The nose is rife with green tea and oak cask. The wine itself is very taught, strong tanning with red currant, green olive and leather. It isn’t terribly inviting nor giving much now. This note was three hours after opening. I have 21 years of MB and actually started as a MB Collector buying direct from Ridge back in 95. This is by far the youngest MB I’ve ever had. I’m not sure 12-15 years isn’t the minimum to let its beauty shine (except for ‘98, it was terrible from the outset). Ridge graciously replaced a corked bottle a few years back with this (the current at the time) vintage so I decided to experiment!
Explodes out of the glass with a deep and vivid nose of violets, pure cassis and purple flowers, with subtle notes of woodsmoke and rich soil, framed deftly by vanillin oak. The palate floats effortlessly, unfolding streamlined - yet perfectly ripe - tannins around waves of persistent blackcurrant and dark raspberry. An earthy finish lingers long. Exceptional. 95+
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Purplish/dark vivid colours, even an associate at the table who doesn't drink commented that the colour of the wine looks great.
Right off the bat the nose tells you something special is in the glass. Deep intense perfumed cassis and violets that's screams pedigree.
The palate is velvety and intense with tons of complexity and earthly texture, does it without being glossy or heavy. The finish is really satisfying as the wine remains balanced with a long earthly finish.
The cab sauv doesn't really standout by itself and I think that's the magic of Monte Bello where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Quite certain the wine would improve further and add a few more points. I would be very keen to hold this wine for decades to see it's evolution.
From my memory few bordeaux like wines invoke similar senses and I can only recall few such as Mouton, Haut Brion, Ducru, Staglin, Opus etc. Certainly agree to some critics that it belongs to the first growths if there ever was such a classification in California.
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Very nice California Bordeaux blend. It will benefit from some more time in the cellar but much more approachable than I expected. It is my first Monte Bello and from a 375. Pretty nose with a nice palate that paired well with my husband’s ribeye and potatoes. Better with food than alone at this stage.
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Lovely dark fruit. Structured and long. A very balanced wine. Still young and will no doubt develop further but already a pleasant wine to drink. From a half bottle.
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Tasted at the winery. This was a lot of fun to taste. Big structure, tannins starting to soften now. A little bit reduced--I really wanted to order a ribeye to enjoy with this wine. Still got the sense that it deserves the respect of 5-10 more years, but it's showing well already.
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It's probably one of the more balanced wines I have had. Pleasant on the nose and immediately recognizable California fruit. Medium body with blueberry and dark chocolate. Soft tannins and complexe flavors but definitely not a fruit bomb. I will go out of my way to add some to my cellar.
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Opened for 3 hours. Color is deep garnet/purple. On the nose: Cassis, plum, cloves, cinnamon, black tea and vanilla. On the palate: Plum, cloves, cassis, cinnamon , leather and dark chocolate. Magnificent wine. It’s very young and I am sure it has many decades in front of it but it’s very good even now. With time to integrate I expect in 5 years it will be incredible. Decent amount of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in this vintage. IMO the Cabernet Franc from Monte Bello really adds something special.
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I love age on my Ridge MB, but I have a young cellar and have a lot of MB and hard not to crack one from time to time. I have a complete vertical back to 2009 and 6 botles deep from 2015 on. I cracked the 2016 tonight. Decanted 6 hours. Lovely wine, not the perfumed nose I am used to on MB, but the typcial light blue fruits, violet, and maybe a bit more vanila bean/Bakers spice than I am used to on these wines. Do these ever disappoint? I had a 2014 not too long ago (still never had 2017 to today). I think I prefer the 2014 to this slightly and they are all chasing the 2013..
Tasting: Wine of the tasting. Drink this, while waiting for the 2017 to mature. Traditional, yet modernized. Previously 1994, 1997, 2012, 2013 and 2017 vintages of this wine.
Decanted for 5 hours and paired with a ribeye. Deep, purple color. On the nose, lots of tobacco, spice, black fruit, floral, red fruit, and graphite. Very intense and complex. On the palate, again lots of tobacco, spice, and earthiness. Powerful acidity and strong tannins. Very long finish. Fortunately, I have a few other bottles that I will not touch for a while. Cannot wait to taste this in 5-10 years. 96-98 points.
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Medium body, good acid and soft blue fruits but relatively muted overall. Feels like it is entering a dumb phase. Much less exuberant than the first year in bottle.
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Meritage blend blind tasting with buddies, wine #2. Feels great coming back to this flagman of a phenomenal producer. A blend of 72% CS, 12% Merlot, 10% PV and 6% CF, aged for 18 months in new oak 98% US, 2% FR. Rich aroma, intense US oak infusion, coconut, milk chocolate, blackberries, plums, cassis, chokeberries, liquorice, cherry jam. Full body, complex, concentrated and powerful, structured sandy tannins, needs some years to tame its explosive bold richness.
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Very dark in the glass with a purple hue at the edges. Smells rich and dark with cocoa powder, dark spice and cumin and oregano, saturated black berries.
So much power and yet finesse on the entry. Very pure fruit dark and purple fruit expression. Bitter cherry and dark coffee with more air time. Lovely texture - there are plenty of grippy tannins for sure, but also a lot of refreshing acidity that gets those lips smacking long into the finish.
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Drank 375ml on day 1 after ~5 hrs decant and then next 375ml on day 2 after another half day decant. Strong nose with American oak and dill/menthol. Complex flavors and structure with acidity / tannins that bode well for long term potential. No rating at the moment as it’s still quite young and needs to come together, but I’d say 94-96 potential.
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Wowsa, what a future this one has... I just had to taste it. Potentially one of best I've had, 8 still think thus is one of the best wines made in modern times and still a value that can be gotten vs the cult wines out there. As a futures member I get these and they never disappoint. I decanted through ullo sulfite aerator /filter and its beautiful dark and lush, a site in the decanter. Sat for 30minutes while cooking steak, prep salad and sides. Dare I say some leftover lasagne as well. Aroma berry bomb, rich violet, some graphite , I think very distinct. Samoke taste as I couldn't wait, surrounds tongue, gentle lingering after lush and distinct red then dark berry, rich tannin bit smooth. Brought me back to anniversary dinner we had in tokyo 2 years earlier, precious. Long lingering taste. Another 35 minutes poured 2 glasses and kaboom, no disappoint, smell turned sweet, like a cranberry, taste had some strong berry jam, then complete mellow. Some earthy tastes ce through with food especially steak, pepper and garlic brought out the cab in the Monte. This blend is complicated and overuse all in one. Then phase 2 and 3 was fun with some earth and veggie notes, the petition Verdon maybe? And smooth mellow at the end and it was gone, on to the firepit and a valpoliccela... thusnone is hold and enjoy the wine...
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375mL bottle. Lots of sediment in decanter. Babysat a glass over 2 hours. Herbal notes, dark fruits and some menthol on the nose. Dark purple in the glass. I really like Monte Bello and have an 8 year vertical going. I had to try the 16' and had a 375 in hand, so what better day than today.
Bordeaux like on the palate. Not for the fruit bomb lovers in the long term, but while young, it can satisfy the guys looking for the dark cherry, spice and very slight green note. Length is really nice. Tannins are fine but still need time. There is a good mineral component coming out that is probably indicative of where it is grown. I dont live that far from MB and have always been a fan. It's like supporting your local sports team, and in this case, the team is always winning. I'll be opening the next bottle in no less than 5-7 years.
2nd day notes: Still a great nose. Getting more dark red fruit notes of cherry. Less green notes. Well balanced wine. Tannins still there but this thing is still a baby. Finish is long, good acidity. After day 2 I am more excited to try the 750 in the 8-15 year mark.
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Probably way too soon. Scents of vanilla, blackberries, wood, some herbal like rosemary/sage scents as well. Lovely acidity, firm but not overly aggressive tannins. Flavour wise it’s juicy, fleshy in a way with lots of bright berry and piney notes. Not a long finish. Will revisit in another 7 or so years.
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2002 Monte Bello (93 Points) Porto-like nose with very perfumed dark ripe fruit rounded off with notes of liquorice. I am not familiar with Monte Bello, but the nose is nothing like I would have expected, much riper, warm climate than I had imagined it. In contrast, on the palate, much closer to a first-growth Bordeaux. A lovely balanced wine with an intensity in the fruit that is remarkable, silky well-integrated tannins and a long finish.
2016 Monte Bello (93 Points) The intensity of the fruit is remarkable, rather than the tertiary liquorice notes of the 2002, this is much younger displaying a more graphite and herbaceous character with thyme, oregano and eucalyptus. Clearly too young to drink now, this will need significant bottle time to develop but is undoubtedly full of promise.
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Nose: [57°] Milky ripe red fruit, purple grapiness, bright earthy soil, fresh grass, lightly dried tobacco leaves. [64°] Branches, tree bark, a bit of spiced oak, deep dark earth, darker red fruits, a little bit of graphite and a little bit of savory river rocks. Even a bit of meatiness with lots of time.
Palate: [65°] Smooth entry of dark, juicy red and blue fruits with good intensity and vividness, deep earth, savory rocks and minerals, savory spiced oak, subtle dark pencil lead and a touch of tobacco leaves.. flavors were quite similar from what you get on the nose.
Attributes: Dark ruby. Dry with medium-plus to high amounts of strong, grippy tannin. Medium-minus to medium body with medium-plus acidity. Good finish of about 18-20+ seconds.
Thoughts: Smooth, very nice rustic earth flavors.. really great earth, lots of savoriness but without being overbearing. Same with the juiciness, it's prominent but not overdone.. I think the intensity and energy behind the savoriness and juiciness is due to its youth. A bitterness strikes at the end which adds to the complexity (still hate that word so much). Savory earth and juiciness is strong in this, almost bullying the fruit a little bit but not a bad thing at all. If served blind, I would have guessed this is from Bordeaux. Enjoyable now with some air time but can imagine it being really good with 4-6 years of bottle time. With that said, I hope the majority of flavors will stay the same but with hopes that the intense juiciness and savoriness getting their acts together. Again, those two are a little intense now but it's still very enjoyable but with a few years I hope they calm down a bit and "grow up".. that would make this really smooth. 96-97
Other notes: Slow-ox in bottle only (suggesting at least 2 hours and trying a glass straight from the pour to compare). Bordeaux glass. Served initially ~57°, tasted ~67° and consumed over 3 hours.
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Even more compelling than when I drank it the first of this year. Not sure why. Maybe it was the setting -- a cabin in the woods as Coronavirus crept in down below. Either way, the fruit, tobacco, tar and spices were in amazing balance, even if this one was too young. I didn't have a decanter, but I left the bottle open for a couple of hours before I got to it. Maybe that was it. Either way, thrilling.
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Tasted at the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Symposium in NYC. This is a tremendous wine from what I consider the best vintage in Cali in at least a couple decades. This wine is supremely balanced, light on your tongue yet full of dense layers of flavor. Nose is very fragrant and floral, perfumed almost. Such a pretty feminine wine with elegance and ability to age. Superb and for sure age-worthy.
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Another Year, Another Napa (aka Winter in Wineland IV); 1/5/2020-1/11/2020 (Napa/Sonoma California): Interesting to see the step up with the MB versus some of the other cabernets. The biggest difference for me is this extra level of depth. Dark plum and black currant and very fine tannins. It's more primary at this young age but already some more secondary/earthy notes are there in the background. Very well made.
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Cinnamon and spice and everything awesome. Stunning, fragrant nose of stewed dark fruit and pepper, with savory mid-palette and an endless tannic finish. Drank way too young, but it was a great way to ring in the new decade.
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Really stunning wine. Deep, pure creme de cassis. Herbal notes. Red fruit, more red fruit. Some coffee/mocha. Meaty on the midpalate. A ton of complexity on the palate, but it's also deeply tannic and maybe med+ acidic--unsurprisingly, this wine needs a lot of time. But once it has that time, it's gonna be fantastic.
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Tasted at the winery. Having tasted the 2009 and 2012 in London in April, I was keen to taste this 2016, which is just released. It's complex, fruity, hint of wood shavings, constantly evolving in the glass. It's young, so whilst dry, the fruit has a sweetness about it and there's marzipan on the finish. Long. Clearly, very young at the moment, it probably needs 10 years at least. Great experience to taste it.
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Purple in color. 13.7% ABV. 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 10% Petite Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Stunning nose of red and black fruits, creme de cassis, scorched earth and flowers. Medium to full bodied and perfectly balanced. The fruit is immense, concentrated and remarkably pure. Cassis liqueur, black currants, black raspberries, graphite and earth on the palate. The finish is long and seamless with ever present, silky tannins. Monte Bello is a wine of finesse and grace that deftly walks the line between old and new world. Compelling and somewhat approachable now but be certain that this wine will age gracefully for 25 years or more.
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Tasting room visit - exotic aromas of paprika spices, currant, pink peppercorns, leather and cedar. Elegant and lithe palate with layered flavors and deceptive density. Very fine tannin and outstanding depth and length. Showing well.
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Phenomenal wine. Tasted at winery with 4hr decant. Femaninrn polished aromatics. Typical Montebello profile. Palate is powerful, but nuanced. Long finish. Oak integrated for a wine this young. Owners will be pleased.
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Rich and delightfully appealing aromas with cassis, concentrated plum, wet leather and neat wood. Pretty full-bodied wine with an actually pretty fat feeling with juicy dark plum, cassis, licorice and spice tones on a long and great finish with nicely bitten in the tannins. The wine certainly retains freshness and the balance was surprisingly good already. Maybe not as thigh and concentrated as in the last few years and may not have the same development potential - anyway - this one just sings! Great wine. 95p.
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“All four major Bordeaux varietals grown on Monte Bello’s forty-five parcels ripened perfectly and made excellent wines. Cabernet Sauvignon required lengthier fermentation time to fully extract (nine-to-twelve days.) Merlot and Petit Verdot reached full extraction in just six days, while cabernet franc required seven days. Press wine, which can be very complex in flavor but sometimes too harsh, was a real compliment in this vintage. We made greater use of the best press fractions than in most vintages.” Eric Baugher, Head Winemaker.
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Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (Ridge Monte Bello, Cupertino): First assemblage. Lovely aromatics, still need to integrate, black fruit, slight vanilla; palate is youthful, lovely texture and density, tons of black fruit, lovely acid; medium-long finish. 92
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3/15/2024 - guitarguy wrote: 90 Points
The nose is rife with green tea and oak cask. The wine itself is very taught, strong tanning with red currant, green olive and leather. It isn’t terribly inviting nor giving much now. This note was three hours after opening. I have 21 years of MB and actually started as a MB Collector buying direct from Ridge back in 95. This is by far the youngest MB I’ve ever had. I’m not sure 12-15 years isn’t the minimum to let its beauty shine (except for ‘98, it was terrible from the outset). Ridge graciously replaced a corked bottle a few years back with this (the current at the time) vintage so I decided to experiment!
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2/25/2024 - Sun_Ship Likes this wine: 95 Points
Explodes out of the glass with a deep and vivid nose of violets, pure cassis and purple flowers, with subtle notes of woodsmoke and rich soil, framed deftly by vanillin oak. The palate floats effortlessly, unfolding streamlined - yet perfectly ripe - tannins around waves of persistent blackcurrant and dark raspberry. An earthy finish lingers long. Exceptional. 95+
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2/3/2024 - gnsti Likes this wine: 95 Points
블랙베리, 블랙커런트, 무화과, 바닐라, 살짝 감초
좋은 산미에 꽤나 무거운 바디감에도 어려운 느낌이 전혀없다.
좋은 밸런스에 아주 강건한 구조감, 부드럽게 녹아드는 타닌까지
다채롭게 변화하는 모습도 아주 멋지다!
정말 맛있네!
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1/13/2024 - Renzloh Likes this wine: 96 Points
Exceptional. And we drank a 2006 prior to this one.
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1/6/2024 - Frank Schneider wrote: 95 Points
Too young for a higher rating. Needs time. 95+
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1/5/2024 - kevinleeht Likes this wine: 96 Points
Purplish/dark vivid colours, even an associate at the table who doesn't drink commented that the colour of the wine looks great.
Right off the bat the nose tells you something special is in the glass. Deep intense perfumed cassis and violets that's screams pedigree.
The palate is velvety and intense with tons of complexity and earthly texture, does it without being glossy or heavy. The finish is really satisfying as the wine remains balanced with a long earthly finish.
The cab sauv doesn't really standout by itself and I think that's the magic of Monte Bello where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Quite certain the wine would improve further and add a few more points. I would be very keen to hold this wine for decades to see it's evolution.
From my memory few bordeaux like wines invoke similar senses and I can only recall few such as Mouton, Haut Brion, Ducru, Staglin, Opus etc.
Certainly agree to some critics that it belongs to the first growths if there ever was such a classification in California.
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12/8/2023 - Handy1 wrote: 95 Points
Slow ox few hours. Very structured wine good dark fruit, plums and ? licorice. Just starting to enter drinking window which should last long time.
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12/5/2023 - Hiker4life70 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice California Bordeaux blend. It will benefit from some more time in the cellar but much more approachable than I expected. It is my first Monte Bello and from a 375. Pretty nose with a nice palate that paired well with my husband’s ribeye and potatoes. Better with food than alone at this stage.
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10/31/2023 - Euoinos wrote: 94 Points
Lovely dark fruit. Structured and long. A very balanced wine. Still young and will no doubt develop further but already a pleasant wine to drink. From a half bottle.
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9/30/2023 - crazyoncoffee Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tasted at the winery. This was a lot of fun to taste. Big structure, tannins starting to soften now. A little bit reduced--I really wanted to order a ribeye to enjoy with this wine. Still got the sense that it deserves the respect of 5-10 more years, but it's showing well already.
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3/10/2023 - bigMCG wrote:
It's probably one of the more balanced wines I have had. Pleasant on the nose and immediately recognizable California fruit. Medium body with blueberry and dark chocolate. Soft tannins and complexe flavors but definitely not a fruit bomb. I will go out of my way to add some to my cellar.
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1/29/2023 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 96 Points
Opened for 3 hours. Color is deep garnet/purple. On the nose: Cassis, plum, cloves, cinnamon, black tea and vanilla. On the palate: Plum, cloves, cassis, cinnamon , leather and dark chocolate. Magnificent wine. It’s very young and I am sure it has many decades in front of it but it’s very good even now. With time to integrate I expect in 5 years it will be incredible. Decent amount of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in this vintage. IMO the Cabernet Franc from Monte Bello really adds something special.
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11/5/2022 - zimmy07 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I love age on my Ridge MB, but I have a young cellar and have a lot of MB and hard not to crack one from time to time. I have a complete vertical back to 2009 and 6 botles deep from 2015 on. I cracked the 2016 tonight. Decanted 6 hours. Lovely wine, not the perfumed nose I am used to on MB, but the typcial light blue fruits, violet, and maybe a bit more vanila bean/Bakers spice than I am used to on these wines. Do these ever disappoint? I had a 2014 not too long ago (still never had 2017 to today). I think I prefer the 2014 to this slightly and they are all chasing the 2013..
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4/7/2022 - Sundbyberg wrote: 95 Points
Tasting: Wine of the tasting. Drink this, while waiting for the 2017 to mature. Traditional, yet modernized.
Previously 1994, 1997, 2012, 2013 and 2017 vintages of this wine.
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1/8/2022 - marcstevens45 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 5 hours and paired with a ribeye. Deep, purple color. On the nose, lots of tobacco, spice, black fruit, floral, red fruit, and graphite. Very intense and complex. On the palate, again lots of tobacco, spice, and earthiness. Powerful acidity and strong tannins. Very long finish. Fortunately, I have a few other bottles that I will not touch for a while. Cannot wait to taste this in 5-10 years. 96-98 points.
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12/20/2021 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
A good wine. This wine will be amazing in 5-10 years. Has alot arability on it. Very earthy, mineral. Cheers
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12/18/2021 - lsupp Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium body, good acid and soft blue fruits but relatively muted overall. Feels like it is entering a dumb phase. Much less exuberant than the first year in bottle.
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12/10/2021 - Ernestas Likes this wine: 94 Points
Meritage blend blind tasting with buddies, wine #2. Feels great coming back to this flagman of a phenomenal producer. A blend of 72% CS, 12% Merlot, 10% PV and 6% CF, aged for 18 months in new oak 98% US, 2% FR. Rich aroma, intense US oak infusion, coconut, milk chocolate, blackberries, plums, cassis, chokeberries, liquorice, cherry jam. Full body, complex, concentrated and powerful, structured sandy tannins, needs some years to tame its explosive bold richness.
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7/31/2021 - 87tellub Likes this wine:
PnP from a 375.
Very dark in the glass with a purple hue at the edges. Smells rich and dark with cocoa powder, dark spice and cumin and oregano, saturated black berries.
So much power and yet finesse on the entry. Very pure fruit dark and purple fruit expression. Bitter cherry and dark coffee with more air time. Lovely texture - there are plenty of grippy tannins for sure, but also a lot of refreshing acidity that gets those lips smacking long into the finish.
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3/7/2021 - SmokeTaint Likes this wine: 97 Points
very very long finish
opened half bottle, but still way too early
the nose is beautiful, initially white jasmine which fades away with time
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3/6/2021 - WineJ2019 Likes this wine:
Drank 375ml on day 1 after ~5 hrs decant and then next 375ml on day 2 after another half day decant. Strong nose with American oak and dill/menthol. Complex flavors and structure with acidity / tannins that bode well for long term potential. No rating at the moment as it’s still quite young and needs to come together, but I’d say 94-96 potential.
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3/6/2021 - pitcrewstrategist Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wowsa, what a future this one has... I just had to taste it. Potentially one of best I've had, 8 still think thus is one of the best wines made in modern times and still a value that can be gotten vs the cult wines out there. As a futures member I get these and they never disappoint. I decanted through ullo sulfite aerator /filter and its beautiful dark and lush, a site in the decanter. Sat for 30minutes while cooking steak, prep salad and sides. Dare I say some leftover lasagne as well. Aroma berry bomb, rich violet, some graphite , I think very distinct. Samoke taste as I couldn't wait, surrounds tongue, gentle lingering after lush and distinct red then dark berry, rich tannin bit smooth. Brought me back to anniversary dinner we had in tokyo 2 years earlier, precious. Long lingering taste. Another 35 minutes poured 2 glasses and kaboom, no disappoint, smell turned sweet, like a cranberry, taste had some strong berry jam, then complete mellow. Some earthy tastes ce through with food especially steak, pepper and garlic brought out the cab in the Monte. This blend is complicated and overuse all in one. Then phase 2 and 3 was fun with some earth and veggie notes, the petition Verdon maybe? And smooth mellow at the end and it was gone, on to the firepit and a valpoliccela... thusnone is hold and enjoy the wine...
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1/26/2021 - pkouchu wrote: 97 Points
blackberries, currant, cassis, vanilla, black cherries, tobacco, raspberry, cedar, blue florals, toasted spices and pepper. Extremely refined palate, perfumed and focused. Finessed.
Do yourself a favor and decant it for a day minimum.
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10/16/2020 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 94 Points
375mL bottle. Lots of sediment in decanter. Babysat a glass over 2 hours. Herbal notes, dark fruits and some menthol on the nose. Dark purple in the glass. I really like Monte Bello and have an 8 year vertical going. I had to try the 16' and had a 375 in hand, so what better day than today.
Bordeaux like on the palate. Not for the fruit bomb lovers in the long term, but while young, it can satisfy the guys looking for the dark cherry, spice and very slight green note. Length is really nice. Tannins are fine but still need time. There is a good mineral component coming out that is probably indicative of where it is grown. I dont live that far from MB and have always been a fan. It's like supporting your local sports team, and in this case, the team is always winning. I'll be opening the next bottle in no less than 5-7 years.
2nd day notes: Still a great nose. Getting more dark red fruit notes of cherry. Less green notes. Well balanced wine. Tannins still there but this thing is still a baby. Finish is long, good acidity. After day 2 I am more excited to try the 750 in the 8-15 year mark.
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7/4/2020 - JS79 wrote: 94 Points
Part of 67PM tasting with Eric Baugher.
Way too young. Rich, almost candied fruit, pencil lead. mint/eucalyptus freshness.
Dry year, 5th year of drought, stressed vines.
Want to try in 10 years.
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5/16/2020 - Order66 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Probably way too soon. Scents of vanilla, blackberries, wood, some herbal like rosemary/sage scents as well. Lovely acidity, firm but not overly aggressive tannins. Flavour wise it’s juicy, fleshy in a way with lots of bright berry and piney notes. Not a long finish. Will revisit in another 7 or so years.
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5/12/2020 - tmagsmaken wrote: 93 Points
67 Pall Mall Virtual Tasting: Ridge Wineries
2002 Monte Bello (93 Points)
Porto-like nose with very perfumed dark ripe fruit rounded off with notes of liquorice. I am not familiar with Monte Bello, but the nose is nothing like I would have expected, much riper, warm climate than I had imagined it. In contrast, on the palate, much closer to a first-growth Bordeaux. A lovely balanced wine with an intensity in the fruit that is remarkable, silky well-integrated tannins and a long finish.
2016 Monte Bello (93 Points)
The intensity of the fruit is remarkable, rather than the tertiary liquorice notes of the 2002, this is much younger displaying a more graphite and herbaceous character with thyme, oregano and eucalyptus. Clearly too young to drink now, this will need significant bottle time to develop but is undoubtedly full of promise.
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5/9/2020 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 97 Points
Nose: [57°] Milky ripe red fruit, purple grapiness, bright earthy soil, fresh grass, lightly dried tobacco leaves. [64°] Branches, tree bark, a bit of spiced oak, deep dark earth, darker red fruits, a little bit of graphite and a little bit of savory river rocks. Even a bit of meatiness with lots of time.
Palate: [65°] Smooth entry of dark, juicy red and blue fruits with good intensity and vividness, deep earth, savory rocks and minerals, savory spiced oak, subtle dark pencil lead and a touch of tobacco leaves.. flavors were quite similar from what you get on the nose.
Attributes: Dark ruby. Dry with medium-plus to high amounts of strong, grippy tannin. Medium-minus to medium body with medium-plus acidity. Good finish of about 18-20+ seconds.
Thoughts: Smooth, very nice rustic earth flavors.. really great earth, lots of savoriness but without being overbearing. Same with the juiciness, it's prominent but not overdone.. I think the intensity and energy behind the savoriness and juiciness is due to its youth. A bitterness strikes at the end which adds to the complexity (still hate that word so much). Savory earth and juiciness is strong in this, almost bullying the fruit a little bit but not a bad thing at all. If served blind, I would have guessed this is from Bordeaux. Enjoyable now with some air time but can imagine it being really good with 4-6 years of bottle time. With that said, I hope the majority of flavors will stay the same but with hopes that the intense juiciness and savoriness getting their acts together. Again, those two are a little intense now but it's still very enjoyable but with a few years I hope they calm down a bit and "grow up".. that would make this really smooth. 96-97
Other notes: Slow-ox in bottle only (suggesting at least 2 hours and trying a glass straight from the pour to compare). Bordeaux glass. Served initially ~57°, tasted ~67° and consumed over 3 hours.
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3/18/2020 - brasstab Likes this wine: 97 Points
Even more compelling than when I drank it the first of this year. Not sure why. Maybe it was the setting -- a cabin in the woods as Coronavirus crept in down below. Either way, the fruit, tobacco, tar and spices were in amazing balance, even if this one was too young. I didn't have a decanter, but I left the bottle open for a couple of hours before I got to it. Maybe that was it. Either way, thrilling.
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1/14/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 97 Points
Tasted at the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Symposium in NYC. This is a tremendous wine from what I consider the best vintage in Cali in at least a couple decades. This wine is supremely balanced, light on your tongue yet full of dense layers of flavor. Nose is very fragrant and floral, perfumed almost. Such a pretty feminine wine with elegance and ability to age. Superb and for sure age-worthy.
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1/8/2020 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Another Year, Another Napa (aka Winter in Wineland IV); 1/5/2020-1/11/2020 (Napa/Sonoma California): Interesting to see the step up with the MB versus some of the other cabernets. The biggest difference for me is this extra level of depth. Dark plum and black currant and very fine tannins. It's more primary at this young age but already some more secondary/earthy notes are there in the background. Very well made.
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1/1/2020 - brasstab wrote: 94 Points
Cinnamon and spice and everything awesome. Stunning, fragrant nose of stewed dark fruit and pepper, with savory mid-palette and an endless tannic finish. Drank way too young, but it was a great way to ring in the new decade.
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12/8/2019 - MRichman wrote:
Excellent. No rough edges. Good dark fruit, tar, pepper. Long finish with dry fruit.
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10/11/2019 - mkribar wrote: 95 Points
Really stunning wine. Deep, pure creme de cassis. Herbal notes. Red fruit, more red fruit. Some coffee/mocha. Meaty on the midpalate. A ton of complexity on the palate, but it's also deeply tannic and maybe med+ acidic--unsurprisingly, this wine needs a lot of time. But once it has that time, it's gonna be fantastic.
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10/2/2019 - HEBRO 10 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark berry. Currant. Chocolate finish.
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9/29/2019 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted at the winery. Having tasted the 2009 and 2012 in London in April, I was keen to taste this 2016, which is just released. It's complex, fruity, hint of wood shavings, constantly evolving in the glass. It's young, so whilst dry, the fruit has a sweetness about it and there's marzipan on the finish. Long. Clearly, very young at the moment, it probably needs 10 years at least. Great experience to taste it.
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9/20/2019 - tomlee wrote: 98 Points
Purple in color. 13.7% ABV. 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 10% Petite Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Stunning nose of red and black fruits, creme de cassis, scorched earth and flowers. Medium to full bodied and perfectly balanced. The fruit is immense, concentrated and remarkably pure. Cassis liqueur, black currants, black raspberries, graphite and earth on the palate. The finish is long and seamless with ever present, silky tannins. Monte Bello is a wine of finesse and grace that deftly walks the line between old and new world. Compelling and somewhat approachable now but be certain that this wine will age gracefully for 25 years or more.
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9/10/2019 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:
Tasting room visit - exotic aromas of paprika spices, currant, pink peppercorns, leather and cedar. Elegant and lithe palate with layered flavors and deceptive density. Very fine tannin and outstanding depth and length. Showing well.
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9/5/2019 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:
Phenomenal wine. Tasted at winery with 4hr decant. Femaninrn polished aromatics. Typical Montebello profile. Palate is powerful, but nuanced. Long finish. Oak integrated for a wine this young. Owners will be pleased.
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5/11/2019 - aagrawal wrote: 93 Points
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (Ridge Monte Bello, Cupertino): Aromatic but very young, pure fruit; excellent palate, great fruit, complex; medium finish. This is super-approachable but still primary. 93+
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3/24/2019 - Omar Khayyam wrote:
Dream Big - Discover California Wine Tasting (Stockholm, Gamla Riksarkivet (old government archives building) March 2019): Just perfect cab with graphite, fresh pipe tobacco, lots of fruit. Needs cellaring. Highly Recommended.
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3/16/2019 - Andre Brattland wrote: 95 Points
Rich and delightfully appealing aromas with cassis, concentrated plum, wet leather and neat wood. Pretty full-bodied wine with an actually pretty fat feeling with juicy dark plum, cassis, licorice and spice tones on a long and great finish with nicely bitten in the tannins. The wine certainly retains freshness and the balance was surprisingly good already. Maybe not as thigh and concentrated as in the last few years and may not have the same development potential - anyway - this one just sings! Great wine. 95p.
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3/11/2019 - "Rhône Rider" Likes this wine: 94 Points
Montebello 16
Parfymert, lukket nese. Kirsebær, moreller, lær, mineraler. Frisk, skikkelig lang. Forførende. Drikker bra nå, men vinner på lagring i 20 år! Nydelig struktur. 94-95
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6/5/2017 - Papies wrote:
“All four major Bordeaux varietals grown on Monte Bello’s forty-five parcels ripened perfectly and made excellent wines. Cabernet Sauvignon required lengthier fermentation time to fully extract (nine-to-twelve days.) Merlot and Petit Verdot reached full extraction in just six days, while cabernet franc required seven days. Press wine, which can be very complex in flavor but sometimes too harsh, was a real compliment in this vintage. We made greater use of the best press fractions than in most vintages.”
Eric Baugher, Head Winemaker.
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5/14/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (Ridge Monte Bello, Cupertino): Final blend. Aromatic blueberry, blackberry fruit; very youthful, youthful tannins, young black fruit; medium-long finish. Lovely and needs a decade or more. 91-94
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4/23/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (Ridge Monte Bello, Cupertino): First assemblage. Lovely aromatics, still need to integrate, black fruit, slight vanilla; palate is youthful, lovely texture and density, tons of black fruit, lovely acid; medium-long finish. 92
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