Klassiske bordeauxdufter, me en anelse mer varm, rik frukt, solbær, kanskje hint av plomme. Utrolig tilgjengelig nå. Frukt dominerer på duft også, tanninene var litt røffe først men etter dobbeltdekantering og noen timer luft er de silkemyke. Super, men kan selvsagt også lagres lenge. Flott match til pepperbiff, mer enn nok primærfrukt til å takle pepperet.
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What's there to say? As good as they kind of get. On the nose it's a bit shy, not giving off too much. But the palate is a cornucopia of tea, tobacco, leather etc. You see where I'm going with this - tannins. Lots of tannins. But they're so deliciously right, even young, that they just elevate.
The taste buds sense a bit of anise, maybe some clove. The American oak seamlessly integrated and showing none of the markers everyone attribute to it. I'd argue, blind, you'd never call AO out.
And at the end, to sum it up, I was surprised by the freshness and acid at display. You think the combination of tannins and acid would create something harsh, but it's the very opposite. So elegant and complete.
Truly some of the best the New World has to offer - you can take this anywhere and make an impression.
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Leather, black licorice, tobacco, and dark chocolate on the nose. The palate is even more complex, more leather, cedar and dried red fruit. Still needs a few more years in bottle.
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Black fruit, cassis, anise, herbal notes, tea, hints of plums, finishes with a bit of tannin. Unlike other 2018/ I’ve tasted wine needs more time. Reminds me of the 2010 Monte Bello.
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Best MB in a long, long time. Fresh as a daisy, well-integrated American oak, good acidity, ripe tannin, accessible, manages to combine intensity with medium body. Saline. Super long finish. Pure curranty fruit. Just terrific, hard to imagine a better Cabernet Sauvignon from anywhere. Margaux-esque.
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clean Intense blue fruit Medium plus alcohol, ~13.6% very fresh Medium plus acidity, really sings nicely integrated oak and ripe fruit tanin One of the best high elevation cabernets The 2019 offered at $245
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Return to Napa; 3/6/2022-3/13/2022 (Wineries and various restaurants): Bit of eucalyptus and darker fruits and a hint of that freshness. Darker style. Figs and black currant. Very tasty. This does strike me as having the Goldilocks year syndrome (e.g. the year was perfect from a growing perspective and as a result everyone made good, but not necessarily great, wine). Still - wouldn’t throw it out of my glass and would look to get some more age (20 years?) on it.
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Beast of a wine. Decanted for 4 hrs. Solid wine, very balanced but just didn’t show up for the party. Couldn’t help but feel it needs at least 20-30 years to chill in the cellar. Good wine for now, will be great later. Estate Cab shows better currently imo
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Very dark. Nose is black fruit and cranberry with an airiness. Palate is dense with menthol, red fruit and chalky tannin. Great length in an athletic frame. I'll see you later!
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This needed a lot of air (even after being poured a week ago and stored in a 4 oz bottle in the fridge). Red fruit, currants, mint, sweet berries, and on the nose. Tannins are surprisingly soft at this early stage, yet structural and with a slightly drying quality towards the back of the palate. Flavors of blackberries, red cherries, red currants, and a hint of vanilla on the palate. Long finish. A beautiful wine with a very light life ahead. I’m surprised how well it drinks after an hour in the glass. The first sip wasn’t giving much at all. Try again in 10 years. 95++
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Dark, opaque garnet, nose has hints of American oak, but is not dominated by it; impressively deep, flavors of dark berries, with a distinct blackberry/boysenberry streak, there is great weight and density, tremendous acidity, which actually stands out over the substantial but fairly smooth tannins. Unlike a young Napa cab at this age, this is dominated more by fruit than by oak, which takes a distinct back seat. Gorgeous wine, unusually deep and intense, even for young Monte Bello. This shows off in spades all the potential cabernet made in California can have.
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Another Year, Another Napa (aka Winter in Wineland IV); 1/5/2020-1/11/2020 (Napa/Sonoma California): From the barrel. 76% CS, 15% Merlot, 7% PV, 2% CF. Interesting as I had not realized that MB is made with mostly American oak (95%) and with a mix of old and new barrels (barrels are used for ~6 years). Makes a lot of sense though when you see the level of balance the wine has even at this early stage. It's still got quite a bit of fruit - darker in nature. Almost juicy berries. A hint of charcoal. Very well structured wine and built to age.
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Part of Ridge tasting. Deep dark fruit floral notes, rich spicy front palate and pronounced tannin's. Enjoyed on the Ridge patio overlooking those century old vines. Doesn't get much better then that! Too early to provide any sort of rating.
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2/18/2024 - daghaug Likes this wine:
Klassiske bordeauxdufter, me en anelse mer varm, rik frukt, solbær, kanskje hint av plomme. Utrolig tilgjengelig nå. Frukt dominerer på duft også, tanninene var litt røffe først men etter dobbeltdekantering og noen timer luft er de silkemyke. Super, men kan selvsagt også lagres lenge. Flott match til pepperbiff, mer enn nok primærfrukt til å takle pepperet.
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2/13/2024 - deadwax Likes this wine: 94 Points
Solid and about where one would expect a young MB to be really good in several years and beyond.
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2/4/2024 - 831900_ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking nicely right now, but needs time. The fruit core is still super black fruited, ultra dense.
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12/10/2023 - Martin Redmond Likes this wine: 92 Points
Young, but a great bottle!
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10/12/2023 - S-F wrote: 96 Points
What's there to say? As good as they kind of get. On the nose it's a bit shy, not giving off too much. But the palate is a cornucopia of tea, tobacco, leather etc. You see where I'm going with this - tannins. Lots of tannins. But they're so deliciously right, even young, that they just elevate.
The taste buds sense a bit of anise, maybe some clove. The American oak seamlessly integrated and showing none of the markers everyone attribute to it. I'd argue, blind, you'd never call AO out.
And at the end, to sum it up, I was surprised by the freshness and acid at display. You think the combination of tannins and acid would create something harsh, but it's the very opposite. So elegant and complete.
Truly some of the best the New World has to offer - you can take this anywhere and make an impression.
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4/9/2023 - Agoston Haraszthy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Leather, black licorice, tobacco, and dark chocolate on the nose. The palate is even more complex, more leather, cedar and dried red fruit. Still needs a few more years in bottle.
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1/29/2023 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted 3+ hours. Still young and closed.
Black fruit, cassis, anise, herbal notes, tea, hints of plums, finishes with a bit of tannin. Unlike other 2018/ I’ve tasted wine needs more time. Reminds me of the 2010 Monte Bello.
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1/28/2023 - medicinare@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 97 Points
Deep, balanced, rich, long aftertaste. Best wine ever! Amazing to Yngves black grouse.
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12/25/2022 - blank blank wrote: 95 Points
Best MB in a long, long time. Fresh as a daisy, well-integrated American oak, good acidity, ripe tannin, accessible, manages to combine intensity with medium body. Saline. Super long finish. Pure curranty fruit. Just terrific, hard to imagine a better Cabernet Sauvignon from anywhere. Margaux-esque.
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8/24/2022 - crcarlson Likes this wine: 94 Points
clean
Intense blue fruit
Medium plus alcohol, ~13.6% very fresh
Medium plus acidity, really sings
nicely integrated oak and ripe fruit tanin
One of the best high elevation cabernets
The 2019 offered at $245
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7/27/2022 - unrelenting wrote: 96 Points
Really accessible now. Moderate tannin and finish
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5/25/2022 - schultzi22 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Beautiful red fruit with incredible acidity. Full body. Long finish. Will age incredibly well. One of my favorite wines in a long time.
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4/21/2022 - aaronwine Likes this wine: 94 Points
At winery: Dark fruits, herbs, and towards the earthy side; dense and restrained. Still very young. Balanced. 13.7% abv. As expected needs time.
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3/11/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Return to Napa; 3/6/2022-3/13/2022 (Wineries and various restaurants): Bit of eucalyptus and darker fruits and a hint of that freshness. Darker style. Figs and black currant. Very tasty. This does strike me as having the Goldilocks year syndrome (e.g. the year was perfect from a growing perspective and as a result everyone made good, but not necessarily great, wine). Still - wouldn’t throw it out of my glass and would look to get some more age (20 years?) on it.
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12/31/2021 - VegaSicilia1970 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beast of a wine. Decanted for 4 hrs. Solid wine, very balanced but just didn’t show up for the party. Couldn’t help but feel it needs at least 20-30 years to chill in the cellar. Good wine for now, will be great later. Estate Cab shows better currently imo
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11/10/2021 - KVM wrote:
Tasted at the winery.
Very dark. Nose is black fruit and cranberry with an airiness. Palate is dense with menthol, red fruit and chalky tannin. Great length in an athletic frame. I'll see you later!
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9/18/2021 - amarasco Likes this wine: 95 Points
Some subtle tobacco notes coming through already
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9/17/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Darn that is an amazing Montebello. Very young now but still so darn delicious.
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5/9/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 95 Points
This needed a lot of air (even after being poured a week ago and stored in a 4 oz bottle in the fridge). Red fruit, currants, mint, sweet berries, and on the nose. Tannins are surprisingly soft at this early stage, yet structural and with a slightly drying quality towards the back of the palate. Flavors of blackberries, red cherries, red currants, and a hint of vanilla on the palate. Long finish. A beautiful wine with a very light life ahead. I’m surprised how well it drinks after an hour in the glass. The first sip wasn’t giving much at all. Try again in 10 years. 95++
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5/5/2021 - alanr wrote: 94 Points
Dark, opaque garnet, nose has hints of American oak, but is not dominated by it; impressively deep, flavors of dark berries, with a distinct blackberry/boysenberry streak, there is great weight and density, tremendous acidity, which actually stands out over the substantial but fairly smooth tannins. Unlike a young Napa cab at this age, this is dominated more by fruit than by oak, which takes a distinct back seat. Gorgeous wine, unusually deep and intense, even for young Monte Bello. This shows off in spades all the potential cabernet made in California can have.
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3/28/2021 - thunberg wrote: 93 Points
Sample from California Wines (92-94)
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1/8/2020 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Another Year, Another Napa (aka Winter in Wineland IV); 1/5/2020-1/11/2020 (Napa/Sonoma California): From the barrel. 76% CS, 15% Merlot, 7% PV, 2% CF. Interesting as I had not realized that MB is made with mostly American oak (95%) and with a mix of old and new barrels (barrels are used for ~6 years). Makes a lot of sense though when you see the level of balance the wine has even at this early stage. It's still got quite a bit of fruit - darker in nature. Almost juicy berries. A hint of charcoal. Very well structured wine and built to age.
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9/12/2019 - mmoss wrote:
Part of Ridge tasting. Deep dark fruit floral notes, rich spicy front palate and pronounced tannin's. Enjoyed on the Ridge patio overlooking those century old vines. Doesn't get much better then that! Too early to provide any sort of rating.
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5/11/2019 - aagrawal wrote:
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (Ridge Monte Bello, Cupertino): Very fruity, juicy, too young to evaluate, but really nice. Good potential, will need to taste again in the future.
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