Ridge Monte Bello Retrospective (Porter House): First note is crushed pepper, some mint, some more backyard herbs, it's a really nice wine although lacking some of the vibrancy that some of the others have (again, this is splitting hairs). Perhaps it's just a bit less intense in style.
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Brick colored. Big intense nose of smoke and leather that overflows the glass. Followed on the palate by mature dark berries with secondary and tertiary development. The fruit is nicely balanced by acidity and does not feel tired at all at the ripe old age of 34 years. Tannins have fully melted away leaving a smooth medium-bodied mouthfeel. Beautiful fully mature Monte Bello. Drink now.
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Beautiful wine. Not one of the biggest 1987s but very pretty and delicate. Bricking color but still wonderfully fresh and alive like most 87 Cali cabs. This has a distinctly "feminine" profile with more red fruit notes such as raspberries and strawberries. Great underlying acidity to give it perfect balance. The red fruit is followed by nice secondary notes of earth and mushrooms. While it does not have the same depth as some other 87 Cali cabs, the flavors linger nicely on the long finish.
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X-Mas Tasting (Freiheit Vinothek, Ulm, Germany): Glass: Gabriel Gold Tasted blind. Decanted. Nose with some brett, fine tobacco, leather, deep and complex. On the palate again some brett, fine, dark fruit, fine acidity, a bit rustic, but with a silky texture. Long, lingering finish. I guessed new world. 93-94
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Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (Ridge Monte Bello, Cupertino): From Jeroboam. Balanced, Bordeaux-like fruit, complex, tobacco; palate is full bodied, balanced, elegant medium-plus acidity, low alcohol (11.7%). This reminds me of a 1999 Mouton. Truly top tier and lovely. 95
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There must have been some confusion in my last tasting note for this wine 9/97. I indicated that the alcohol content was 14.5% and that the wine was near the end of life. I almost wonder if that was a different wine. This wine is 11.7% alcohol and stunning. Complex, rich and lingering; everything a Monte Bello should be. Perfect maturity but drink over the next 5 years.
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Old Heitz Martha's v. Old Ridge Monte Bello (NoMad): Amazing bouquet. Lots of brett here, farmy, barny, animalistic and unusually rustic. Fascinating aromatic complexity, very wild and alive. Fresh grass notes as well. Good balance of red berry fruit, earth, and minerals on the palate. Great acid and finish. Really interesting. The best of the Ridge Monte Bellos this afternoon for sure, possibly the wine of the event...
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A touch green - not my favorite Monte Bello. Tasted double blind, I guessed Cali cab of the Montelena, Dominus, Togni ilk. Some at the table thought this might be corked but I did not get TCA at all, just varietally correct leafy green, but would be interested to try another bottle of this someday.
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Opened the 1985 and 1987 for a side by side tasting last weekend. The 1985 was a bit dull, possibly peaked. The 1987 was phenomenal. Complex and tasty. The clear winner.
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Cali Night @ Air St- best nose so far, sweet red fruits. Medium weight taste, a hint of eucalyptus and tobacco, medium weight. This wine tries hard to make you love. Good bootle
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Ahhh, what a wine! Gorgeous perfume. Very much like a classical Bordeaux. Extremely intense. Mouthfeel is very different, at only 11.7% alcohol this wine is very light on its feet. Goes extremely well with food. Really enjoyed this bottle.
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Was a little disappointed, as this bottle seemed a little past its prime, less vibrant than previous bottles. Chalk it up to provenance or bottle variation. Still a favorite at the table, showing some signature notes.
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Light ruby-garnet. Bordeaux-like aromas of celery seed, tobacco, lead pencil and cherry. Light in the mouth and short finish, but a good match for a cool June night with pork tenderloin( with red peppercorn spiced Monte Bello reduction sauce) and potato-apple-onion-sage tarts. Bottle #2 of two. Price sticker from the LA Wine House ($18.99 on close-out, long long ago). Those were the days for cheap closeouts !
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(Includes 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. 11.7% alc.) Nose - warm spicy cigar box and rich dark fruit, lovely peppery tobacco. Lighter body with intense tobacco and black currant, smoky, good minerality, dusty tannin, blackberry.
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Singer & Foy survey of ‘87 cabs. Decent ruby. But foamy. Pickle barrel nose. Vegetal. The palate is smooth, round; not great. Just fair. 4-8-12-4: 80/100.
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5 Great Cabernet Sauvignons (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Wine Group Christmas Tasting of 5 Cabernet Sauvignons. Was also tasted twice this month at $45. This wine shows a big Monte Bello stink that blows off slowly and a herbal nose, slight hint of stink in the mouth that is overshadowed by big, brooding soft fruit combined with hints of bell pepper, spice, long finish with lots of fruit and acid for ageing-about 5 years. My #3.
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At the Ridge Day in the Vineyard 1990. Dark ruby. Nose is fruity but green. Bell pepper. Seems austere on the palate. Needs more stuffing, especially when it’s so young. Not impressive. 5-9-14-5: 83/100.
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With Kathy, MPL, DLR, et al. at ATP tasting. Dark ruby. Smells green, but has mint and eucalyptus. Kathy thinks it’s a Nose slightly sweet. Fruity, cedary. Nice wine on the palate. Pretty smooth at this stage. Great berry – chocolate finish. 5-10-16-8: 89/100.
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11/13/2021 - mats13 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Spectacular in every way.
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11/2/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Ridge Monte Bello Retrospective (Porter House): First note is crushed pepper, some mint, some more backyard herbs, it's a really nice wine although lacking some of the vibrancy that some of the others have (again, this is splitting hairs). Perhaps it's just a bit less intense in style.
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9/18/2021 - nywine68 wrote: 95 Points
Brick colored. Big intense nose of smoke and leather that overflows the glass. Followed on the palate by mature dark berries with secondary and tertiary development. The fruit is nicely balanced by acidity and does not feel tired at all at the ripe old age of 34 years. Tannins have fully melted away leaving a smooth medium-bodied mouthfeel. Beautiful fully mature Monte Bello. Drink now.
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9/10/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Acker's COVID-Vaccinated BYO Dinner and Auction Simulcast (Craft - New York NY): Small glass, brief note. Black plum, nicely powerful, surprisingly bright and fresh. Nicely supported by spice, menthol and eucalyptus notes. Good+ balance, good length. Not a great vintage of Monte Bello, but certainly very good.
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12/4/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful wine. Not one of the biggest 1987s but very pretty and delicate. Bricking color but still wonderfully fresh and alive like most 87 Cali cabs. This has a distinctly "feminine" profile with more red fruit notes such as raspberries and strawberries. Great underlying acidity to give it perfect balance. The red fruit is followed by nice secondary notes of earth and mushrooms. While it does not have the same depth as some other 87 Cali cabs, the flavors linger nicely on the long finish.
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12/20/2019 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 93 Points
X-Mas Tasting (Freiheit Vinothek, Ulm, Germany): Glass: Gabriel Gold
Tasted blind. Decanted. Nose with some brett, fine tobacco, leather, deep and complex. On the palate again some brett, fine, dark fruit, fine acidity, a bit rustic, but with a silky texture. Long, lingering finish. I guessed new world. 93-94
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5/11/2019 - aagrawal wrote: 95 Points
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (Ridge Monte Bello, Cupertino): From Jeroboam. Balanced, Bordeaux-like fruit, complex, tobacco; palate is full bodied, balanced, elegant medium-plus acidity, low alcohol (11.7%). This reminds me of a 1999 Mouton. Truly top tier and lovely. 95
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3/25/2018 - thelostverse wrote: flawed
Opened at Anvil with Allred and our wives. Sadly, this was corked.
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3/25/2018 - AllRed wrote: flawed
Courtesy of M/M TLV. Sadly, this had some cork taint. There were some floral qualities and red fruit poking through though. What a shame.
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11/16/2016 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 98 Points
There must have been some confusion in my last tasting note for this wine 9/97. I indicated that the alcohol content was 14.5% and that the wine was near the end of life. I almost wonder if that was a different wine. This wine is 11.7% alcohol and stunning. Complex, rich and lingering; everything a Monte Bello should be. Perfect maturity but drink over the next 5 years.
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9/26/2016 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Absolutely terrific nose after decanting. Lovely texture and nuance but beginning to fade. 14.5% EtOH.
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4/2/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 92 Points
Old Heitz Martha's v. Old Ridge Monte Bello (NoMad): Amazing bouquet. Lots of brett here, farmy, barny, animalistic and unusually rustic. Fascinating aromatic complexity, very wild and alive. Fresh grass notes as well. Good balance of red berry fruit, earth, and minerals on the palate. Great acid and finish. Really interesting. The best of the Ridge Monte Bellos this afternoon for sure, possibly the wine of the event...
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4/28/2014 - amateurwino wrote: 87 Points
A touch green - not my favorite Monte Bello. Tasted double blind, I guessed Cali cab of the Montelena, Dominus, Togni ilk. Some at the table thought this might be corked but I did not get TCA at all, just varietally correct leafy green, but would be interested to try another bottle of this someday.
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4/28/2014 - salil wrote: flawed
Lightly corked. Dammit.
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7/21/2013 - Frinkcorkz wrote: 98 Points
Opened the 1985 and 1987 for a side by side tasting last weekend. The 1985 was a bit dull, possibly peaked. The 1987 was phenomenal. Complex and tasty. The clear winner.
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5/28/2013 - reichken wrote: 92 Points
Cali Night @ Air St- best nose so far, sweet red fruits. Medium weight taste, a hint of eucalyptus and tobacco, medium weight. This wine tries hard to make you love. Good bootle
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3/1/2013 - Leoville_2012 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ahhh, what a wine! Gorgeous perfume. Very much like a classical Bordeaux. Extremely intense. Mouthfeel is very different, at only 11.7% alcohol this wine is very light on its feet. Goes extremely well with food. Really enjoyed this bottle.
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9/29/2012 - Wine_lvr wrote: flawed
Ridge Monte Bello Vertical Tasting 1974 - 2008 (Switzerland): Text book cork ;-(
Tasted a few years ago and it was a realy beauty that can age for a few more years. Tasted in 2008 with a score of 95
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11/25/2011 - smcg wrote: 87 Points
Past prime, drink up.
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7/23/2011 - smcg wrote: 87 Points
Simple, not much going on. No reason to age; drink up.
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4/10/2011 - yhn wrote: 90 Points
Was a little disappointed, as this bottle seemed a little past its prime, less vibrant than previous bottles. Chalk it up to provenance or bottle variation. Still a favorite at the table, showing some signature notes.
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6/17/2010 - Hodby wrote: 88 Points
Light ruby-garnet. Bordeaux-like aromas of celery seed, tobacco, lead pencil and cherry. Light in the mouth and short finish, but a good match for a cool June night with pork tenderloin( with red peppercorn spiced Monte Bello reduction sauce) and potato-apple-onion-sage tarts. Bottle #2 of two. Price sticker from the LA Wine House ($18.99 on close-out, long long ago). Those were the days for cheap closeouts !
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2/8/2010 - JAKurek wrote: 93 Points
Green tea and mint dominated the nose, very cool to drink.
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2/5/2010 - yhn wrote: 92 Points
(Includes 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. 11.7% alc.)
Nose - warm spicy cigar box and rich dark fruit, lovely peppery tobacco.
Lighter body with intense tobacco and black currant, smoky, good minerality, dusty tannin, blackberry.
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1/23/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 90 Points
The Full Monte - 35 Year Monte Bello Vertical (Alba Restaurant, London): 92% CS, 5% M, 3% CF, 11.7 % Alcohol
Again a little simple, light weight, some slightly astringent drying tannin.
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3/2/2002 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Yum nose of tobacco, cinnamon and a touch of mildewed earth. The palate is not as full of character as the nose, but decent.
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7/20/1991 - MicklethePickle wrote: 80 Points
Singer & Foy survey of ‘87 cabs. Decent ruby. But foamy. Pickle barrel nose. Vegetal. The palate is smooth, round; not great. Just fair. 4-8-12-4: 80/100.
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12/29/1990 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
5 Great Cabernet Sauvignons (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Wine Group Christmas Tasting of 5 Cabernet Sauvignons. Was also tasted twice this month at $45. This wine shows a big Monte Bello stink that blows off slowly and a herbal nose, slight hint of stink in the mouth that is overshadowed by big, brooding soft fruit combined with hints of bell pepper, spice, long finish with lots of fruit and acid for ageing-about 5 years. My #3.
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10/20/1990 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tasting 12 Chardonnays, 7 Bordeaux, 8 Cabernets including 5 Opus One (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Tasting 5 Opus One + 3 other Cabernet Sauvignons. Had a brilliant, red color in the glass, lots of cardboard stink on the nose, followed by a rich, fruity, sweat sox mouthful of wine, long finish. My #5
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5/28/1990 - MicklethePickle wrote: 83 Points
At the Ridge Day in the Vineyard 1990. Dark ruby. Nose is fruity but green. Bell pepper. Seems austere on the palate. Needs more stuffing, especially when it’s so young. Not impressive. 5-9-14-5: 83/100.
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5/30/1989 - MicklethePickle wrote: 83 Points
With Kathy, MPL, DLR, et al. at ATP tasting. Dark ruby. Smells green, but has mint and eucalyptus. Kathy thinks it’s a Nose slightly sweet. Fruity, cedary. Nice wine on the palate. Pretty smooth at this stage. Great berry – chocolate finish. 5-10-16-8: 89/100.
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