still young, better after 3 hour decant. Hold.
May 27, 2023 - Popped and poured. Mix of red and black fruit with some sweet and sour notes on the palate from the American oak which definitely comes through. Some development of tobacco and herbs. Good acidity but not much in the tannin department. Smooth mouthfeel but getting a little soft. I think this wine is a touch below where it was a few years ago so I would say drink up if holding any. Still, very tasty and enjoyable merlot.
January 16, 2023 - This is in its prime drinking window, in my opinion. The nose was a fresh and complex mix of dark fruit and spice, and the palate followed suit. Dark cherry, coffee grounds, maybe a bit of herb...enjoy while it still has great fruit but isn't too primary or unevolved to provide complexity. I agree with the prior two TNs in that this indeed has some Cabernet-like character. Will hold for quite some time too, I'd imagine.
August 19, 2022 - From a well-cellared bottle that had been decanted one hour in advance, this wine (100% Merlot, sourced from the Monte Bello Vineyard) was tasted in double-blind fashion over a two-hour period. Opaque crimson in color, it delivers an intensely aromatic and flavorful package of ripe black currants, Montmorency cherries, baking spices, bittersweet chocolate, dill and tobacco. Medium-to-full-bodied, low in acidity, seamlessly alcoholic (13.5%) and judiciously oaked, it wraps its flavors with plentiful silky-textured tannins and is layered on the mid-palate. Smooth and long on the back end, this is a tremendous Merlot that was misidentified by most tasters as being a Cabernet Sauvignon. Comparably cellared bottles should provide pleasure for another five years or more. Drink now-2027.
August 19, 2022 - Decanted one hour prior. Very dark crimson - almost opaque. Smoky mocha, tobacco and herbs mix with some coconut and dill aromas from the American oak. Dense black cherries, plum, smoky herbs and cloves on the rich, voluptuous palate. No hard edges on the medium to full-bodied finish that features sweet, well-integrated tannins, more mocha, and a hint of licorice with just enough acidity to be balanced. Seemingly at peak, this has the stuffing to last another 2-4 years.
Interestingly none of the 10 blind tasters correctly identified the varietal - most guessing this was a Napa Cab. A couple were put off by the dill/coconut American Oak influence, but most everyone else really liked this 100% Merlot from the famed Montebello vineyard.
November 1, 2021 - Solid wine with acid plus, and medium body.
October 7, 2021 - paque crimson color with exuberant black currant, black cherry, violets dried herb, vanilla and creosote aromas. On the palate, it medium-bodied with mouth-watering fresh acidity and well-integrated supple, sweet tannins with black cherry, black currant, plum, leather, mocha and dried herb flavors with a hint of graphite minerality. Long savory finish. 100% Merlot 13.5% abv
Ridge first made Merlot in 1974 from the exposed Point Vineyard on Monte Bello Ridge at an elevation of 2,600' They wanted to see if the quality of Merlot could match the quality of, and be included in their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Once satisfied that it could, over the years they planted more and more merlot as space and resources allowed. From 1975 on, it has been part of their top-tier Monte Bello bottling whenever the assemblage tasting so indicated. They subsequently bottled the Merlot in '87, through most of the 90s, and perennially commencing in 2007.
September 29, 2021 - Drank over 3 nights.
Took a little while 9n the first night to come together. Initially got the cherry and plum but there was a little sourness/acidity that took away from the wine. After about 1/2 hour in the glass it started to come together with the acidity receding and secondary flavors coming through. Rosemary, thyme etc, maybe clove. Also a silkiness appeared that was missing initially.
By day 2 this was hitting on all cylinders. There was still a little bit left on day 3 and tried to see how it would hold up. No fall off at all from the previous day.
This wine still has a lot of life left. I would definitely give it a quick decant or at least open the bottle an hour or so before.
September 6, 2021 - Ridge continues to provide a compelling Merlot at a very reasonable price point. Can’t say that I was in a “Merlot” mood, but once I pair this with pesto pasta dinner, I was surprised by the depth of the combo. Solid bottling!