2008 Ridge Monte Bello
Community Tasting Note
JustBreathe680 Likes this wine:
Thursday, April 9, 2020 - Quarantine Wine Review #5: RIDGE Virtual Winemaker Roundtable: 2019 Monte Bello-First Assemblage & Components.
In the past 3 weeks, virtual tastings and winemaker roundtables have become my new social outlet and a very welcome escape from the reality of a Pandemic. However, I am yearning the day I can return to enjoying a great bottle of wine with my family and friends once social distancing is in the rear view mirror!
On to the wine: I wanted to enjoy a Monte Bello while engaging in the 2019 First Assemblage. Obviously, I was not able to taste the 2019 components, since it was a Virtual event, but I was able to enjoy a MB from my own cellar. I popped the cork on a 375 of the 2008. The MB Vintage Tracker notes that the 2008 is still Youthful and should be held longer but I was hopeful that a 375 would be ready to Rock n' Roll, and it was!
The cork was popped at 9:00AM. The aroma coming out of the bottle and from the cork were amazingly fresh. There was a good amount of sediment present on the cork and in the bottle. The wine underwent 9 hours of slow ox at 55 degrees and then a 1 hour decant at room temperature.
The 2008 MB is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot with 13.3% alcohol. There are no other Boudreaux varietals in the 2008. The nose was beautiful with faint cherry/vanilla and slowly transformed to a wet gravel but it was not off putting at all. It was difficult to parse out many of the individual aromas but the bouquet was very pleasant.
The color was a dark ruby red with some age starting to show, as it had brick red edges.
The tannins were dry and present. They softened a bit after 2 hours of a lot of air. By my last glass, the tannins were smoother and well integrated. The body was full with medium finish, 30+ seconds but under 60 seconds. The acidity was on the lighter side.
The taste was predominantly dark fruits, with blackberries and some blueberries. There were herbal and spice notes. There was a signature Cola flavor that was present throughout the entire tasting. The wine was balanced with a touch of sweetness on the backend of the palate.
The wine was consumed over approximately 3 hours, after the 1 hour decant. It got better with more air. There are some secondary characteristics starting to show. I believe that the 375 is in a really good spot to open but will benefit from a few more years in bottle. A 750 may need to be held at least another 2 years for the wine to truly start to show what it is made of and why people enjoy aged Monte Bello.
My rating was a 95+ with more upside from a couple more years of bottle age. However, no regrets from opening a 375 at the 12 year mark!
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