Part of a trio of aged American Cab and Cab blends night with my wine group. It was opened and decanted for 90 minutes before pouring. Lots of fruit left, but the structure is beginning to weaken. I'm not sure how many years this has left. But this bottle was drinking great! Long finish, beautiful nose. The other 2 wines were a 2002 Quilceda Creek Cabernet and a 1996 1996 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard. As all 3 wines were drinking great, it was hard to pick a favorite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was singing tonight and showing great maturity with just fabulous spicy dark berry fruits with and a wonderful lick of eucalyptus and superb floral lift. Layered with a gorgeously opulent texture and so giving now with superb concentration and complexity on the finish. Just a flourishing wine that's exciting to drink and yet so balanced and light on its feet. Certainly another decade of development here but I love where it is now. It was paired against the '96 Lafite and at least today, I slightly preferred the Montebello which is saying something.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A very fine wine. Decanted an hour (should have been more patient). Great nose. Full, smooth, well integrated, complex flavor profile. About as good as it gets in my experience from CA Bordeaux styled wines. Just a real pleasure. High marks.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Magnum bottle: decanted night before & left overnight back in uncorked bottle; initially quite closed up. Re-decanted next morning 5 hrs before serving at lunch with gougeres and veal shanks (M. Battali recipe): fully open and stunningly complete wine that matches flavor profiles of previous reviews. Terrific nose, body, structure, mouthfeel, v. long finish. Comparable to 1984 Ridge Montebello and 1967 Heinz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Jancis Robinson was on the mark.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was lovely. Double decanted then triple decanted 3 hrs before bringing to Farm in Napa. Then decanted again at the restaurant. After another 2 hours last glass was the best.
Went from 92 pts up to 94. However this was very much at peak. I can't see this getting better, now is a perfect time to drink these w a 4+ hour decant.
Evolved nicely into very Bdx qualities, usual suspects in the flavor profile. Very smooth and elegant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and then poured. Deep garnet with some bricking and fading to the rim. However, still looks younger than a 27 year old wine. Black cherry, cassis, baking spices, star anise, apple jacks cereal, forest floor, new leather and maybe a whiff of coconut on the nose. It's very expressive. The palate is complex and feels "electric" confirming the bouquet with an incredibly textured mouthfeel. Ripe black cherries and star anise at the front with dried cassis, Asian spice (cardamom) and tobacco leaf flooding the mid-palate carrying through the finish. High acidity, medium minus alcohol, and medium plus body. Weightless, yet lingering. Fully integrated medium tannins. Incredible length with multiple minute finish. Very well balanced with resonant fruit matched by acidity and fine tannins. A truly great wine that is somehow delicate, refined, and yet persistent. The acidity and mouthfeel of this wine are unique and memorable. Paired very well with filet mignon and scallops with dill cream sauce. This wine is all elegance and stands with very best Cabs in the world.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Ridge Tahoe Weekend; 6/29/2023-7/2/2023 (Edgewood Resort): Wow wow wow. This could end up being the wine of the weekend pretty easily. Out of magnum. It’s just humming. Starts with the nose which completely draws you in. We were all joking you could just smell this all day and be happy. It’s slightly herbal and black fruits. Reminds me of thyme and maybe some rosemary and all of that more interesting sets of flavors that you get from the Monte Bello site. A few weeks ago I was at a Margaux dinner and a person scoffed at the idea that there was any California wine tasted blind that could beat the big French ones but I wholeheartedly believe this wine can.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is what a first growth Bordeaux would taste like from CA. Never had a bad bottle of Monte Bello. This evening we all said this was a 10 on a 10 point scale.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had it on my 70th. Certainly more youthful at this point in its life than I am in mine. Brittle cork broke in half. No ullage. No leakage. Decanted for 30 minutes and then consumed over the course of 4 hours or so. Deep garnet with really no thinning at the edge. Heavy legs. Nose of deep red fruit; thinking currants. In the mouth, relatively bright and youthful with mostly fruit driven flavor. Long bright moderately tannic fruit driven finish. Lovely bottle, but not mind blowing. Bought it on release.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Sublime. From magnum. Opened for about 5 hours and then decanted for 2 more. The wine is in a great place right now. Don't think there is any rush, but don't think it improves much from here. Served New Year's Eve with chateaubriand in a black truffle Madeira sauce. Perfection.
High End Wine Night (Charlie Palmer Steak NYC): My second bottle for an auction purchase. Spectacular wine. Decanted for at least 45 minutes before pouring. A still youthful nose, on the palate it was a mix of fruit and spice. It is in a great balanced place right now, and should still have years of like ahead of it. A real treat!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A textbook Californian Cabernet: vibrant and fresh, cassis and menthol, sweet fruited yet savoury and super tannins. Multi-layered and complex with a superb finish. It completely belies its age yet was absolutely ready to drink. A wine that deserves all the plaudits and more. A privilege to have tasted it. CHP 98pts
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
deep young red color with no signs of age on the rim, on the nose a heavy sprinkling of bell pepper over substantial cassis, plum and cherry fruit, on the palate still young and tannic, cassis and blueberry the dominant fruits on the muscled and youthful palate, intense mineral streaks throughout, fine length, a robust young wine showing a good bit of detail- but still not ready in my view, superbly balanced for the very long term.
***(**), 2030++
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful classical bouquet with ripe dark berries and chocolate. Same on the palate, herbs and spices, red berries as well, beautiful acidity and soft, powdery tannin. Very full bodied. Nevertheless elegant and tempting. My red WOTN so far. Just great and so beautifully at its peak!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Montebello 1996 Stor vin! Fortsatt på den ungdommelige siden, men nydelig å drikke nå likevel. Kjølig pen frukt. Stor konsentrasjon, fint syredriv og en herlig fruktsødme. Svært lang. 95p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Much improved after five hours of air. Opaque ruby and purple. Perfumed nose of black berries, leather, and some florals, -and tar? Mostly black and blue fruit, some sweetness from oak. Medium to full-bodied. Silky mouthfeel. Still some tannin but mostly resolved, medium acid. Not a great vintage of Monte Bello but quite enjoyable. Not much upside from here. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow wine. Still great color, high neck fill. Lots of sediment in the bottom of the bottle after a decant. Seriously opened after an hour or so. Nose pops, fruit + pine and camphor bits. Palate is loaded. Raspberry, and other tart red fruits, smoke, and earthy flavors. Drinking superbly but probably stays at peak another ten years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The first of 6 bottles that I purchased at auction in December 2019. This was opened, but not decanted for over 50 minutes before pouring into glasses. A huge hit with my wine group, we had this alongside a 1995 Shafer Hillside Select. Comparing this to the Shafer, it was more delicate and better balanced. Which one members of my group preferred really depended on their tastes for 20+ year old CA wines. I preferred the Monte Bello, but it was so close, I gave both wines the same score. A very long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wimps Thankgsiving Lunch - Connor Table; 11/25/2021-11/26/2021 (La Trompette): Woof. For me - wine of the flight, wine of the lunch. Everything in place - super balanced, fully ready to drink but still a way ahead of it. I have a sense this might have been a weaker vintage in principle, and in a decade this would fall behind the 98 (and maybe even 97), but just perfect now. If you never drank better than this, you would have drunk very well indeed. What a treat.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Monte Bello Retrospective (Porter House): Lighter in style. I don't know that there was more rain this year but when people talk about a wine being a bit less concentrated this was just a bit less than the other in the flight. Still great and delicious, but just not quite at the same level. This is black fruits and herbal and maybe a touch of mineral. 80% CS, 11% Merlot, 9% PV.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Definisjonen på topp Bordeaux, bare at den kommer fra et helt annet sted. Her var det livlig, energisk frukt som samtidig er raus – med lilla plommer, solbær. Vinen omfavner munnhulen, men er aldri «stor» på feil måte, og har eleganse og intensitet gjennom hele kurven. Nesten en slags perfekt blanding av venstre og høyre Bordeaux-bredde. Ikke det minste spor av plagsom eik, Drikker perfekt nå, men vil holde lenge og trolig utvikle enda mer kompleksitet med mer tid. Heftige greier.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Montebello 1996. Duften velter ut av glasset. Strålende intensitet av mørke bær, krydder, lær, og treverk. Utrolig deilig nese. Sødmefull lush frukt i munn. Ingen skarpe kanter i sikte, men nok struktur til å holde alt på plass. Dette er midt i smørøyet nå og kommer til å holde seg der i en liten evighet om jeg skal tippe. Ren og elegant kvalitetsfrukt med fint løft. Kveldens største pleasure. Kunne sniffe og smatte på denne hele kvelden - tapte seg ikke det minste. Imponerande lang med smoothe tanniner og en vakker fruktsødme. Digger denne. 95-96p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Splash decanted an hour before dinner. This was wonderful. Just a great example of Cali cab. Ripe, dark fruits with fully integrated and resolved tannins. Long, sweet finish. This was side by side a '96 Montrose which was the crowd favorite (and I agree) but as a wine without food, in particular after dinner, I would have picked this one. I think I would be safe and drink now although no signs of decline. Wish I had more but this was my last bottle. A
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Offered blind against the 1996 Leoville Barton. The Ridge needed a short decant and then really blossomed. Expressive nose of blueberry, cake, sweet spices, clearly riper than the Bordeaux but not overdone. No farmyard aromas, which gave it away blind which one the Bordeaux was. In the palate the wine is plush with lots of fruit and a great tannic core. In my book, Monte Bello continues for me to be the best red wine from the US. They never went over board with the 15% Alc bruisers. Also, as can be seen today, they age wonderfully. Fully mature, drink now and over the next 10 years. 96+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 20 minutes. Aromas of dried cherry, dried blackberry, funk, leather and lead pencil. Flavors of cherry, blackberry, plum, currant and a bit of earth. Ends with a long 40-45 second finish with blackberry notes. Still a ton of fruit on this and only some of it is dried. Tre Scalini has a very cold cellar so this is not surprising. Think this will evolve so will update the note.
Update: 2 hours in and this kicked it up a notch. Fruit more pronounced and nose more expressive.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I so love Minte Bellos because while they have their roots on California they are distinctly Bordeaux driven. This 24 year old wine was medium in lengthy but had floaters of light black and blue fruit, a very rounded texture to it with some ash and forest floor. Medium finish. Very pleasant!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
tasted blind, terrific showing nose - ethereal, tinge of Brett, pencil lead mouth - lovely complex lush fruit, great structure, great complexity, sexy showing tonight. I guess Bordeaux and my second guess was Bolgheri. really a terrific bottle. I suspect this can go many years still (if well stored)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Beautiful nose of currants, cedar and menthol. Palate is fresh as a daisy, with layers of complexity and nuance. Mature fruit with just enough grippy structure. Just lovely
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Served single blind, I confused this with a 2001 Insignia. Honestly, they seemed very similar to me. Neither had signifcant tertiary components, they seemed middle-aged, not old and wise. Plenty of fruit, well-integrated, just no big wow factor.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Single Blind Old Napa Virtual Tasting (Home): Very dark red color with a 1cm transitional margin. PNP, poured into vessels and capped 2 hours prior to pouring into glasses. Drank 2 glasses single blind over 3 hours. This wine was really the biggest enigma for me. This was the most distinctive nose that was more mindful of Graves/Pessac character. The nose is woodsy, lots of scorched earth, tar, burnt embers, cassis, high toned wild flowers (later), some vanilla and menthol. The palate is full and earthy, scorched earth, creosote, cassis, black raspberry, nice texture, fine tannins. 92+ to 93pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a single blind tasting. Everyone knew the wines, but not the order or which wine was which....the lineup:
1996 Ridge Monte Bello 2011 Myriad Cellars 2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia 1996 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard 2002 Dunn Howell Mountain 2012 Kirkland Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Araujo Estate Sauvignon Blanc Eisele Vineyard
Dunn was opened and decanted to remove sediment, then back in the bottle at 2:30, until 4:45, when it was poured into jar 6 oz for transporting. The rest of the wines were poured in glass jars starting at 4:15. Tasting began at 6:30. All wines were tasted between 6:30 and 8:00. Group's number 1 wine was the 1992 Dunn. Number 2 wine was the 1996 Heitz Martha's Vineyard.
1996 Ridge Monte Bello- Wow...1996, and still looks so youthful! Dark purple with no bricking. Medium to medium-full bodied. Nose showed sweet perfume, with black and red fruit and a hint of lavender with bits of tar and wet leather further in the background. The palate showed plum, red current, hints of blueberry and some sweet oak. this is an excellent wine and held its own against some stiff competition. My number 3 (tied with the 2001 Insignia), and only a point behind the 1992 Dunn, which was mine and the group's number 1 wine. Tried the next morning and this wine held up well overnight...raising the score by one point. A solid 93.
Served to me by a friend; this was excellent. The color here is surprisingly youthful and dark; the nose shows similar with explosive cassis, blueberry, followed by tobacco, a hint of dill/herb, vanilla, and earth. The palate is sublime with excellent concentration and depth, great balance, and a long finish. Still really on the young side based on this and should easily go another 20+ years in a cool cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pretty nose of mint, eucalyptus and lots of dark fruit. While tannins are mostly resolved, the palate still shows lots of youthful red fruit. Very good balance and acid, a fine food wine with good length. A solid vintage of MB and one that will be enjoyable for ages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner with Herwig (Heirloom cafe): A little réticent at first, black fruits with a bit of green leaves; palate is full bodied but elegant, medium-plus acid, fully integrated tannins; medium-long finish. This is lovely and fully mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not sure how long this was open. Aromas of blackberry, currant, dried cherry and licorice. Nose is really open for business. Flavors of blackberry, currant, cherry and dried plum. Ends with a long finish of 40 seconds. This is great and bit ahead of the 95.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking really well... Nose of tobacco leaf, pencil lead, graphite, flowers, cassis, blackcurrant, mint, eucalyptus, pipe tobacco...so polished and sexy Palate is so silky.....svelte. Pure juicy red and black fruit, tobacco, eucalyptus, spice, earth, moss, flowers....wow Finish is medium....layered....but a touch abrupt...almost classic...but not there.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A private dinner, 'bring your own' (28-50 Marylebone, London): Decanted for an hour, might have benefited from longer. Strong oak on the nose, almost offputting in its intensity. Wonderful on the palette, really well-integrated, complex and long. A great example of the style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is the second time I drink this vintage of Ridge, and last time the wine performed well but felt like it was approaching old age. This bottle was a completely different story! Very vigorous and the wine still felt young and continued to improve after several hours. Tobacco, pencil shavings, grass and red fruit on the nose. The palate was full of cherries and well balanced tannins carried by supple fruit. Served blind and I could have guessed this was a quality left bank Bordeaux. Only one bottle left in the cellar. The question I now have to ask is how do I get ahold of another?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Absolutely delicious. Decanted over 3 hours. Full and totally round in all its flavors. Smooth as silk. Only the slightest hint of brown on the edge. Probably has another 5+ years until fully at its best.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Awesome wine! The freshness of the fruit is stunning. Medium dark berries and mint with lots of nuance and complexity. Very fine grained tannins. Very long mouth coating finish without any heaviness. Just delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep red - still young. Incredible perfume of blackberry, smoky tar, menthol, cedar, cassis, pencil sharpenings. Medium + acidity, med body & alc. Silky tannin, still grippy. Very complex. Long long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
An interesting wine that in the end impressed! At first I thought it had a corked sense to it but after 2 hours of decant it slowly started to come to life. Some mint and light floral notes on the nose. A very feminine wine that has less berry notes than it did more earth and graphite. Medium finish. Medium tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decidedly Bordeaux-like, an Old World-style beauty, showing genetle dark fruit alongside a myriad of layered notes: graphite, cedar, licorice and smoke.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine Advocate: Grand Walkabout Tasting (NYC): Red brownish color. Very old world in character. Oaky. Tannins are mostly resolved. Overall just a bit muted in character and I was expecting it to show better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Traditional style Bordeaux blends tasting: This was the one new world wine that fooled the group into thinking that it was old world style. Had nice black currant fruit and earthy minerality and so well integrated with soft tannins and balanced acidity. Just in it's right place and likely to stay there for a number of more years. Many excellent wines showing that extracted isn't necessary to be delicious.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Absolutely flawless! Enjoyed from a half bottle tonight. This is a wine to be treasured. Give it 2 hours in the decanter and you will be handsomely rewarded. Wow...just wow!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A broad and very fine vintage for this iconic wine that's still a few years shy of peak but is joyous to drink now with a 3-hr decant. Very smooth and thickly-textured but it avoids any over-ripeness (alcohol 13.2%). There are lovely flavors of black fruits, licorice and mint that are integrating perfectly and lead to a sublime finish with ultra-smooth tannins and great silky complexity. A stunning showing. 95+ At Racine's NY.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Coravin sample. Very out of character for a Ridge MB. If tasted blind I would have mistaken this for an Aussie Shiraz. This has a massive fruity raspberry core that just jumps out of the glass. Given its provenance, I have no doubt this will develop beautifully over the next 10 years and beyond.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aging nicely, though it is ready to drink. Nice saddle and brick notes, with just enough fruit to balance it out. Good effort, though not a blockbuster.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP, threw off quite a bit of sediment. Very nice aged cab, tannins are quite resolved, acidity showing through a bit more. For me, just the right amount of age for my preferences. Tertiary aromas/flavors of leather/cedar showing, still has some primary dark fruits on the palate. Satisfying finish, good to drink on its own without food.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
In the bouquet a lot of sweet spices and chocolate. Same on the palate with soft cherries, red and dark berries. Silky soft acidity and tannin. Overall a concentrated, tempting and delicious wine which is ready now and still has enough power for several more years.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classic Cali cab in the traditional 'Bdx-like' style, which I adore. Black fruit, spicy oak, grainy tannines, graphite, earthy mid-palate. Full-bodied, well-endowed mouthfeel braced by perfect acidity, this is drinking great right now, but still feels very young and has plenty of promise for the following 10 years. Extraordinary stuff!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (Ridge Monte Bello, Cupertino): From 5L. Nice and complex nose with black fruit but also notable spice, some forest floor from age; palate is full bodied, plenty of remaining fruit but also nice aged forest floor; medium-long finish. A lovely Monte bello that is approachable but also still young. 93-95+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cal Cabs (Chez Bruce, London): A bit riper and fuller on the palate. Not quite as precise and poised, but very good. Possibly more rounded and complete. On a par with the 93, just a minor stylistic difference within the tight Ridge spectrum. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black fruit, graphite and lead pencil. Old world nuances, but really fresh fruit and bright on the palate. The alcohol and wine overall is very balanced and soft on the tongue. Great weight. Slight amber edges. Drinking really well - can't believe this is a 30 year old wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted at 12 vintage vertical by Michel Jamais. Dry nose black currant/cassis, lavender, black cherries. Little dusty with maturity. Dry elegant body of earth, cedar, mushrooms, structure with high fine-grained tannins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Initialt mycket jord, stall, gröna toner, körsbär, körsbärskärnor, svarta vinbär
Fortfarande bra syra, medium+ längd, balansen finns där. Väldigt mycket bdx över det.
Vinet korkades upp lite otacksamt sent. Flera runt bordet var lite skeptiska men jag uppskattade det. Jag saknade dock lite längd (framförallt efter att det visade sig vad det var för vin)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep ruby red; rich nose of blackberries, plums, vanilla, and mocha coffee; full bodied black and blue berry fruit, more coffee than mocha and a hint of earthy tertiary flavors in the finish; great balance from the nose to the finish which was long and smooth
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
At 20 years old, this wine is so refined and so gorgeous. Its the last of 6 and I wish it were the first. But, each of those six has been memorable. A gorgeous nose presenting predominantly eucalyptus with soft red fruit. In the mouth it is soft with red and black fruits, and a bit of leather and mint. This wine is fantastic. A perfect match-up with a prime rib Christmas dinner with family and friends.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow bottle. Nice fruit and smoke on the nose. Lots of tight acidity to the raspberry and dark cherry palate. Flavors linger forever. Lots of life and I think good for many years to come. Old school. 96+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really good. Beautifully penetrating aromas of dark earth, brambly wild black fruits, and lavender. Wonderfully concentrated and dense with great rich dark fruit and chewy structure. In a great place and served blind most thought a wine from early to mid 2000's. Nice zippy finish and black spices. Will last many more years, highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mature Ridge among friends (North Square, NYC): From a perfect bottle. Initially had a slight greenness on nose with a tiny dose of eucalyptus. I figure that's the PV showing up (9%). As it sat it became cohesive and textured with some pretty white flowers, black currants and cardamom. So pretty and so pure, this sang from the glass at about 30 minutes and never faltered. Notes of leather and gravel and lead pencil, this is dense and fragrant with wonderful balance and verve, it defied its age. Finish long and exact. Such a wonderful gem stored well and it shows the true greatness of the Ridge Monte Bello fame.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still really young after 20 years. Deep ruby color with no color change. Very tannic, with dark fruit starting to emerge. Easily another 10 years until maturity, with good drinking for years after.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and served and really this is still so youthful and firm that we thought it is 5years too early for it. Good fruit, rich and with depth but not overdone some secondary notes came as the wine opened up. Still a lot of life in this one and maybe a shame we had it at this stage. Still a beautiful wine, 93-4 for now but full of promise still!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted at the Prime Rib. What a beautiful CA wine, a sumptuous earthy bouquet that floats a few inches from the glass. On the palate a harmonious blend of fruit, faint tannins (yes, tannins!), and acid. Many secondary flavors too hard to describe after the fact. Nice complexity. Sadly my last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really sublime. Dark purple in the glass...shows very little signs of age. Dark berries, cedar, leather. Some light acid on the lingering finish. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Youthful, dark purple. Captivating, perfumed nose of spiced plum, leather, eucalyptus, and cedar. Dark fruit, mocha, and earth on the palate; long, persistent finish of mocha. Sexy and supple. Soft tannins. Crumbled, mess of a cork required an ah-so to extract yet this wine is singing. Drink well for another 5+ years. (80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot per label)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
After 1h; Quiet nose with cassis, soil, licorice. Very smooth and silky in the mouth, tannins perfectly integrated and very well balanced with a lively acidity and a solid fruit core of blackcurrants and dark cherries. Relatively long lovely balanced finish. Could wish for a little more complexity (just maybe)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Near perfection. From magnum, the wine was decanted 4 hours. Leather, tobacco, currants on the nose. Tannins have receded and mellowed, fruit and acidity in perfect balance. Silky, full bodied, harmonious mouthfeel, full sixty second finish. Outstanding to the last sip. Right in the drinking window where it will stay well into the next decade. My favorite MB of the 90's. You may pay a lot more for California Bordeaux style blends, but won't get a better wine than this. Serious bravos.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tobacco, peppery herbs and blackberries on the nose move to a fresh, crisp, juicy, refreshing mouthful full of ripe, juicy, sweet fruits. This is quite stylish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pre-1997 Cabs from Santa Cruz Mtns - Berserkers Offline (The Palace Steakhouse, SF): Super toasty - coffee, Slight buttered toast. Beautiful roasty coffee with cedar and blackcurrant. Slightly dirty - slight brett. Tighter - leaner. Same well-knit intense fruit on the nose, but seems closed. More air? Bloomed into awesome brett savoriness, but then some reduction was uncovered. Score: Around 9.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wineberserkers cabernet offline (The Palace, Mission, SF): Fascinating aromatic nose with smokiness, flint, black fruit, great complexity, slight reduction; palate is full bodied, structured tannins but approachable, superb acidity, blackberry, blueberry; finish is medium-long. This is superb and has excellent character with its spice and minerality. 95++ With air, the smokiness, flintiness, and spiciness is mild Brett. Very nicely integrated though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted and let sit for 5 hours, then consumed over the next 2 hours. Pretty nose of red fruits, dill and some cedar plank mixed with leather. Very classic MB. The palate showed silky with a dose of acidity/tart fruit, nicely resolved tannins and a fairly dry finish. Served next to a Pichon Lalande from 96, this came across as more ready to go and maybe a little simpler.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 1h. The cork was a bit dry and fragmented, which required some filtering but otherwise the bottle was in excellent shape. It has a musty nose, almost Bdx-like, and the palate also has earthy oaky elements, along with the extracted red berries. Great complexity and a slight acid finish. Superb, well balanced. Drinking very nicely now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dunkles purpur, animalische Noten, Brombeere, Kirsche, Holz, Graphit; unglaublich weicher, ausgeglichener, harmonischer Wein. Ruht in sich; enormer Tiefgang und Länge. Immer noch jung, aber ein tolles Trinkerlebnis.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
For finesse, subtlety and elegance, I have not had anything in California that approaches Monte Bello. At 19, this wine is an old lover. It is perfect, knowing exactly what feels right. Totally gorgeous with tertiary flavors that go on and on.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted. In a wonderful place and came across much younger than I would have expected. Offers up large scale, black cherry fruit with bold dark minerality. So well integrated with perfect structure and balance. Goes on for at least a minute. Nice complexity for such a bold wine. Amazing stuff, no hurry to drink up. Can you tell I liked this quite a bit and it was up against a Harlan and a Shafer HSS. Who woulda thunk?
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chú Xī (除夕) Dinner at Home for Chinese New Year (Our House, Hong Kong): Decanted for 4 hour before serving - the cork looked like it had just been bottled yesterday. Nose is WOW!.....pencil lead, graphite, deep blackberry fruit, smoke, sandalwood, cedar....wonderful Bordeaux-like depth and multidimensionality. Palate has a beautiful fresh and vibrant acidity almost like pink grapefruit followed by quite tart black fruits that haven't quite matured yet. Good tannic grip. Medium weight except that it punches at top weight in terms of resonance and heady reverberance on the finish. Fabulous....... it has matured slowly but beautifully since the previous bottle I drank six years ago but its best years are still way ahead of it. 95+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Ledbury lunch (The Ledbury): Similarly dark and dense. Not showing quite as well as a bottle this time last year, but I think that's more about the context (two other Montebellos cf a straight pairing with a Dominus last time). Blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaf on the nose which is fuller and more focused than the 92, and not quite the sweet (relative) exuberance of the 99. Long and persistent. Cooly classy with a finely mineral line on the finish. Lovely. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Similar to previous note. Opened and drank over 7 hours. Still youthful, plenty of fruit, after some time it really shows lots of nuances that make this wine very memorable. Even 24 hours later I was still thinking of this wine. Haunting. The precision of all the flavors dancing across the palette is incredible. Not overpowering in anyway, a scalpel like wine. Best I've had from Ridge. Lots of time left.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tightly wound at first with the layers coming thru as we drank it with our mean. Not overpowering, but full bodied with an "edge"... bit of tannin still there, and delightful in this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I have been following this wine for a few years and last had it in 2011, and I loved it then. My notes, however, do not match up with what was in the glass last night as this wine has matured and is developing gorgeous depth, nuance and tertiary flavors. The nose is a bewitching combination of right bank Bordeaux and California cab - earth, leather, tobacco, black plum and then little hints of mint and eucalyptus. The wine looks young and vibrant and the first burst of flavor is fresh and alive. On the finish though is when the wine is just oh-so-good - long, lingering, masculine flavors and, in particular, blackberry, currant and (best of all) pipe tobacco. This wine is absolutely spectacular and I wish that right now I could go forward in time to taste it ten years from now. (While I'm there I think I'll take a peek at the stock market.)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful, developed California cab. Strong notes of menthol, eucalyptus and black currants on the nose. Full bodied and lush on the palate, with a long fish. Drinking beautifully now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Spicy cabernet sauvignon, very aromatic and open, with floral notes light oak and red fruits. Very elegant and open. On the palate the wine feels a bit on the young side, firm tannin and fruit on the mid palate, good acidity, medium weight and long finish. Beautiful wine which is just as good as the 96 GPL which I rate highly in Bordeaux. May perhaps wait another few years though until I open my next bottle Excellent/Outstanding 94 pts __________________
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Ledbury Lunch (The Ledbury, London): Dark, dense, very polished. Similar on the palate. A deep core of blackcurrant fruit with a mineral and damp earth edge and a touch of briar. This is very plush, dense and serious. Very lovely. More serious and a little less superficially flamboyant than a recent 99, lovely now but with a decade if two ahead of it. A lovely pairing with the slightly looser and less prim Dominus. Hugely impressive. *****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Enjoyed during our annual holiday dinner in the same flight as the 1996 Dalle Valle and the 1996 Shafer Hillside Select. The Dalle Valle was very flamboyant and sur maturite in my view. Still good, but not in my sweet spot. The Hillside Select was gorgeous, but I still preferred the '96 Monte Bello although I brought it. It is definitely the most Bordeaux like by far of these three. Glad I have more left!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
American Belle 2nd Edition (Switzerland): Tasted blind: Deep red. Amazing nose of Coffee, chocolate and creme de cassis. The nose merits almost a perfect score. Nice sweetness, balance, elegant at the same time a Ridge that is on the light side. Not in a bad way but I am just missing a bit power. Still very youthful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind. Double decanted for 1 hour and kept in open bottle for 2 more. Appealing bouquet with cedar, mint, mature black fruit and ripe redberries. With the first sip you can tell this is very good: medium bodied, powerful yet elegant, shows great structure, balance and a seamless finish. Great wine. (93-95)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
If anyone wanted to state Ridge Montebello is the best example of a classic style of California Cabernet Sauvignon, I'm going to agree with them. This stunning wine is just what the doctor ordered, with its concentrated layers of fresh dark berries, earth, spice and tobacco scented personality. Mouth filling, multi-layered, long rich, the wine builds in the mouth and captures your attention with each additional sniff, swirl and sip. Still young, this should age for decades.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep color, just a bit of fading at the edge. The nose is pure, showing dark fruits, earth, cedar, flowers, and a bit of oak. This is full bodied on the palate, with excellent concentration and good elegance. The long finish shows big tannins that are well integrated. This is not as fresh as a previous sample, I wonder if its starting to age quickly. Still drinking well though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very good, and one of the better 96s of the evening. Nice balance of fruit and earth, plenty of complexity. Bordeaux-like, but plenty of concentrated fruit. Not as good as the Dalla Valle and Dominus for me on this night - but just a hair behind them. A-/A
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and drank over 3+ hours. Initially, a bit ripe and surprisingly a large amount of fruit. After the 1.5 hour mark this wine evolved into a scalpel like masterpiece. Stunning, as it danced around your mouth without ever being heavy. The nuances just kept unfolding as the wine never faded. Lots of power, light on its feet, a classic. 95/96
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
inky in color. blackberry, dried cherry, soy, wet earth, forest floor, smoky, eucalyptus, mineral, spice, pepper, leather, on the nose. medium acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Corks were crumbly, (notes from memory) light sediment. Dark color no browning, rich palate, tannins resolved. Went down easily. Two bottles opened with both showing well
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
earth and some funk on the nose; still somewhat primary mixed dark fruit, earth/tobacco; medium acidity and length. less elegant than i anticipated. ?may have been lightly corked but it was all eventually consumed at christmas dinner--will not score.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Monte Bello Vertical Tasting 1974 - 2008 (Switzerland): Intensive deep red. Taste of minerals, red berries, pencil and creme de cassis. Very rich dark berry flavors, classical Bordeaux style Cab, concentrated but long and elegant. One of the great wines of the tasting. There is no hurry to drink this Monte Bello. Drink now - 2030
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still drinking beautifully with that multi-layer taste I love so much. Sadly, my wife destroyed my tasting glass, so I was unable to take detailed notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The Semicentennial Birthday "Season"; 9/16/2012-9/18/2012 (San Francisco and the Napa Valley): This deep red/garnet wine (a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot) shows an explosive bouquet of black cherries, exotic spices, dried earth and pipe tobacco. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, dry leafy tannins and well-integrated alcohol (which is listed as 13.2%). The flavors are black fruit and earth-dominated, persisting throughout the middle and into a finish with impressive length. This wine is holding up very well and should continue to drink nicely for several more years. Drink now-12/20.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A rich, earthy, tarry nose previews this big, concentrated wine. On the palate, there is rich elegant purple fruit with a touch of leather and earth. The flavors are quite concentrated, and have not fully developed. There is powerful structure here as well, with big tannins and medium high acidity. A big wine that retains its class, but in need of more cellar time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very ripe brambly red fruited aromas; a touch minty with a little developed savouriness. It's quite pleasant on the palate with a polished texture, gentle tannins but at the same time a little soft and showing more alcohol than I'd like.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really changed as the night went on. Upon opening, it was pretty closed down with just some green peppers supported by a strong mineral profile (mainly a ferrous taste) which was not pleasant but an hour later the dark fruits and tannins exploded and the complexity and power dominated and improved as the night went on. This was more full bodied to me (than medium bodied based on the previous notes) but it walked the line in terms of a fine and balanced finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(Drank at The Square, London.) I had much the same experience as several other tasters here, but liked it a great deal more, I think. Would've called it a Bordeaux if tasted blind, and would've thought it was a first growth or super second to boot. Prototypical cassis, cedar, and cigar box, with a range of red fruits to spare. It's massive on the nose, but it ratchets everything back down once it's in the mouth, with super-cool earthy notes taking over. In fact, "super-cool" seems like a good overall description: there's no heat whatsoever, the tannins and acid do their bit but only in the background, and the whole thing is just sleek and balanced. A sublime experience, much like the '97.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was impressed by the dark dark red color and the middle aged nose. In the mouth the wine was youthful, tart and cedary, red fruited and shot through with maybe a little too much iron mineral perception. This was medium bodied and didn't wow on the finish. Still, a very nice drinker and was waking up and getting better as the night moved on. I believe, in spite of its improvement over a few hours, this wine will pretty much stay like it is now and will not get much better in the bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fresh and well integrated. Maybe a bit of the burned rubber note my sister-in-law complains about in Monte Bellos. I have to downgrade it for that reason.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very smooth with a perfect balance of tannins and fruit. Decanted for sediment only. Leather and earth on the nose. Plum and black raspberry flavors. Had with dinner at On The Square in Tarboro, NC.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
You must decant or wait an hour or so before serving ! After that, slightly green nose but plummy with a hint of cedar. Not much length. Probably at its best now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1976 - The Paris Challenge Revisited (Bravin - Sao Paulo - Brazil): Very complex and long, perfectly mature, and not a hint of heat, like almost all other Californian in this tasting. Many thought it was a Bordeaux. My favorite Californian of the night, it was a strong contender for WOTN, but the Ducru is just singing nowadays.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Plummy and cherry nose, quite open and a bit earthy after some time in the glass. Smooth going down, very little tannin. Overall a great wine but probably best drinking now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Monte Bello 1994-2000 Vertical with Eric Baugher (Handford Wines, London): Cedar, red fruit classic Bordeaux style nose. Seriously structured wine, lots of tannin at the moment and just starting to mellow. Secondary notes of earth coming around and lots of cedar. Starts very nicely with a nice nose but tails off with dry finish unfortunately. 92+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow-O 2 hours. Dark ruby core, little sign of age. Lovely nose of cigar wrapper, menthol, sage, black currant and toast. Sublime, full-bodied palate with generous acids to manage the ample, textured fruits. Tannins caress, the finish lingers for 30 seconds, or more. Magnificent and something I imagine that new and old world wine lovers could both agree is very special, and very enjoyable. Drink thru 2028, 13,2% abv, score: A/A+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Made with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot the fruit for this wine comes from higher elevations in the Santa Cruz mountains. Deep ruby in colour, the nose shows liquorice, mocha and coffee. The palate is full bodied with plenty of ripe and fleshy dark berry fruit and leather. The finish is long and dusty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pop and pour. Dark and with soft nose. Good gruit and acidity. There seems to be minimal tannin and the finish is not spectacular but overall I feel it is a drinking excellently now. However, there is no upside (IMHO) to keeping
5+11+18+7
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excellent wine - only had 2 oz and was entertaining so no notes (92+ though). I preferred the 1994 but most of dinner party preferred the 96 Monte Bello. Cork had dried out but wine was still quite young - dried fruit profile and very food friendly. Too bad this was my last bottle! Great US interpretation of righ bank Bordeaux. Excellent with grilled beef tenderloin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Gorgeous start to finish with an exuberant and expressive nose of mint, camphor and cassis. The flavors are blackberry, black plum, and earthy oak. There is an unusual hint of sweetness, and a lingering finish carried by fine tannins and just enough acidity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted alongside all vintages from 1995-2000. One of the stand-outs on the night. Extremely clean and pure black-fruited nose with heaps of cool mint. Wonderful balance with good grip and a long sumptuous finish. Others on the night found this to be absolutely on it, but I think i could use just a tiny bit ore time to finish blossoming into the special wine it doubtless is. 95+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very youthful and quite elegant. Pretty cassis and brambly fruits have a hint of dried herb and capsicum action. There’s some cedar and earth and it is nicely balanced with good grip to the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Doppelt dekantiert; betörende Nase mit würzig-erdigen Anteilen und Beerenaromen; dabei Johannisbeere, Pflaume, Leder, Tabak und viele Kräuternoten, vor allem Koriander, aber auch Marjoran; frischer, hocharomatischer Wein mit feinem, geschliffenem Tannin; im Verhältnis zur Komplexität allerdings relativ kurzer Abgang. Je länger der Wein an der Luft ist, desto mehr dominieren zudem am Gaumen die Tabaknoten und zehren die Frucht etwas aus.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dense, complex nose of black fruits, dried herbs, currant, and cigar box. Dry but distinctive red fruit flavors with minerals and saddle leather. Long, earthy finish with caressing tannins. As close to fine Bordeaux as California Cab gets!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose - redwood, cinnamon, plum, black currant, creme brulee. Smooth redwood, plum and black currant, dusty. Still young. Some cedar and bitter lime zest on the finish. Opens up really well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot) Nose - stinky outhouse, rich savory mushroom, smooth, warm, nice subtle oak spice. Smooth mushroom and black currant, cinnamon, redwood, touch of cedar, slight hint of bandaid. Drink now-'20.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ink, Lalande-like blackcurrant bush (the Petit Verdot?), plum, worn leather, a touch of damp, humous-rich earth. Fresh but fleshy. The palate adds a wonderful mushroom note. A finish of excellent depth with briary fruit, more of that mushroom and nice round tannins. Will be special in another 5-7 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nicely mature but perhaps declining just a bit. Still vibrant red-purple with no bricking, this could have been a restrained zinfandel, based on color alone. Nose included whiffs of turned earth, charcoal, currant. Mature flavors of integrated oak, raspberry, fine but moderate tannin with nicely integrated acid to match. It does seem to finish short, which is the main downside of this wine, and the wine is not improving significantly with air. I think that this is not enough in balance to age to 20. I think I would finish it by age 15.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Monte Bello Vertical 1972-2003 (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Tasted single blind in 1993-2003 flight. Big fruit, showed a more rsutic character on nose than most other vintages.Lots of structure throughout, mostly tannin. Showed more of its Petit Verdot than other vintages. Needs time to soften.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Monte Bello Vertical 72-03 (Ken's house, northbrook IL): nose: real nice cedary backdrop on the nose with bits of violets, dark red cherries, menthol, spice tones, currants and a touch of herbs. Pretty and demure that is almost like a barolo, but is cabernet based, which makes for a real intriguing nose that is really fun to smell
taste: lovely and well balanced medium/full feel that comes off rather nuanced in a way with pretty tones of cedar, dark red cherries, menthol tones, bits of spice and some tones of berries. Excellent depth with really fresh medium+ acidity to it
overall: my no3, group4. this comes off as needing a good bit more time as there is a nuanced aspect to it that will need good aging to let it fully emerge. This doesn't come off as a Monte Bello that will blow you away with great layering and purity like the 91 or 94, but instead it has a searching aspect to it that demands attention and a small group with it as it has a story to tell
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 1 hour. Nose: boysenberries and raspberries. Bright acid. Very youthful. Palate confirms the nose, with the addition of cinnamon and a faint whiff of petroleum. Long finish. Cork crumbled; use caution when removing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Typical Monte Bello style, but this bottle was more open than the last '96 I had a few months ago. Cherries, limestone and green pepper on the nose. Red raspberry, cherry, cedar, leather, licorice and little spice on the palate. The tannins mellowed from the last bottle and the Santa Cruz acidity was vibrant as usual.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aerated into decanter. Deep garnet color, no brick. Somewhat muted nose of cedar, clove and pepper with some lilac. Very long, smooth and balanced with the usual Cab notes and a fairly light body. Good sour finish. There are still ample tannins and I will give my other one substantial time. I enjoyed it, but would rather have 6 bottles of Geyserville for the same $...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner With Friends (Our Abode): Opened and sampled from decanter for several hours with dinner. Still purple with garnet edges. Super nose of mulberry, cedar, pine scents, red currants, and leather. Palate was slow to open, finally revealing currant and blueberry flavors smoothly integrated with sweet tannins and a whispery finish. Stately and impressive showing for this wine, which probably would have benefitted from additional decanting time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful, beautiful wine. Big, distinctive nose of green bell pepper, pencil and dark fruit (ie classic). Medium fullness, long finish, almost became sweet as the evening went on. At its apex of drinking right now, should be drunk over the next few years. Old style CA wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This needs more time. Really nice dark tones on the nose, still too tannic on the palate. My experience with other vintages of Ridge Monte Bello is that these wines don't really start to hit their stride until after about 15 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(At Andrew Edmunds). Rich blackcurrant-ish fruit with some medium oak and spice on the nose; full bodied, concentrated, beautifully textured and quite tannic still on the palate; medium+ rather than very long finish; suggestive of much more to come but a little concerned about that finish - the "late palate" gradient of drop-off in intensity was relatively pronounced...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mixed reviews from our crowd. Only got about 30 mins of air before drinking and probably needed more despite its age. Good nose, a typical "American Bordeaux blend" profile with some decent fruit, oak and some forest floor. Great balance. Not sure the value is there however.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was surprised by the tannins that remain after 12 years, but they didn't interfere with my enjoyment of this wine. Abundant, if not particularly complex fruit. For some reason, this wine's biggest problem for me was that it felt quite hot, despite having only 13-point-something percent alcohol. I've been drinking California Cabernets that approach 15 percent lately, without experiencing this problem.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted with Ridge Monte Bello '80, '90, '91, '92, '94, '96 (corked), '99, '00, '01 (in magnum). Quite a lovely night one might say.
My favorites of the night were the '90 and '99. But just barely. Meaning that every vintage seem to show the magnificence of this site, all were worthy of appreciation. All the wines showed dark black fruits, a certain tobacco anise-ness and precise purity of acids and tannins. The younger the wines were the more black fruit, the less tobbacco. All bottles were still viable and drinkable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (The Wine Summit, Lake Louise, Alberta): 80% CS, 11% M, 9% PV – 13.2% ALC. Aged almost entirely in new, air dried American oak barrels. All 33 parcels fermented separately – long malolactic fermentation extending into late November – extreme colour achieved in 9 days rather than the usual 18 days on the skins. Initially two “first” blends, which were allowed to rest in barrel . Following Summer the two were stable and better combined as opposed to each of the first blends – full assemblage more than 10 months after harvest. Deep black ruby – full ruby rim; mix of aromas – deep black fruits – hasn’t separated yet – short sniffs yielded some violets – caramel – fresh berries – a slight hint of ripe olives; good concentration – supple on the palate, with ripe currant and black plum flavours; fruit in abundance – holding onto a solid frame; acids and soft tannins in balance; long, smooth fruit driven finish. The wine hasn’t yet developed its personality, but it offers up astounding potential. The use of all new oak hasn’t blemished this wine at all, and has augmented the extracted fruit within the structure.
We also enjoyed this wine at dinner on Saturday, paired with a roasted filet of Alberta Spring Creek beef tenderloin. It was a terrific match.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The Wine Summit at The Post Hotel in Lake Louise Alberta Canada was fortunate to have Mr. Paul Draper as one of the presenters. After taking us all down a brief but interesting trip down memory lane, Mr Draper lead us trough a technical tasting of 8 Monte Bellos covering a range or 23 years. After the 05, I was expecting to be let down, but eguitarguy (below) nailed this wine spot on. Dark dark purple, spicy oak, scorched earth. Great flavors, jammy viscous, and plumy with touches of mineral. This too will get a shelf in the collection. Great stuff, well done Paul.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The best Monte Bello I have had to date, and I have drunk '94-98 from my 12 year (and counting) vertical. This wine is vibrantly red to slightly purple out of the decanter. It laughs at nearly 12 years of age...ha, ha. Nose of dark black fruit (black currant?), anise/licorice/fennel and earth. There is perhaps a tinge of light phenolic or some other type of lab chemical but it is not off-putting and could actually be the alcohol volatilizing. Very fine tannins, but still ample, frame flavors of chocolate Chukar cherry, anise and earth. It does dry just a bit but hey, still nealy extraordinary and certainly well into the outstanding arena. Will this age? Seem like there is plenty of youth to go with the impecable balance right now. But if you drank a case tonight with your best pals, you would never regret it. Probably a case where you drink down stock and save one or two bottles to see how it looks in another 5-10 years, which is what I plan to do. Clearly a step up from my previous TN's so I think it is in one of those rare drinking windows.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted double blind. Staggeringly deep, dark fruit. Quite ripe on the nose, but not overly so. On the palate, big fruit. Impressive combination of power, fruit, complexity and balance. Fantastic. I guessed it was a big-gun Bordeaux. Half the group preferred the wine served blind next to it (2002 Mouton) and half the group preferred the Ridge - though everyone loved both wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of dirt and wet evergreens. Flavors of sage, garrigue, muted berry fruit and wet earth. There is a certain greenness to the wine but it is not objectionable. Color is deep red, no browning around the edges.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Disappointing. Rather bland, simple, none of the elegant complexity and richness I expect from Monte Bello. I'm rather insensitive to cork taint. Looking back, perhaps this bottle was flawed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cali Cabs w/Bryans Steaks (The Shaffers): Full opaque black red color. medim nose of lifted purple fruit. Nice clean round red fruit with acidity and a bunc of tannin. Still too tight to be great for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
High-end Cali Cabs with Bryan's Steaks (The Shaffer's): Gorgeous, aromatic nose with nuance and complexity has red fruits, tobacco and tar. Palate shows exquisite balance combining medium bodied, rich fruit with acidic edge and grainy tannin. Outstanding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not sure I am completely sold on this wine. It seemed to be getting on just a bit and it was stored at 55 degrees from the time I received it from Ridge. Berry nose, mild tannins and the effort was there. But there was a little bit of a dustiness to it that I found off-putting for such lineage. I am not sure Monte Bello's have much more than about ten years in them and I am going to try to scarf my 94,95, 96, 97 and 98's this year. I am particulary troubed by other producers '97's and I hope the Ridges are doing better than ones I have had from other producers in CA.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bernie's annual New Year dinner (Enterprise Studio, Hong Kong): Some blueberry, chocolate and hints of cedar and tobacco - like a trace of Bordeaux. Almost balanced palate, just a hint of middle aged spread which a little more backbone might correct! Lovely finish.
This was just as good on the seond night and actually seemed to be a little more structured. It almost got another point, but not quite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine Spectator Grand Tasting (Marriott Hotel, San Francisco, CA): Possibly the most complex wine of the evening. Big fruit, leather, mineral, cedar and spice nose/mouth. Layers of interesting flavors are still wrapped nicely in well, balanced tannins. Finish goes on forever. Top 10 WOTN ($200).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was totally superb last night. Enjoyed over dinner accompanying my wife's tenderloin and my quail. A perfect compromise between old-world complexity and new world purity of fruit. This is a Cali cab for Bordeaux lovers and Cali lovers. The wine was dark and plummy in the glass, and the nose seemed raisiny and port like. However, on the palate the wine's rich fruit was complemented by eucalyptus and leather... I was thinking Lynch Bages....
Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep dark red - nearly black. The nose direct after opening: coffee and moss green, cardamon and a hint of caraway. The first sip: a young, extremly turbulent, very lively wine with vibrantly tanins. The nose of tabac arrive at the palate first, the wine is almost astringent dry. Of course: the subtle sweet roots ... wonderful. After that: the wine comes opener and formidable complexity. blachberrybitterchocolate, Marlborosaddlecoffee and wide land. Slightly dog piss. Later: forcefully dark fruits (black berry, black cherry, late plums) combined with coffee and tabac. And these reflexes of green (fir needle, moss, grass ... somebody wrote mint - yes, I spot this note too). The finish is at this time rather bright and short. I am not a Bordeaux-lover, but this is a great, very youth and wonderful wine.
Tiefes Dunkelrot - fast schwarz, kaum Ausflammen an den Rändern. Die Nase direkt nach dem Öffnen: Kaffee und Moosgrün, Tabak, Cardamon und etwas Kümmel. Der erste Schluck: ein junger, äußerst unruhiger, sehr lebendiger Wein mit kraftvollen Taninen. Die Tabaknase kommt im Mund nach vorne, der Wein ist dabei fast adstringierend trocken. Und doch: die untergründige süße Wurzelnote macht Lust auf mehr. Dann: nach und nach öffnet sich der Wein zu einer beeindruckenden Komplexität. Brombeerbitterschokolade, MarlboroSattelKaffee und weites Land. Ein bißchen Hundepisse. Später: Starke, dunkle Früchte (Brombeeren, Schwarze Kirschen, Spätpflaumen), kombiniert mit Kaffee und Tabak. Und immer diese Reflexe von Grün (Tannennadeln, Moos, Gräser ... jemand anderes schreibt Minze - ja, die entdecke ich auch). Einschub: ich bin ja nun wirklich kein Bordeaux-Freund, kein Fan von Cabernet Sauvignon. Aber dies ist hier ist ein großer, noch sehr junger Wein. Der Abgang ist für ausgeschriebene 13,2 Grad erstaunlich leicht und eher kurz ... zumindest derzeit.
Gekauft im Weingut für 200 $ - der Wein ist das wert! Geöffnet und getrunken, weil von der USA kommend mit über die Grenze nach Kanada genommen und zurück nur 1 l und nicht wie hinzu 1,5 l zollfrei sind. Und das ist schon ein wirklich schöner Vorwand, oder?
http://www.ridgewine.com/
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Thought I’d finally give this a try after 10 years. Opened over three hours, this wine is very dark, nearly black. Black fruit erupts from the glass with some vanilla and earth in the background. It’s very lush on the palate with gobs of glycerin and sweet tannins. Very long and pleasant finish but the tannins afterwards remind me that this wine is still a baby and in need of at least another 5 years in the cellar before being revisited. This is a great young wine now but promises something spectacular in another 10-20 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excellent. Decanted 5 hours and drank over 3 additional hours. Still young, but developed nicely over the day; minimal oak, good fruit, tanins present but nice; good structure and interest nuance and complexity; buy more
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
gorgeous, intense nose of roses and black fruits; round, sweet dark fruits in the attack, velvety mouth feel, seamlessly integrated, finish of leather and tobacco. Prefer a little more acid. Beautifully balanced wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pure sweet coffee on nose, the nose showed a little like a medium age left banker, the only element of any wine tried that made me think left bank Bordeaux. The pure intense fruit and sweet secondary oak character (buttery, almost toffee) and a nice tannic backbone. Glorious young wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dusky purple. Nose was immediate and refreshing showing lots of cassis, cedar, forest floor, and a little mint. Tasted a bit thin right after popping the cork, but after 90 minutes filled out a great deal. By 2 hours this was revealing massive black currant and blueberry fruit balancing out the still substantial tannins. The palate presence made it almost painful to drink, in a good way. Finish long. I think this is still very youthful, and has at least 5 years to go before it peaks. Powerful wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The Best for The Best 2005 (Chicago NW Suburbs): Showing some restraint today. Perhaps it is closing down a bit? Elegance and depth. Still lots of structure and life ahead of it. I was a little disappointed, as the last time I had this in March, it was awesome. I gave it about an hour decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted about 2 1/2 hours. Still a very dark purple with no lightening at edges. Nose immediate and lofty with blueberries and menthol scents. Palate revealed blue- and blackberry notes with cassis and some leather present also, exhibiting great concentration and almost aristocratic precision. Poised to be truly outstanding with all the pieces in place. Looks to be ageing like a high-end Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black purple color (essentially all the reds were concentrated deep red/black/purple and it was too dark to differentiate much). Huge big aroma of blackberry and chocolate. Rich tight blackcurrent fruit with hints of pencil lead on the palate. 3/05
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
First things first: I'm a Bordeaux guy, first and second growth Pauillac and St Julien rock my world, but I also love "old school" CA Cabernet. You know, Montelena, Dunn, Monte Bello, Insignia, et al. This wine happens to be my fourth Monte Bello and my first from the nineties. It is still a baby: Opaque purple-red without a hint of lightening on the edge. The nose upon opening is substantial if a bit unelegant; however, after an hour or two in the glass it softens and becomes more complex and earthy. In the mouth the oak is noticeable and not entirely integrated yet, though the red fruits, cedar, and wet earth still shine through. The finish is long with noticeable tannins. This one's gonna be a beauty, but if I had but one bottle, I'd wait for 5-10 years before cracking it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great stuff! Highly extracted & tannic but drinking well & will improve
Drank another bottle 8/06. It was a little musty, but when it blew off it was an excellent wine; deep and rich, wuite dry. It still had some tannin, but it was not pronounced. It will continue to mellow over many years. You might buy another bottle or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/6/2024 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 96 Points
Part of a trio of aged American Cab and Cab blends night with my wine group. It was opened and decanted for 90 minutes before pouring. Lots of fruit left, but the structure is beginning to weaken. I'm not sure how many years this has left. But this bottle was drinking great! Long finish, beautiful nose. The other 2 wines were a 2002 Quilceda Creek Cabernet and a 1996 1996 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard. As all 3 wines were drinking great, it was hard to pick a favorite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2024 - jbaron wrote: 94 Points
Quite nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2024 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
This was singing tonight and showing great maturity with just fabulous spicy dark berry fruits with and a wonderful lick of eucalyptus and superb floral lift. Layered with a gorgeously opulent texture and so giving now with superb concentration and complexity on the finish. Just a flourishing wine that's exciting to drink and yet so balanced and light on its feet. Certainly another decade of development here but I love where it is now. It was paired against the '96 Lafite and at least today, I slightly preferred the Montebello which is saying something.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2024 - Robert R. Likes this wine:
A very fine wine. Decanted an hour (should have been more patient). Great nose. Full, smooth, well integrated, complex flavor profile. About as good as it gets in my experience from CA Bordeaux styled wines. Just a real pleasure. High marks.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2024 - roddey3 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Magnum bottle: decanted night before & left overnight back in uncorked bottle; initially quite closed up. Re-decanted next morning 5 hrs before serving at lunch with gougeres and veal shanks (M. Battali recipe): fully open and stunningly complete wine that matches flavor profiles of previous reviews. Terrific nose, body, structure, mouthfeel, v. long finish. Comparable to 1984 Ridge Montebello and 1967 Heinz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Jancis Robinson was on the mark.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2024 - essenceofreal wrote: 94 Points
This was lovely. Double decanted then triple decanted 3 hrs before bringing to Farm in Napa. Then decanted again at the restaurant. After another 2 hours last glass was the best.
Went from 92 pts up to 94. However this was very much at peak. I can't see this getting better, now is a perfect time to drink these w a 4+ hour decant.
Evolved nicely into very Bdx qualities, usual suspects in the flavor profile. Very smooth and elegant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2023 - Bigtuna Likes this wine: 95 Points
Was the WON for many. Surprising youthful, but definitely read to drink. Opened, decanted, best after 5 hours. Elegant, silky, balanced
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2023 - Lazlo Toth Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted and then poured. Deep garnet with some bricking and fading to the rim. However, still looks younger than a 27 year old wine. Black cherry, cassis, baking spices, star anise, apple jacks cereal, forest floor, new leather and maybe a whiff of coconut on the nose. It's very expressive. The palate is complex and feels "electric" confirming the bouquet with an incredibly textured mouthfeel. Ripe black cherries and star anise at the front with dried cassis, Asian spice (cardamom) and tobacco leaf flooding the mid-palate carrying through the finish. High acidity, medium minus alcohol, and medium plus body. Weightless, yet lingering. Fully integrated medium tannins. Incredible length with multiple minute finish. Very well balanced with resonant fruit matched by acidity and fine tannins. A truly great wine that is somehow delicate, refined, and yet persistent. The acidity and mouthfeel of this wine are unique and memorable. Paired very well with filet mignon and scallops with dill cream sauce. This wine is all elegance and stands with very best Cabs in the world.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2023 - RayOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at 67
Perfectly mature and dancing
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/29/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
A Ridge Tahoe Weekend; 6/29/2023-7/2/2023 (Edgewood Resort): Wow wow wow. This could end up being the wine of the weekend pretty easily. Out of magnum. It’s just humming. Starts with the nose which completely draws you in. We were all joking you could just smell this all day and be happy. It’s slightly herbal and black fruits. Reminds me of thyme and maybe some rosemary and all of that more interesting sets of flavors that you get from the Monte Bello site. A few weeks ago I was at a Margaux dinner and a person scoffed at the idea that there was any California wine tasted blind that could beat the big French ones but I wholeheartedly believe this wine can.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/21/2023 - viking92067 Likes this wine: 99 Points
This is what a first growth Bordeaux would taste like from CA. Never had a bad bottle of Monte Bello. This evening we all said this was a 10 on a 10 point scale.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2023 - drdecanto Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had it on my 70th. Certainly more youthful at this point in its life than I am in mine. Brittle cork broke in half. No ullage. No leakage. Decanted for 30 minutes and then consumed over the course of 4 hours or so. Deep garnet with really no thinning at the edge. Heavy legs. Nose of deep red fruit; thinking currants. In the mouth, relatively bright and youthful with mostly fruit driven flavor. Long bright moderately tannic fruit driven finish. Lovely bottle, but not mind blowing. Bought it on release.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2022 - Nothung Likes this wine: 97 Points
Sublime. From magnum. Opened for about 5 hours and then decanted for 2 more. The wine is in a great place right now. Don't think there is any rush, but don't think it improves much from here. Served New Year's Eve with chateaubriand in a black truffle Madeira sauce. Perfection.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
12/20/2022 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 96 Points
High End Wine Night (Charlie Palmer Steak NYC): My second bottle for an auction purchase. Spectacular wine. Decanted for at least 45 minutes before pouring. A still youthful nose, on the palate it was a mix of fruit and spice. It is in a great balanced place right now, and should still have years of like ahead of it. A real treat!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/13/2022 - platpeeps Likes this wine: 98 Points
A textbook Californian Cabernet: vibrant and fresh, cassis and menthol, sweet fruited yet savoury and super tannins. Multi-layered and complex with a superb finish. It completely belies its age yet was absolutely ready to drink. A wine that deserves all the plaudits and more. A privilege to have tasted it. CHP 98pts
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Odd that almost got Brett.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2022 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
deep young red color with no signs of age on the rim, on the nose a heavy sprinkling of bell pepper over substantial cassis, plum and cherry fruit, on the palate still young and tannic, cassis and blueberry the dominant fruits on the muscled and youthful palate, intense mineral streaks throughout, fine length, a robust young wine showing a good bit of detail- but still not ready in my view, superbly balanced for the very long term.
***(**), 2030++
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2022 - Zweder wrote: 98 Points
Beautiful classical bouquet with ripe dark berries and chocolate. Same on the palate, herbs and spices, red berries as well, beautiful acidity and soft, powdery tannin. Very full bodied. Nevertheless elegant and tempting. My red WOTN so far. Just great and so beautifully at its peak!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2022 - hajoha wrote: 95 Points
Ridge Montebello 1996
Stor vin!
Fortsatt på den ungdommelige siden, men nydelig å drikke nå likevel.
Kjølig pen frukt.
Stor konsentrasjon, fint syredriv og en herlig fruktsødme.
Svært lang. 95p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2022 - LWI wrote: 94 Points
BYO Homecoming: Blind. Dyp og sjarmerende, krydret, velbalansert. Vanskelig å tro at dette ikke er vestsidebordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2022 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 90 Points
Much improved after five hours of air. Opaque ruby and purple. Perfumed nose of black berries, leather, and some florals, -and tar? Mostly black and blue fruit, some sweetness from oak. Medium to full-bodied. Silky mouthfeel. Still some tannin but mostly resolved, medium acid. Not a great vintage of Monte Bello but quite enjoyable. Not much upside from here. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/26/2022 - rcg62 wrote: 97 Points
Wow wine. Still great color, high neck fill. Lots of sediment in the bottom of the bottle after a decant. Seriously opened after an hour or so. Nose pops, fruit + pine and camphor bits. Palate is loaded. Raspberry, and other tart red fruits, smoke, and earthy flavors. Drinking superbly but probably stays at peak another ten years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2022 - hajoha wrote:
Helt nydelig vin, men med noe mindre frukt enn forrige flaske.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2021 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 96 Points
The first of 6 bottles that I purchased at auction in December 2019. This was opened, but not decanted for over 50 minutes before pouring into glasses. A huge hit with my wine group, we had this alongside a 1995 Shafer Hillside Select. Comparing this to the Shafer, it was more delicate and better balanced. Which one members of my group preferred really depended on their tastes for 20+ year old CA wines. I preferred the Monte Bello, but it was so close, I gave both wines the same score. A very long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2021 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Wimps Thankgsiving Lunch - Connor Table; 11/25/2021-11/26/2021 (La Trompette): Woof. For me - wine of the flight, wine of the lunch. Everything in place - super balanced, fully ready to drink but still a way ahead of it. I have a sense this might have been a weaker vintage in principle, and in a decade this would fall behind the 98 (and maybe even 97), but just perfect now. If you never drank better than this, you would have drunk very well indeed. What a treat.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/2/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Ridge Monte Bello Retrospective (Porter House): Lighter in style. I don't know that there was more rain this year but when people talk about a wine being a bit less concentrated this was just a bit less than the other in the flight. Still great and delicious, but just not quite at the same level. This is black fruits and herbal and maybe a touch of mineral. 80% CS, 11% Merlot, 9% PV.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2021 - Krokfjord Likes this wine: 95 Points
Definisjonen på topp Bordeaux, bare at den kommer fra et helt annet sted. Her var det livlig, energisk frukt som samtidig er raus – med lilla plommer, solbær. Vinen omfavner munnhulen, men er aldri «stor» på feil måte, og har eleganse og intensitet gjennom hele kurven. Nesten en slags perfekt blanding av venstre og høyre Bordeaux-bredde. Ikke det minste spor av plagsom eik, Drikker perfekt nå, men vil holde lenge og trolig utvikle enda mer kompleksitet med mer tid. Heftige greier.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/30/2021 - hajoha wrote: 95 Points
Ridge Montebello 1996.
Duften velter ut av glasset.
Strålende intensitet av mørke bær, krydder, lær, og treverk.
Utrolig deilig nese.
Sødmefull lush frukt i munn.
Ingen skarpe kanter i sikte, men nok struktur til å holde alt på plass.
Dette er midt i smørøyet nå og kommer til å holde seg der i en liten evighet om jeg skal tippe.
Ren og elegant kvalitetsfrukt med fint løft.
Kveldens største pleasure.
Kunne sniffe og smatte på denne hele kvelden - tapte seg ikke det minste.
Imponerande lang med smoothe tanniner og en vakker fruktsødme.
Digger denne. 95-96p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2021 - MC wrote:
Splash decanted an hour before dinner. This was wonderful. Just a great example of Cali cab. Ripe, dark fruits with fully integrated and resolved tannins. Long, sweet finish. This was side by side a '96 Montrose which was the crowd favorite (and I agree) but as a wine without food, in particular after dinner, I would have picked this one. I think I would be safe and drink now although no signs of decline. Wish I had more but this was my last bottle. A
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/6/2021 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
Offered blind against the 1996 Leoville Barton. The Ridge needed a short decant and then really blossomed. Expressive nose of blueberry, cake, sweet spices, clearly riper than the Bordeaux but not overdone. No farmyard aromas, which gave it away blind which one the Bordeaux was. In the palate the wine is plush with lots of fruit and a great tannic core. In my book, Monte Bello continues for me to be the best red wine from the US. They never went over board with the 15% Alc bruisers. Also, as can be seen today, they age wonderfully. Fully mature, drink now and over the next 10 years. 96+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2021 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 20 minutes. Aromas of dried cherry, dried blackberry, funk, leather and lead pencil. Flavors of cherry, blackberry, plum, currant and a bit of earth. Ends with a long 40-45 second finish with blackberry notes. Still a ton of fruit on this and only some of it is dried. Tre Scalini has a very cold cellar so this is not surprising. Think this will evolve so will update the note.
Update: 2 hours in and this kicked it up a notch. Fruit more pronounced and nose more expressive.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2020 - napasoutherner wrote: 94 Points
I so love Minte Bellos because while they have their roots on California they are distinctly Bordeaux driven. This 24 year old wine was medium in lengthy but had floaters of light black and blue fruit, a very rounded texture to it with some ash and forest floor. Medium finish. Very pleasant!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2020 - soyhead Likes this wine:
tasted blind, terrific showing
nose - ethereal, tinge of Brett, pencil lead
mouth - lovely complex lush fruit, great structure, great complexity, sexy showing tonight. I guess Bordeaux and my second guess was Bolgheri. really a terrific bottle. I suspect this can go many years still (if well stored)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2020 - michael8080 wrote: flawed
Cork ruined, bought at auction potentially stored badly. Wine was past its prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2020 - llink wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured. Beautiful nose of currants, cedar and menthol. Palate is fresh as a daisy, with layers of complexity and nuance. Mature fruit with just enough grippy structure. Just lovely
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2020 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Served single blind, I confused this with a 2001 Insignia. Honestly, they seemed very similar to me. Neither had signifcant tertiary components, they seemed middle-aged, not old and wise. Plenty of fruit, well-integrated, just no big wow factor.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2020 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Single Blind Old Napa Virtual Tasting (Home): Very dark red color with a 1cm transitional margin. PNP, poured into vessels and capped 2 hours prior to pouring into glasses. Drank 2 glasses single blind over 3 hours. This wine was really the biggest enigma for me. This was the most distinctive nose that was more mindful of Graves/Pessac character. The nose is woodsy, lots of scorched earth, tar, burnt embers, cassis, high toned wild flowers (later), some vanilla and menthol. The palate is full and earthy, scorched earth, creosote, cassis, black raspberry, nice texture, fine tannins. 92+ to 93pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2020 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was a single blind tasting. Everyone knew the wines, but not the order or which wine was which....the lineup:
1996 Ridge Monte Bello
2011 Myriad Cellars
2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia
1996 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard
2002 Dunn Howell Mountain
2012 Kirkland Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 Araujo Estate Sauvignon Blanc Eisele Vineyard
Dunn was opened and decanted to remove sediment, then back in the bottle at 2:30, until 4:45, when it was poured into jar 6 oz for transporting. The rest of the wines were poured in glass jars starting at 4:15. Tasting began at 6:30. All wines were tasted between 6:30 and 8:00. Group's number 1 wine was the 1992 Dunn. Number 2 wine was the 1996 Heitz Martha's Vineyard.
1996 Ridge Monte Bello- Wow...1996, and still looks so youthful! Dark purple with no bricking. Medium to medium-full bodied. Nose showed sweet perfume, with black and red fruit and a hint of lavender with bits of tar and wet leather further in the background. The palate showed plum, red current, hints of blueberry and some sweet oak. this is an excellent wine and held its own against some stiff competition. My number 3 (tied with the 2001 Insignia), and only a point behind the 1992 Dunn, which was mine and the group's number 1 wine. Tried the next morning and this wine held up well overnight...raising the score by one point. A solid 93.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
3/10/2020 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Served to me by a friend; this was excellent. The color here is surprisingly youthful and dark; the nose shows similar with explosive cassis, blueberry, followed by tobacco, a hint of dill/herb, vanilla, and earth. The palate is sublime with excellent concentration and depth, great balance, and a long finish. Still really on the young side based on this and should easily go another 20+ years in a cool cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/14/2020 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pretty nose of mint, eucalyptus and lots of dark fruit. While tannins are mostly resolved, the palate still shows lots of youthful red fruit. Very good balance and acid, a fine food wine with good length. A solid vintage of MB and one that will be enjoyable for ages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/14/2020 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Dinner with Herwig (Heirloom cafe): A little réticent at first, black fruits with a bit of green leaves; palate is full bodied but elegant, medium-plus acid, fully integrated tannins; medium-long finish. This is lovely and fully mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2020 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Not sure how long this was open. Aromas of blackberry, currant, dried cherry and licorice. Nose is really open for business. Flavors of blackberry, currant, cherry and dried plum. Ends with a long finish of 40 seconds. This is great and bit ahead of the 95.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2019 - mark2eye Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted along with the 92 and foung this to be more fruit forward with racy acid and leather.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2019 - Dave Canada wrote: 94 Points
Drinking really well...
Nose of tobacco leaf, pencil lead, graphite, flowers, cassis, blackcurrant, mint, eucalyptus, pipe tobacco...so polished and sexy
Palate is so silky.....svelte. Pure juicy red and black fruit, tobacco, eucalyptus, spice, earth, moss, flowers....wow
Finish is medium....layered....but a touch abrupt...almost classic...but not there.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2019 - locovino wrote: 93 Points
Appears to be still very young... Beautiful dark red color in the glass. Firm acidity with a complex nose of cassis, blackberry and cherry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2019 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:
A private dinner, 'bring your own' (28-50 Marylebone, London): Decanted for an hour, might have benefited from longer. Strong oak on the nose, almost offputting in its intensity. Wonderful on the palette, really well-integrated, complex and long. A great example of the style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/29/2019 - Euoinos Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is the second time I drink this vintage of Ridge, and last time the wine performed well but felt like it was approaching old age. This bottle was a completely different story! Very vigorous and the wine still felt young and continued to improve after several hours. Tobacco, pencil shavings, grass and red fruit on the nose. The palate was full of cherries and well balanced tannins carried by supple fruit. Served blind and I could have guessed this was a quality left bank Bordeaux. Only one bottle left in the cellar. The question I now have to ask is how do I get ahold of another?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/28/2019 - dougmcc Likes this wine: 98 Points
Absolutely delicious. Decanted over 3 hours. Full and totally round in all its flavors. Smooth as silk. Only the slightest hint of brown on the edge. Probably has another 5+ years until fully at its best.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2019 - daved Likes this wine: 95 Points
3.5 hour decant and it needed all of it.Still big, ripe fresh and full body, with nice minerality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 96 Points
Awesome wine! The freshness of the fruit is stunning. Medium dark berries and mint with lots of nuance and complexity. Very fine grained tannins. Very long mouth coating finish without any heaviness. Just delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2019 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Deep red - still young. Incredible perfume of blackberry, smoky tar, menthol, cedar, cassis, pencil sharpenings.
Medium + acidity, med body & alc. Silky tannin, still grippy. Very complex. Long long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2018 - napasoutherner wrote: 95 Points
An interesting wine that in the end impressed! At first I thought it had a corked sense to it but after 2 hours of decant it slowly started to come to life. Some mint and light floral notes on the nose. A very feminine wine that has less berry notes than it did more earth and graphite. Medium finish. Medium tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2018 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decidedly Bordeaux-like, an Old World-style beauty, showing genetle dark fruit alongside a myriad of layered notes: graphite, cedar, licorice and smoke.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2018 - jgreco Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wine Advocate: Grand Walkabout Tasting (NYC): Red brownish color. Very old world in character. Oaky. Tannins are mostly resolved. Overall just a bit muted in character and I was expecting it to show better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a magnum. Drinking great now. Don't think this is going anywhere, but in a great spot right now too. Well balanced. I enjoyed this quite a bit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2018 - portman63 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Traditional style Bordeaux blends tasting: This was the one new world wine that fooled the group into thinking that it was old world style. Had nice black currant fruit and earthy minerality and so well integrated with soft tannins and balanced acidity. Just in it's right place and likely to stay there for a number of more years. Many excellent wines showing that extracted isn't necessary to be delicious.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2018 - Ryan3719 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Absolutely flawless! Enjoyed from a half bottle tonight. This is a wine to be treasured. Give it 2 hours in the decanter and you will be handsomely rewarded. Wow...just wow!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
A broad and very fine vintage for this iconic wine that's still a few years shy of peak but is joyous to drink now with a 3-hr decant. Very smooth and thickly-textured but it avoids any over-ripeness (alcohol 13.2%). There are lovely flavors of black fruits, licorice and mint that are integrating perfectly and lead to a sublime finish with ultra-smooth tannins and great silky complexity. A stunning showing. 95+ At Racine's NY.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2018 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Coravin sample. Very out of character for a Ridge MB. If tasted blind I would have mistaken this for an Aussie Shiraz. This has a massive fruity raspberry core that just jumps out of the glass. Given its provenance, I have no doubt this will develop beautifully over the next 10 years and beyond.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2018 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still drinking beautifully. Great round fruit soft integrated tannins. Brilliant color
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2017 - Mascarello59 wrote:
Very green and on the verge of flawed. Bad bottle?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2017 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aging nicely, though it is ready to drink. Nice saddle and brick notes, with just enough fruit to balance it out. Good effort, though not a blockbuster.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2017 - mrbry83 Likes this wine:
PnP, threw off quite a bit of sediment. Very nice aged cab, tannins are quite resolved, acidity showing through a bit more. For me, just the right amount of age for my preferences. Tertiary aromas/flavors of leather/cedar showing, still has some primary dark fruits on the palate. Satisfying finish, good to drink on its own without food.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2017 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
In the bouquet a lot of sweet spices and chocolate. Same on the palate with soft cherries, red and dark berries. Silky soft acidity and tannin. Overall a concentrated, tempting and delicious wine which is ready now and still has enough power for several more years.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2017 - doggman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had been logged in to my cellar but CellarTracker didn't recognize the label.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2017 - jkoenen wrote: 96 Points
Classic Cali cab in the traditional 'Bdx-like' style, which I adore.
Black fruit, spicy oak, grainy tannines, graphite, earthy mid-palate. Full-bodied, well-endowed mouthfeel braced by perfect acidity, this is drinking great right now, but still feels very young and has plenty of promise for the following 10 years.
Extraordinary stuff!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (Ridge Monte Bello, Cupertino): From 5L. Nice and complex nose with black fruit but also notable spice, some forest floor from age; palate is full bodied, plenty of remaining fruit but also nice aged forest floor; medium-long finish. A lovely Monte bello that is approachable but also still young. 93-95+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2017 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Cal Cabs (Chez Bruce, London): A bit riper and fuller on the palate. Not quite as precise and poised, but very good. Possibly more rounded and complete. On a par with the 93, just a minor stylistic difference within the tight Ridge spectrum. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2017 - Rupert wrote: 93 Points
California Cabernets (Chez Bruce, Wandsworth, London): Earthy. Lovely blackcurrant fruit shows through and the combination works.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2017 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Black fruit, graphite and lead pencil. Old world nuances, but really fresh fruit and bright on the palate. The alcohol and wine overall is very balanced and soft on the tongue. Great weight. Slight amber edges. Drinking really well - can't believe this is a 30 year old wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2017 - POBlund wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at 12 vintage vertical by Michel Jamais.
Dry nose black currant/cassis, lavender, black cherries. Little dusty with maturity.
Dry elegant body of earth, cedar, mushrooms, structure with high fine-grained tannins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2017 - appel54 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tät mörk färg
Initialt mycket jord, stall, gröna toner, körsbär, körsbärskärnor, svarta vinbär
Fortfarande bra syra, medium+ längd, balansen finns där. Väldigt mycket bdx över det.
Vinet korkades upp lite otacksamt sent. Flera runt bordet var lite skeptiska men jag uppskattade det. Jag saknade dock lite längd (framförallt efter att det visade sig vad det var för vin)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2017 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beatiful nose, elegantand deep; very smooth yet terse a bit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2017 - vinojones wrote: 96 Points
Deep ruby red; rich nose of blackberries, plums, vanilla, and mocha coffee; full bodied black and blue berry fruit, more coffee than mocha and a hint of earthy tertiary flavors in the finish; great balance from the nose to the finish which was long and smooth
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2017 - sooper65 wrote: 87 Points
Very youthful, notes of eucalyptus, I would not have dared guess this as a 20 year old wine.
That said, I am not overly impressed by it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2016 - randyjc wrote: 95 Points
At 20 years old, this wine is so refined and so gorgeous. Its the last of 6 and I wish it were the first. But, each of those six has been memorable. A gorgeous nose presenting predominantly eucalyptus with soft red fruit. In the mouth it is soft with red and black fruits, and a bit of leather and mint. This wine is fantastic. A perfect match-up with a prime rib Christmas dinner with family and friends.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2016 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
1 hour decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2016 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow bottle. Nice fruit and smoke on the nose. Lots of tight acidity to the raspberry and dark cherry palate. Flavors linger forever. Lots of life and I think good for many years to come. Old school. 96+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/20/2016 - KenK Likes this wine: 96 Points
Really good. Beautifully penetrating aromas of dark earth, brambly wild black fruits, and lavender. Wonderfully concentrated and dense with great rich dark fruit and chewy structure. In a great place and served blind most thought a wine from early to mid 2000's. Nice zippy finish and black spices. Will last many more years, highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2016 - King Cab wrote: 95 Points
Mature Ridge among friends (North Square, NYC): From a perfect bottle. Initially had a slight greenness on nose with a tiny dose of eucalyptus. I figure that's the PV showing up (9%). As it sat it became cohesive and textured with some pretty white flowers, black currants and cardamom.
So pretty and so pure, this sang from the glass at about 30 minutes and never faltered. Notes of leather and gravel and lead pencil, this is dense and fragrant with wonderful balance and verve, it defied its age. Finish long and exact. Such a wonderful gem stored well and it shows the true greatness of the Ridge Monte Bello fame.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2016 - Border Boss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still really young after 20 years. Deep ruby color with no color change. Very tannic, with dark fruit starting to emerge. Easily another 10 years until maturity, with good drinking for years after.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2016 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Decanted and served and really this is still so youthful and firm that we thought it is 5years too early for it. Good fruit, rich and with depth but not overdone some secondary notes came as the wine opened up. Still a lot of life in this one and maybe a shame we had it at this stage. Still a beautiful wine, 93-4 for now but full of promise still!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2016 - fcxj wrote: 94 Points
Quite complete... nose, palate and length. Minty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2016 - skurtz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted at the Prime Rib. What a beautiful CA wine, a sumptuous earthy bouquet that floats a few inches from the glass. On the palate a harmonious blend of fruit, faint tannins (yes, tannins!), and acid. Many secondary flavors too hard to describe after the fact. Nice complexity. Sadly my last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2016 - cmmatthews Likes this wine: 96 Points
Really sublime. Dark purple in the glass...shows very little signs of age. Dark berries, cedar, leather. Some light acid on the lingering finish. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2016 - MC wrote:
In fine shape. Showed a little ripe but was coming after Bordeaux. A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/10/2016 - rlove wrote: 95 Points
Youthful, dark purple. Captivating, perfumed nose of spiced plum, leather, eucalyptus, and cedar. Dark fruit, mocha, and earth on the palate; long, persistent finish of mocha. Sexy and supple. Soft tannins. Crumbled, mess of a cork required an ah-so to extract yet this wine is singing. Drink well for another 5+ years. (80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot per label)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2015 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine:
After 1h; Quiet nose with cassis, soil, licorice. Very smooth and silky in the mouth, tannins perfectly integrated and very well balanced with a lively acidity and a solid fruit core of blackcurrants and dark cherries. Relatively long lovely balanced finish. Could wish for a little more complexity (just maybe)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2015 - markydecker Likes this wine: 97 Points
Near perfection. From magnum, the wine was decanted 4 hours. Leather, tobacco, currants on the nose. Tannins have receded and mellowed, fruit and acidity in perfect balance. Silky, full bodied, harmonious mouthfeel, full sixty second finish. Outstanding to the last sip. Right in the drinking window where it will stay well into the next decade. My favorite MB of the 90's. You may pay a lot more for California Bordeaux style blends, but won't get a better wine than this. Serious bravos.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Tobacco, peppery herbs and blackberries on the nose move to a fresh, crisp, juicy, refreshing mouthful full of ripe, juicy, sweet fruits. This is quite stylish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2015 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 90 Points
Pre-1997 Cabs from Santa Cruz Mtns - Berserkers Offline (The Palace Steakhouse, SF): Super toasty - coffee, Slight buttered toast. Beautiful roasty coffee with cedar and blackcurrant. Slightly dirty - slight brett.
Tighter - leaner. Same well-knit intense fruit on the nose, but seems closed. More air?
Bloomed into awesome brett savoriness, but then some reduction was uncovered.
Score: Around 9.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2015 - aagrawal wrote: 95 Points
Wineberserkers cabernet offline (The Palace, Mission, SF): Fascinating aromatic nose with smokiness, flint, black fruit, great complexity, slight reduction; palate is full bodied, structured tannins but approachable, superb acidity, blackberry, blueberry; finish is medium-long. This is superb and has excellent character with its spice and minerality. 95++
With air, the smokiness, flintiness, and spiciness is mild Brett. Very nicely integrated though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2015 - llink wrote: 93 Points
Double decanted and let sit for 5 hours, then consumed over the next 2 hours. Pretty nose of red fruits, dill and some cedar plank mixed with leather. Very classic MB. The palate showed silky with a dose of acidity/tart fruit, nicely resolved tannins and a fairly dry finish. Served next to a Pichon Lalande from 96, this came across as more ready to go and maybe a little simpler.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2015 - skurtz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 1h. The cork was a bit dry and fragmented, which required some filtering but otherwise the bottle was in excellent shape. It has a musty nose, almost Bdx-like, and the palate also has earthy oaky elements, along with the extracted red berries. Great complexity and a slight acid finish. Superb, well balanced. Drinking very nicely now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2015 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dunkles purpur, animalische Noten, Brombeere, Kirsche, Holz, Graphit; unglaublich weicher, ausgeglichener, harmonischer Wein. Ruht in sich; enormer Tiefgang und Länge. Immer noch jung, aber ein tolles Trinkerlebnis.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/13/2015 - MC wrote:
In a great spot. A-/A
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2015 - randyjc wrote: 95 Points
For finesse, subtlety and elegance, I have not had anything in California that approaches Monte Bello. At 19, this wine is an old lover. It is perfect, knowing exactly what feels right. Totally gorgeous with tertiary flavors that go on and on.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2015 - KenK Likes this wine: 97 Points
Double decanted. In a wonderful place and came across much younger than I would have expected. Offers up large scale, black cherry fruit with bold dark minerality. So well integrated with perfect structure and balance. Goes on for at least a minute. Nice complexity for such a bold wine. Amazing stuff, no hurry to drink up. Can you tell I liked this quite a bit and it was up against a Harlan and a Shafer HSS. Who woulda thunk?
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2015 - ldorf Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still plenty of fruit and a long, smooth finish. The wine has continuously gotten better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2015 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chú Xī (除夕) Dinner at Home for Chinese New Year (Our House, Hong Kong): Decanted for 4 hour before serving - the cork looked like it had just been bottled yesterday. Nose is WOW!.....pencil lead, graphite, deep blackberry fruit, smoke, sandalwood, cedar....wonderful Bordeaux-like depth and multidimensionality. Palate has a beautiful fresh and vibrant acidity almost like pink grapefruit followed by quite tart black fruits that haven't quite matured yet. Good tannic grip. Medium weight except that it punches at top weight in terms of resonance and heady reverberance on the finish. Fabulous....... it has matured slowly but beautifully since the previous bottle I drank six years ago but its best years are still way ahead of it. 95+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2015 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
A Ledbury lunch (The Ledbury): Similarly dark and dense. Not showing quite as well as a bottle this time last year, but I think that's more about the context (two other Montebellos cf a straight pairing with a Dominus last time). Blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaf on the nose which is fuller and more focused than the 92, and not quite the sweet (relative) exuberance of the 99. Long and persistent. Cooly classy with a finely mineral line on the finish. Lovely. ****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2014 - mwanasheria Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose of herbs, thyme. On the palate earth, more herbs, cassis, a nice touch of chalky minerality. Great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2014 - JS199 wrote: 97 Points
Similar to previous note. Opened and drank over 7 hours. Still youthful, plenty of fruit, after some time it really shows lots of nuances that make this wine very memorable. Even 24 hours later I was still thinking of this wine. Haunting. The precision of all the flavors dancing across the palette is incredible. Not overpowering in anyway, a scalpel like wine. Best I've had from Ridge. Lots of time left.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2014 - ldorf wrote: 94 Points
Tightly wound at first with the layers coming thru as we drank it with our mean. Not overpowering, but full bodied with an "edge"... bit of tannin still there, and delightful in this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2014 - randyjc wrote: 96 Points
I have been following this wine for a few years and last had it in 2011, and I loved it then. My notes, however, do not match up with what was in the glass last night as this wine has matured and is developing gorgeous depth, nuance and tertiary flavors. The nose is a bewitching combination of right bank Bordeaux and California cab - earth, leather, tobacco, black plum and then little hints of mint and eucalyptus. The wine looks young and vibrant and the first burst of flavor is fresh and alive. On the finish though is when the wine is just oh-so-good - long, lingering, masculine flavors and, in particular, blackberry, currant and (best of all) pipe tobacco. This wine is absolutely spectacular and I wish that right now I could go forward in time to taste it ten years from now. (While I'm there I think I'll take a peek at the stock market.)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2014 - LambertsCellar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful, developed California cab. Strong notes of menthol, eucalyptus and black currants on the nose. Full bodied and lush on the palate, with a long fish. Drinking beautifully now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2014 - keith prothero wrote: 94 Points
Spicy cabernet sauvignon, very aromatic and open, with floral notes light oak and red fruits. Very elegant and open. On the palate the wine feels a bit on the young side, firm tannin and fruit on the mid palate, good acidity, medium weight and long finish. Beautiful wine which is just as good as the 96 GPL which I rate highly in Bordeaux. May perhaps wait another few years though until I open my next bottle Excellent/Outstanding 94 pts
__________________
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2014 - 2oldwinos wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely beautiful!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/10/2014 - SimonG wrote: 95 Points
A Ledbury Lunch (The Ledbury, London): Dark, dense, very polished. Similar on the palate. A deep core of blackcurrant fruit with a mineral and damp earth edge and a touch of briar. This is very plush, dense and serious. Very lovely. More serious and a little less superficially flamboyant than a recent 99, lovely now but with a decade if two ahead of it. A lovely pairing with the slightly looser and less prim Dominus. Hugely impressive. *****
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2013 - winemaker Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed during our annual holiday dinner in the same flight as the 1996 Dalle Valle and the 1996 Shafer Hillside Select. The Dalle Valle was very flamboyant and sur maturite in my view. Still good, but not in my sweet spot. The Hillside Select was gorgeous, but I still preferred the '96 Monte Bello although I brought it. It is definitely the most Bordeaux like by far of these three. Glad I have more left!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2013 - Wine_lvr wrote: 92 Points
American Belle 2nd Edition (Switzerland): Tasted blind: Deep red. Amazing nose of Coffee, chocolate and creme de cassis. The nose merits almost a perfect score. Nice sweetness, balance, elegant at the same time a Ridge that is on the light side. Not in a bad way but I am just missing a bit power. Still very youthful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2013 - Periko Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Double decanted for 1 hour and kept in open bottle for 2 more. Appealing bouquet with cedar, mint, mature black fruit and ripe redberries. With the first sip you can tell this is very good: medium bodied, powerful yet elegant, shows great structure, balance and a seamless finish. Great wine. (93-95)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
If anyone wanted to state Ridge Montebello is the best example of a classic style of California Cabernet Sauvignon, I'm going to agree with them. This stunning wine is just what the doctor ordered, with its concentrated layers of fresh dark berries, earth, spice and tobacco scented personality. Mouth filling, multi-layered, long rich, the wine builds in the mouth and captures your attention with each additional sniff, swirl and sip. Still young, this should age for decades.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2013 - astroman wrote:
Independence Day celebration (Park Palace): No notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2013 - aajder wrote: 91 Points
Deep color, just a bit of fading at the edge. The nose is pure, showing dark fruits, earth, cedar, flowers, and a bit of oak. This is full bodied on the palate, with excellent concentration and good elegance. The long finish shows big tannins that are well integrated. This is not as fresh as a previous sample, I wonder if its starting to age quickly. Still drinking well though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2013 - MC wrote:
Very good, and one of the better 96s of the evening. Nice balance of fruit and earth, plenty of complexity. Bordeaux-like, but plenty of concentrated fruit. Not as good as the Dalla Valle and Dominus for me on this night - but just a hair behind them. A-/A
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2013 - JS199 wrote: 95 Points
Opened and drank over 3+ hours. Initially, a bit ripe and surprisingly a large amount of fruit. After the 1.5 hour mark this wine evolved into a scalpel like masterpiece. Stunning, as it danced around your mouth without ever being heavy. The nuances just kept unfolding as the wine never faded. Lots of power, light on its feet, a classic. 95/96
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 92 Points
inky in color. blackberry, dried cherry, soy, wet earth, forest floor, smoky, eucalyptus, mineral, spice, pepper, leather, on the nose. medium acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2013 - rhanke wrote: 95 Points
Great wine, full mouthful, lots going on, All great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2013 - jimkay21 wrote: 93 Points
Corks were crumbly, (notes from memory) light sediment. Dark color no browning, rich palate, tannins resolved. Went down easily. Two bottles opened with both showing well
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2013 - djs wrote: 94 Points
At it's peak. Classic Cali cab. Nice!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2013 - llink wrote:
Opened up after 2 hours in the decanter, tart and red fruited, with some drying tannins but well integrated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2012 - wabi47 wrote:
earth and some funk on the nose; still somewhat primary mixed dark fruit, earth/tobacco; medium acidity and length. less elegant than i anticipated. ?may have been lightly corked but it was all eventually consumed at christmas dinner--will not score.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2012 - Wine_lvr wrote: 95 Points
Ridge Monte Bello Vertical Tasting 1974 - 2008 (Switzerland): Intensive deep red. Taste of minerals, red berries, pencil and creme de cassis. Very rich dark berry flavors, classical Bordeaux style Cab, concentrated but long and elegant. One of the great wines of the tasting. There is no hurry to drink this Monte Bello. Drink now - 2030
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2012 - TexasBob wrote: 92 Points
Still drinking beautifully with that multi-layer taste I love so much. Sadly, my wife destroyed my tasting glass, so I was unable to take detailed notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2012 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
The Semicentennial Birthday "Season"; 9/16/2012-9/18/2012 (San Francisco and the Napa Valley): This deep red/garnet wine (a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot) shows an explosive bouquet of black cherries, exotic spices, dried earth and pipe tobacco. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, dry leafy tannins and well-integrated alcohol (which is listed as 13.2%). The flavors are black fruit and earth-dominated, persisting throughout the middle and into a finish with impressive length. This wine is holding up very well and should continue to drink nicely for several more years. Drink now-12/20.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2012 - aajder wrote: 93 Points
A rich, earthy, tarry nose previews this big, concentrated wine. On the palate, there is rich elegant purple fruit with a touch of leather and earth. The flavors are quite concentrated, and have not fully developed. There is powerful structure here as well, with big tannins and medium high acidity. A big wine that retains its class, but in need of more cellar time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2012 - salil wrote: 87 Points
Very ripe brambly red fruited aromas; a touch minty with a little developed savouriness. It's quite pleasant on the palate with a polished texture, gentle tannins but at the same time a little soft and showing more alcohol than I'd like.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/5/2012 - Cosmo3 wrote:
Really changed as the night went on. Upon opening, it was pretty closed down with just some green peppers supported by a strong mineral profile (mainly a ferrous taste) which was not pleasant but an hour later the dark fruits and tannins exploded and the complexity and power dominated and improved as the night went on. This was more full bodied to me (than medium bodied based on the previous notes) but it walked the line in terms of a fine and balanced finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2012 - Stephan O wrote: 96 Points
(Drank at The Square, London.) I had much the same experience as several other tasters here, but liked it a great deal more, I think. Would've called it a Bordeaux if tasted blind, and would've thought it was a first growth or super second to boot. Prototypical cassis, cedar, and cigar box, with a range of red fruits to spare. It's massive on the nose, but it ratchets everything back down once it's in the mouth, with super-cool earthy notes taking over. In fact, "super-cool" seems like a good overall description: there's no heat whatsoever, the tannins and acid do their bit but only in the background, and the whole thing is just sleek and balanced. A sublime experience, much like the '97.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2012 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 90 Points
I was impressed by the dark dark red color and the middle aged nose. In the mouth the wine was youthful, tart and cedary, red fruited and shot through with maybe a little too much iron mineral perception. This was medium bodied and didn't wow on the finish. Still, a very nice drinker and was waking up and getting better as the night moved on. I believe, in spite of its improvement over a few hours, this wine will pretty much stay like it is now and will not get much better in the bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/6/2012 - guitarguy wrote: 88 Points
Fresh and well integrated. Maybe a bit of the burned rubber note my sister-in-law complains about in Monte Bellos. I have to downgrade it for that reason.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2012 - ersmith wrote: 96 Points
Very smooth with a perfect balance of tannins and fruit. Decanted for sediment only. Leather and earth on the nose. Plum and black raspberry flavors. Had with dinner at On The Square in Tarboro, NC.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2012 - ajmorton Likes this wine: 92 Points
You must decant or wait an hour or so before serving ! After that, slightly green nose but plummy with a hint of cedar. Not much length. Probably at its best now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2012 - Flavito wrote: 94 Points
1976 - The Paris Challenge Revisited (Bravin - Sao Paulo - Brazil): Very complex and long, perfectly mature, and not a hint of heat, like almost all other Californian in this tasting. Many thought it was a Bordeaux. My favorite Californian of the night, it was a strong contender for WOTN, but the Ducru is just singing nowadays.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2011 - ajmorton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Plummy and cherry nose, quite open and a bit earthy after some time in the glass. Smooth going down, very little tannin. Overall a great wine but probably best drinking now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2011 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Ridge Monte Bello 1994-2000 Vertical with Eric Baugher (Handford Wines, London): Cedar, red fruit classic Bordeaux style nose. Seriously structured wine, lots of tannin at the moment and just starting to mellow. Secondary notes of earth coming around and lots of cedar. Starts very nicely with a nice nose but tails off with dry finish unfortunately. 92+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2011 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Slow-O 2 hours. Dark ruby core, little sign of age. Lovely nose of cigar wrapper, menthol, sage, black currant and toast. Sublime, full-bodied palate with generous acids to manage the ample, textured fruits. Tannins caress, the finish lingers for 30 seconds, or more. Magnificent and something I imagine that new and old world wine lovers could both agree is very special, and very enjoyable. Drink thru 2028, 13,2% abv, score: A/A+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2011 - joefouche wrote: 92 Points
Continues to be graceful and well-integrated. A little shorter and sweeter than the first time. I would drink soon, and match with more delicate food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2011 - dcasper wrote: 92 Points
great nose filled with berries. slightly sweet in the middle with an Bordeaux-like finish; silky vanilla. An excellent wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2011 - jamieirving wrote:
Made with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot the fruit for this wine comes from higher elevations in the Santa Cruz mountains. Deep ruby in colour, the nose shows liquorice, mocha and coffee. The palate is full bodied with plenty of ripe and fleshy dark berry fruit and leather. The finish is long and dusty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2011 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Attractive anise and cherry nose. Sweet, with hints of Bordeaux on the palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2011 - VoteferPedro wrote: 91 Points
Pop and pour. Dark and with soft nose. Good gruit and acidity. There seems to be minimal tannin and the finish is not spectacular but overall I feel it is a drinking excellently now. However, there is no upside (IMHO) to keeping
5+11+18+7
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2011 - Brett wrote: 92 Points
Great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2011 - CWilliam wrote:
Excellent wine - only had 2 oz and was entertaining so no notes (92+ though). I preferred the 1994 but most of dinner party preferred the 96 Monte Bello. Cork had dried out but wine was still quite young - dried fruit profile and very food friendly. Too bad this was my last bottle! Great US interpretation of righ bank Bordeaux. Excellent with grilled beef tenderloin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/16/2011 - randyjc wrote: 95 Points
Gorgeous start to finish with an exuberant and expressive nose of mint, camphor and cassis. The flavors are blackberry, black plum, and earthy oak. There is an unusual hint of sweetness, and a lingering finish carried by fine tannins and just enough acidity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2011 - Khamen wrote: 95 Points
Tasted alongside all vintages from 1995-2000. One of the stand-outs on the night. Extremely clean and pure black-fruited nose with heaps of cool mint. Wonderful balance with good grip and a long sumptuous finish. Others on the night found this to be absolutely on it, but I think i could use just a tiny bit ore time to finish blossoming into the special wine it doubtless is. 95+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2011 - pjaines wrote:
Ridge Montebello Tasting & subsequent drinks; 3/22/2011-3/24/2011 (Berry Brothers, London): Stunning. Menthol to the fore here - really tasted like an old Cos d'Estournel at times. Deep, complex fruit with leather, more mint, softly woven tannins - smooth but awesome quality with a sweet finish. Ready for action.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2011 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Very youthful and quite elegant. Pretty cassis and brambly fruits have a hint of dried herb and capsicum action. There’s some cedar and earth and it is nicely balanced with good grip to the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2010 - chris_3 wrote: 84 Points
This wine was amazingly good considering the its age. A pleasant well melded cabernet
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2010 - wurzel68 wrote: 92 Points
Doppelt dekantiert; betörende Nase mit würzig-erdigen Anteilen und Beerenaromen; dabei Johannisbeere, Pflaume, Leder, Tabak und viele Kräuternoten, vor allem Koriander, aber auch Marjoran; frischer, hocharomatischer Wein mit feinem, geschliffenem Tannin; im Verhältnis zur Komplexität allerdings relativ kurzer Abgang. Je länger der Wein an der Luft ist, desto mehr dominieren zudem am Gaumen die Tabaknoten und zehren die Frucht etwas aus.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2010 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dense, complex nose of black fruits, dried herbs, currant, and cigar box. Dry but distinctive red fruit flavors with minerals and saddle leather. Long, earthy finish with caressing tannins. As close to fine Bordeaux as California Cab gets!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2010 - chris_3 wrote: 84 Points
Pleasant to drink but as with so many of my old wines it would have been better years ago
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2010 - gregwood wrote: 91 Points
A-, tasted vertically with 92/94/96. Best of the bunch, complex and alluring. More vibrant than the other 2.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2010 - yhn wrote: 94 Points
Nose - redwood, cinnamon, plum, black currant, creme brulee.
Smooth redwood, plum and black currant, dusty. Still young. Some cedar and bitter lime zest on the finish. Opens up really well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2010 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
Lovely well balanced elegant wine. May still be improving.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2010 - yhn wrote: 93 Points
(80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot)
Nose - stinky outhouse, rich savory mushroom, smooth, warm, nice subtle oak spice.
Smooth mushroom and black currant, cinnamon, redwood, touch of cedar, slight hint of bandaid. Drink now-'20.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2009 - pgordon62 wrote: 93 Points
Ink, Lalande-like blackcurrant bush (the Petit Verdot?), plum, worn leather, a touch of damp, humous-rich earth. Fresh but fleshy. The palate adds a wonderful mushroom note. A finish of excellent depth with briary fruit, more of that mushroom and nice round tannins. Will be special in another 5-7 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2009 - guitarguy wrote: 92 Points
Nicely mature but perhaps declining just a bit. Still vibrant red-purple with no bricking, this could have been a restrained zinfandel, based on color alone. Nose included whiffs of turned earth, charcoal, currant. Mature flavors of integrated oak, raspberry, fine but moderate tannin with nicely integrated acid to match. It does seem to finish short, which is the main downside of this wine, and the wine is not improving significantly with air. I think that this is not enough in balance to age to 20. I think I would finish it by age 15.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2009 - Bromie wrote: 92 Points
Lovely wine with impressive length and depth of flavour. Wonder what it would have tasted like if I had left it 10 yaers - guess I'll never know!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2009 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Ridge Monte Bello Vertical 1972-2003 (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Tasted single blind in 1993-2003 flight. Big fruit, showed a more rsutic character on nose than most other vintages.Lots of structure throughout, mostly tannin. Showed more of its Petit Verdot than other vintages. Needs time to soften.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Ridge Monte Bello Vertical 72-03 (Ken's house, northbrook IL): nose: real nice cedary backdrop on the nose with bits of violets, dark red cherries, menthol, spice tones, currants and a touch of herbs. Pretty and demure that is almost like a barolo, but is cabernet based, which makes for a real intriguing nose that is really fun to smell
taste: lovely and well balanced medium/full feel that comes off rather nuanced in a way with pretty tones of cedar, dark red cherries, menthol tones, bits of spice and some tones of berries. Excellent depth with really fresh medium+ acidity to it
overall: my no3, group4. this comes off as needing a good bit more time as there is a nuanced aspect to it that will need good aging to let it fully emerge. This doesn't come off as a Monte Bello that will blow you away with great layering and purity like the 91 or 94, but instead it has a searching aspect to it that demands attention and a small group with it as it has a story to tell
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2009 - philblum wrote: 94 Points
Amazing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2009 - JJL wrote: 91 Points
Not up to the level of the '91 from the previous night, but still good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2009 - Colia wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Nose: boysenberries and raspberries. Bright acid. Very youthful. Palate confirms the nose, with the addition of cinnamon and a faint whiff of petroleum. Long finish. Cork crumbled; use caution when removing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2009 - Rupert wrote: 91 Points
Ridge Monte Bello vertical 1964 - 2002 (Institute of Directors, London): Intense, leafy and lean, grippy tannins, high acid, severe, but quite grand and impressive
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2009 - JJL wrote: 93 Points
Typical Monte Bello style, but this bottle was more open than the last '96 I had a few months ago. Cherries, limestone and green pepper on the nose. Red raspberry, cherry, cedar, leather, licorice and little spice on the palate. The tannins mellowed from the last bottle and the Santa Cruz acidity was vibrant as usual.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/1/2009 - joefouche wrote: 92 Points
Aerated into decanter. Deep garnet color, no brick. Somewhat muted nose of cedar, clove and pepper with some lilac. Very long, smooth and balanced with the usual Cab notes and a fairly light body. Good sour finish. There are still ample tannins and I will give my other one substantial time. I enjoyed it, but would rather have 6 bottles of Geyserville for the same $...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2009 - DougLee wrote: 91 Points
Dinner With Friends (Our Abode): Opened and sampled from decanter for several hours with dinner. Still purple with garnet edges. Super nose of mulberry, cedar, pine scents, red currants, and leather. Palate was slow to open, finally revealing currant and blueberry flavors smoothly integrated with sweet tannins and a whispery finish. Stately and impressive showing for this wine, which probably would have benefitted from additional decanting time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
Cult Californians Wine Tasting (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Rich red colour. Unctious and chocolaty/coffee nose. Great power and balance on the palate. Still a baby and with years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/19/2009 - Winevestor wrote: 97 Points
Beautiful, beautiful wine. Big, distinctive nose of green bell pepper, pencil and dark fruit (ie classic). Medium fullness, long finish, almost became sweet as the evening went on. At its apex of drinking right now, should be drunk over the next few years. Old style CA wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2009 - JJL wrote: 92 Points
This needs more time. Really nice dark tones on the nose, still too tannic on the palate. My experience with other vintages of Ridge Monte Bello is that these wines don't really start to hit their stride until after about 15 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2008 - rob1869 wrote: 92 Points
(At Andrew Edmunds). Rich blackcurrant-ish fruit with some medium oak and spice on the nose; full bodied, concentrated, beautifully textured and quite tannic still on the palate; medium+ rather than very long finish; suggestive of much more to come but a little concerned about that finish - the "late palate" gradient of drop-off in intensity was relatively pronounced...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2008 - Clarkmeister wrote: 92 Points
Mixed reviews from our crowd. Only got about 30 mins of air before drinking and probably needed more despite its age. Good nose, a typical "American Bordeaux blend" profile with some decent fruit, oak and some forest floor. Great balance. Not sure the value is there however.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2008 - RiedelBeagle wrote: 91 Points
I was surprised by the tannins that remain after 12 years, but they didn't interfere with my enjoyment of this wine. Abundant, if not particularly complex fruit. For some reason, this wine's biggest problem for me was that it felt quite hot, despite having only 13-point-something percent alcohol. I've been drinking California Cabernets that approach 15 percent lately, without experiencing this problem.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2008 - milwaukeewino wrote:
Part of vertical - full notes to come.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/16/2008 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Tasted with Ridge Monte Bello '80, '90, '91, '92, '94, '96 (corked), '99, '00, '01 (in magnum). Quite a lovely night one might say.
My favorites of the night were the '90 and '99. But just barely. Meaning that every vintage seem to show the magnificence of this site, all were worthy of appreciation. All the wines showed dark black fruits, a certain tobacco anise-ness and precise purity of acids and tannins. The younger the wines were the more black fruit, the less tobbacco. All bottles were still viable and drinkable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2008 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
Ridge Monte Bello Tasting (The Wine Summit, Lake Louise, Alberta): 80% CS, 11% M, 9% PV – 13.2% ALC.
Aged almost entirely in new, air dried American oak barrels.
All 33 parcels fermented separately – long malolactic fermentation extending into late November – extreme colour achieved in 9 days rather than the usual 18 days on the skins.
Initially two “first” blends, which were allowed to rest in barrel . Following Summer the two were stable and better combined as opposed to each of the first blends – full assemblage more than 10 months after harvest.
Deep black ruby – full ruby rim; mix of aromas – deep black fruits – hasn’t separated yet – short sniffs yielded some violets – caramel – fresh berries – a slight hint of ripe olives; good concentration – supple on the palate, with ripe currant and black plum flavours; fruit in abundance – holding onto a solid frame; acids and soft tannins in balance; long, smooth fruit driven finish. The wine hasn’t yet developed its personality, but it offers up astounding potential. The use of all new oak hasn’t blemished this wine at all, and has augmented the extracted fruit within the structure.
We also enjoyed this wine at dinner on Saturday, paired with a roasted filet of Alberta Spring Creek beef tenderloin. It was a terrific match.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2008 - ewineguy wrote: 93 Points
The Wine Summit at The Post Hotel in Lake Louise Alberta Canada was fortunate to have Mr. Paul Draper as one of the presenters. After taking us all down a brief but interesting trip down memory lane, Mr Draper lead us trough a technical tasting of 8 Monte Bellos covering a range or 23 years. After the 05, I was expecting to be let down, but eguitarguy (below) nailed this wine spot on. Dark dark purple, spicy oak, scorched earth. Great flavors, jammy viscous, and plumy with touches of mineral. This too will get a shelf in the collection. Great stuff, well done Paul.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2008 - Jeff W wrote:
"Grand Crew" Trailwalkers Charity Dinner (Insititute of Directors): Very forward and very New World. Gobs of pure fruit. Immediate impact. Refined, powerful, intense, rich and full. Good structure, with both tannin and acidity. Long spicy finish. Gorgeous. exc
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2008 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
WIML92
Tasted May 17, 2008 at an offline so no formal notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2008 - zazoo wrote: 89 Points
Well...it was ok. Thats it just ok
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2008 - Cheryl wrote:
Cali Cabs: Ridge, Maybach, Pride, Montelena, Bressler and two ringers (Dallas, Texas, Lola): This was the group's WOTN. There was some oak present and it was a dark burgundy plum color. Really pretty. I smelled some raw meat on the nose.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2008 - guitarguy wrote: 94 Points
The best Monte Bello I have had to date, and I have drunk '94-98 from my 12 year (and counting) vertical. This wine is vibrantly red to slightly purple out of the decanter. It laughs at nearly 12 years of age...ha, ha. Nose of dark black fruit (black currant?), anise/licorice/fennel and earth. There is perhaps a tinge of light phenolic or some other type of lab chemical but it is not off-putting and could actually be the alcohol volatilizing. Very fine tannins, but still ample, frame flavors of chocolate Chukar cherry, anise and earth. It does dry just a bit but hey, still nealy extraordinary and certainly well into the outstanding arena. Will this age? Seem like there is plenty of youth to go with the impecable balance right now. But if you drank a case tonight with your best pals, you would never regret it. Probably a case where you drink down stock and save one or two bottles to see how it looks in another 5-10 years, which is what I plan to do. Clearly a step up from my previous TN's so I think it is in one of those rare drinking windows.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2008 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Tasted double blind. Staggeringly deep, dark fruit. Quite ripe on the nose, but not overly so. On the palate, big fruit. Impressive combination of power, fruit, complexity and balance. Fantastic. I guessed it was a big-gun Bordeaux. Half the group preferred the wine served blind next to it (2002 Mouton) and half the group preferred the Ridge - though everyone loved both wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2008 - guitarguy wrote: 90 Points
I thought this was a good effort with a nice dark ruby, ample but fine tannin and good fruit and mint/wet eucolyptas notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2007 - guitarguy wrote: 91 Points
Nose of dirt and wet evergreens. Flavors of sage, garrigue, muted berry fruit and wet earth. There is a certain greenness to the wine but it is not objectionable. Color is deep red, no browning around the edges.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2007 - Pre-emptive wrote: 87 Points
Dry, fruitless and uninterestingly tannic. i would waste my money elsewhere.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2007 - Paul-Richard wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing. Rather bland, simple, none of the elegant complexity and richness I expect from Monte Bello. I'm rather insensitive to cork taint. Looking back, perhaps this bottle was flawed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2007 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Cali Cabs w/Bryans Steaks (The Shaffers): Full opaque black red color. medim nose of lifted purple fruit. Nice clean round red fruit with acidity and a bunc of tannin. Still too tight to be great for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2007 - Nanda wrote: 97 Points
High-end Cali Cabs with Bryan's Steaks (The Shaffer's): Gorgeous, aromatic nose with nuance and complexity has red fruits, tobacco and tar. Palate shows exquisite balance combining medium bodied, rich fruit with acidic edge and grainy tannin. Outstanding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/31/2007 - guitarguy wrote: 91 Points
Not sure I am completely sold on this wine. It seemed to be getting on just a bit and it was stored at 55 degrees from the time I received it from Ridge. Berry nose, mild tannins and the effort was there. But there was a little bit of a dustiness to it that I found off-putting for such lineage. I am not sure Monte Bello's have much more than about ten years in them and I am going to try to scarf my 94,95, 96, 97 and 98's this year. I am particulary troubed by other producers '97's and I hope the Ridges are doing better than ones I have had from other producers in CA.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2007 - Wrighty wrote: 93 Points
Bernie's annual New Year dinner (Enterprise Studio, Hong Kong): Some blueberry, chocolate and hints of cedar and tobacco - like a trace of Bordeaux. Almost balanced palate, just a hint of middle aged spread which a little more backbone might correct! Lovely finish.
This was just as good on the seond night and actually seemed to be a little more structured. It almost got another point, but not quite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/16/2006 - psmith wrote:
Dark, surprisingly resolved nose. Really nice, softer than expected, Bordeaux-influenced palate. Classically structured and, while clearly capable of lasting, really drinking well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2006 - GolferChris wrote: 96 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tasting (Marriott Hotel, San Francisco, CA): Possibly the most complex wine of the evening. Big fruit, leather, mineral, cedar and spice nose/mouth. Layers of interesting flavors are still wrapped nicely in well, balanced tannins. Finish goes on forever. Top 10 WOTN ($200).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/13/2006 - evanbaines wrote: 97 Points
This was totally superb last night. Enjoyed over dinner accompanying my wife's tenderloin and my quail. A perfect compromise between old-world complexity and new world purity of fruit. This is a Cali cab for Bordeaux lovers and Cali lovers. The wine was dark and plummy in the glass, and the nose seemed raisiny and port like. However, on the palate the wine's rich fruit was complemented by eucalyptus and leather... I was thinking Lynch Bages....
Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2006 - incfish wrote: 94 Points
Deep dark red - nearly black.
The nose direct after opening: coffee and moss green, cardamon and a hint of caraway.
The first sip: a young, extremly turbulent, very lively wine with vibrantly tanins. The nose of tabac arrive at the palate first, the wine is almost astringent dry. Of course: the subtle sweet roots ... wonderful.
After that: the wine comes opener and formidable complexity. blachberrybitterchocolate, Marlborosaddlecoffee and wide land. Slightly dog piss.
Later: forcefully dark fruits (black berry, black cherry, late plums) combined with coffee and tabac. And these reflexes of green (fir needle, moss, grass ... somebody wrote mint - yes, I spot this note too).
The finish is at this time rather bright and short.
I am not a Bordeaux-lover, but this is a great, very youth and wonderful wine.
Tiefes Dunkelrot - fast schwarz, kaum Ausflammen an den Rändern.
Die Nase direkt nach dem Öffnen: Kaffee und Moosgrün, Tabak, Cardamon und etwas Kümmel.
Der erste Schluck: ein junger, äußerst unruhiger, sehr lebendiger Wein mit kraftvollen Taninen. Die Tabaknase kommt im Mund nach vorne, der Wein ist dabei fast adstringierend trocken. Und doch: die untergründige süße Wurzelnote macht Lust auf mehr.
Dann: nach und nach öffnet sich der Wein zu einer beeindruckenden Komplexität. Brombeerbitterschokolade, MarlboroSattelKaffee und weites Land. Ein bißchen Hundepisse.
Später: Starke, dunkle Früchte (Brombeeren, Schwarze Kirschen, Spätpflaumen), kombiniert mit Kaffee und Tabak. Und immer diese Reflexe von Grün (Tannennadeln, Moos, Gräser ... jemand anderes schreibt Minze - ja, die entdecke ich auch).
Einschub: ich bin ja nun wirklich kein Bordeaux-Freund, kein Fan von Cabernet Sauvignon. Aber dies ist hier ist ein großer, noch sehr junger Wein.
Der Abgang ist für ausgeschriebene 13,2 Grad erstaunlich leicht und eher kurz ... zumindest derzeit.
Gekauft im Weingut für 200 $ - der Wein ist das wert! Geöffnet und getrunken, weil von der USA kommend mit über die Grenze nach Kanada genommen und zurück nur 1 l und nicht wie hinzu 1,5 l zollfrei sind. Und das ist schon ein wirklich schöner Vorwand, oder?
http://www.ridgewine.com/
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2006 - cassetta wrote: 96 Points
Thought I’d finally give this a try after 10 years. Opened over three hours, this wine is very dark, nearly black. Black fruit erupts from the glass with some vanilla and earth in the background. It’s very lush on the palate with gobs of glycerin and sweet tannins. Very long and pleasant finish but the tannins afterwards remind me that this wine is still a baby and in need of at least another 5 years in the cellar before being revisited. This is a great young wine now but promises something spectacular in another 10-20 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2006 - Cracker Barrel wrote: 94 Points
Excellent. Decanted 5 hours and drank over 3 additional hours. Still young, but developed nicely over the day; minimal oak, good fruit, tanins present but nice; good structure and interest nuance and complexity; buy more
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2006 - Paul-Richard wrote: 92 Points
gorgeous, intense nose of roses and black fruits; round, sweet dark fruits in the attack, velvety mouth feel, seamlessly integrated, finish of leather and tobacco. Prefer a little more acid. Beautifully balanced wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 94 Points
The Full Monte - 35 Year Monte Bello Vertical (Alba Restaurant, London): (Cepage unknown)
Pure sweet coffee on nose, the nose showed a little like a medium age left banker, the only element of any wine tried that made me think left bank Bordeaux. The pure intense fruit and sweet secondary oak character (buttery, almost toffee) and a nice tannic backbone. Glorious young wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2005 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Dusky purple. Nose was immediate and refreshing showing lots of cassis, cedar, forest floor, and a little mint. Tasted a bit thin right after popping the cork, but after 90 minutes filled out a great deal. By 2 hours this was revealing massive black currant and blueberry fruit balancing out the still substantial tannins. The palate presence made it almost painful to drink, in a good way. Finish long. I think this is still very youthful, and has at least 5 years to go before it peaks. Powerful wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2005 - GlenD wrote: 92 Points
The Best for The Best 2005 (Chicago NW Suburbs): Showing some restraint today. Perhaps it is closing down a bit? Elegance and depth. Still lots of structure and life ahead of it. I was a little disappointed, as the last time I had this in March, it was awesome. I gave it about an hour decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2005 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Decanted about 2 1/2 hours. Still a very dark purple with no lightening at edges. Nose immediate and lofty with blueberries and menthol scents. Palate revealed blue- and blackberry notes with cassis and some leather present also, exhibiting great concentration and almost aristocratic precision. Poised to be truly outstanding with all the pieces in place. Looks to be ageing like a high-end Bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Black purple color (essentially all the reds were concentrated deep red/black/purple and it was too dark to differentiate much). Huge big aroma of blackberry and chocolate. Rich tight blackcurrent fruit with hints of pencil lead on the palate. 3/05
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2005 - Chewbacchus wrote: 95 Points
First things first: I'm a Bordeaux guy, first and second growth Pauillac and St Julien rock my world, but I also love "old school" CA Cabernet. You know, Montelena, Dunn, Monte Bello, Insignia, et al. This wine happens to be my fourth Monte Bello and my first from the nineties. It is still a baby: Opaque purple-red without a hint of lightening on the edge. The nose upon opening is substantial if a bit unelegant; however, after an hour or two in the glass it softens and becomes more complex and earthy. In the mouth the oak is noticeable and not entirely integrated yet, though the red fruits, cedar, and wet earth still shine through. The finish is long with noticeable tannins. This one's gonna be a beauty, but if I had but one bottle, I'd wait for 5-10 years before cracking it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2003 - bdenuyl wrote: 94 Points
Great stuff! Highly extracted & tannic but drinking well & will improve
Drank another bottle 8/06. It was a little musty, but when it blew off it was an excellent wine; deep and rich, wuite dry. It still had some tannin, but it was not pronounced. It will continue to mellow over many years. You might buy another bottle or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment