Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Ridge – Monte Bello 2017
Santa Cruz Mountains – California, USA 🇺🇸
Blend: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc

Overview
One of California’s most legendary wines, Ridge Monte Bello has been estate-grown, produced, and bottled entirely in-house since the 1960s. The 2017 vintage reflects a Bordeaux-inspired blend from the cool Santa Cruz Mountains, offering both structure and elegance. (Educational note: Monte Bello’s higher-altitude vineyards give cooler temperatures, yielding more restrained, ageworthy wines compared to Napa Valley powerhouses.)

Aromas & Flavors
Blackberry, cassis, and red plum at the core, accented by cedar, graphite, and cocoa. Hints of tobacco, dried herbs, and floral notes bring depth and complexity.

Mouthfeel
Medium to full-bodied with polished tannins and refreshing acidity. A graceful, layered wine that “dances on the palate,” finishing long and harmonious with both power and finesse.

Food Pairings
Perfect with grilled lamb, prime rib, or braised short ribs. Also pairs beautifully with mushroom risotto or aged cheeses.

Verdict
A benchmark California classic — Bordeaux in inspiration, but with a Santa Cruz identity all its own. The 2017 Monte Bello is elegant, expressive, and deeply satisfying. 🍷

Did You Know?
Ridge’s Monte Bello gained international fame in the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting, where it ranked among the world’s top Cabernets, cementing California’s place on the fine wine map.

Collector’s Rarity 📌
Highly allocated and cellared by collectors worldwide, Ridge Monte Bello is a vertical-worthy wine with decades of aging potential. — a month ago

Rubychick

8.9

Cork giving out but why not after 19 years! Wine is escaping to fresh beauty with a little wet dog age that I like.
Holding her space in 2025
80% Zin, 16% Petite Syrah, 4% Carignane
14.7% is reigning it in on this varietal and well done! Doesn’t feel fire breathing at all 👏 — 7 months ago

with See and Erika

"Odedi"

9.1

Ruby in color with a wide reddish/brick rim.

Fruit forward on the nose and medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing sweet cherries, raspberries, blueberries, black currants, plums, chocolates, light oak, earth, cola, herbs, spices, light vanilla, licorice, peppercorn and tobacco leaf.

Nice tangy finish with soft tannins.

This 6-year-old Zinfandel blend from Sonoma County is drinking at its peak. Spicy and fruit forward. Elegant and juicy.

Great right out of the bottle, but even better after a few hours of air, when the complexity really comes to life.

The alcohol is very nicely integrated by now. Easy drinking and nicely balanced. A great sipping wine.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$35. — 7 months ago

Robert Stackowiak

9.5

Classic color, fragrances, and dark cherry on the palate. If you drink this wine at less than 5 years old, you might be disappointed. But at 7 years old, it is amazing. August 2025. — 3 months ago

Scott E. Becker

9.3

[Tasted on June 7, 2025 at Noko in Nashville with Jay, and again on October 26, 2025 with Tom and Kathy at their house]

Raspberry fruit with black tea notes. Beautifully balanced. — 5 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Ridge Zinfandel blends always age well. This was no different. Tasted this blind and no one called Zinfandel. That’s how different they become with this kind of age. That Zinfandel jamminess fades and complexity rises.

Recent pick up at K&L $46.

Happy Birthday to me! — 7 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.0

I really liked this wine when tasted at the winery in May 2024. Now it seems closed - the exuberant fruit i remembered is gone (tried 2 bottles to be sure). These recent samples (Dec. 27th) did drink more like reds and lacked the usual „man what is this“ wow effect of E&M. Faint hint of strawberry, elegant and pure. Opens up after 4 hours. — 10 months ago

Evan Roberts

9.4

Wow, the very last bottle in Higgins cellar. it was shy at first, quiet and understated. We thought for a second maybe the best years were in the past but we were rewarded with an example of the the beauty of Oregon Pinot Noir. As it opened up the layers of secondary notes took the forefront and the subtle gave way to a deeply complex wine, where the dance between vintage and winemaker had given way to vineyard and the knowledge to just let the wine be what it wanted to be. Cheers Doug best Brickhouse I have had maybe ever. Pure transparent terroir — 4 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

No sediment, so I popped and poured. Explosive nose has super-deep, pure spicy blackberry Zin fruit. Purity of fruit is a hallmark (in my experience) of Ridge’s Dusi Ranch cuvée. There’s also a bit of clove from the American oak, but it’s pretty subtle. Great intensity of flavor in the mouth, with a soft, enveloping texture. It’s big, at 14.8%, but it’s balanced. And keeping things under 15 in Paso is challenging. Terrific wine. Yummo. — 5 months ago

Tyler Felous

9.2

Even after 3 hours, this is shy. Darker fruits, loads of structure. A few hints at what it will become but needs more time. — 7 months ago