Ridge Vineyards
Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Santa Cruz Mountains, San Francisco Bay, California, USA
Outstanding. Great structure and balance.
Outstanding. Great structure and balance.
Aug 9th, 2023
Deep tawny color with a scarlet center. Earthy, musty nose. Notes of red and black fruit, moist forest floor, cedar, dark spice and a little menthol. Rounded in the mouth with soft tannins and silky texture. Fruit is present but slightly faded. Good juice but not as good as my last bottle of this. If this was a singular sample size, I would say drink up sooner rather than later. But I suspect this was an outlier.
Deep tawny color with a scarlet center. Earthy, musty nose. Notes of red and black fruit, moist forest floor, cedar, dark spice and a little menthol. Rounded in the mouth with soft tannins and silky texture. Fruit is present but slightly faded. Good juice but not as good as my last bottle of this. If this was a singular sample size, I would say drink up sooner rather than later. But I suspect this was an outlier.
Sep 2nd, 2022
Nose has ripe blackberry, over-ripe black currant, dehydrated black cherry, moist prune, dried mint, old leather, old cedar, fresh cigar, ever so slight eucalyptus and milk chocolate powder.
Palate has velvety black fruits, blackberry/black cherry/plum, cedar, wet leather, wet volcanic rock, moist garden soil and wow what a finish, so long, so beautiful. Well cellared '96 CA should last forever! Medium tannins persist! Decanted 6H, more time would be appreciated, alas our last and only bottle, damn it.
Paired to Allen Bros. filets (Prime/Complete Trim) grilled to 127° then rested for 12m, perfectly medium rare; Toasted orzo with grilled squash and brussel sprouts with bacon. 🤤
An early Father's Day with my parents, so I don't have to compete with my Sister & Nephew's in 24 hours, plus we'll have the better wine. 🤞
Nose has ripe blackberry, over-ripe black currant, dehydrated black cherry, moist prune, dried mint, old leather, old cedar, fresh cigar, ever so slight eucalyptus and milk chocolate powder.
Palate has velvety black fruits, blackberry/black cherry/plum, cedar, wet leather, wet volcanic rock, moist garden soil and wow what a finish, so long, so beautiful. Well cellared '96 CA should last forever! Medium tannins persist! Decanted 6H, more time would be appreciated, alas our last and only bottle, damn it.
Paired to Allen Bros. filets (Prime/Complete Trim) grilled to 127° then rested for 12m, perfectly medium rare; Toasted orzo with grilled squash and brussel sprouts with bacon. 🤤
An early Father's Day with my parents, so I don't have to compete with my Sister & Nephew's in 24 hours, plus we'll have the better wine. 🤞
Dark purple tawny color, opaque. Silky nose. Silky wine. Notes of black fruit, cedar, mocha, leather saddle and some sweet black cherries. Silky in the mouth. In a great spot. Great now but will likely last a couple of more decades.
Dark purple tawny color, opaque. Silky nose. Silky wine. Notes of black fruit, cedar, mocha, leather saddle and some sweet black cherries. Silky in the mouth. In a great spot. Great now but will likely last a couple of more decades.
Jan 7th, 2021From magnum. Still deep reddish tawny, not showing much age. Great nose right from the start. Notes of dark fruit, blueberry, cassis, some menthol, slate and a little cedar wood. Silky in the mouth. Love this wine.
From magnum. Still deep reddish tawny, not showing much age. Great nose right from the start. Notes of dark fruit, blueberry, cassis, some menthol, slate and a little cedar wood. Silky in the mouth. Love this wine.
Sep 7th, 2019
96 Monte Bello. Just a beautiful wine, I won't even go into all the descriptors, if you've had Monte Bello before then this is everything you expect. Just singing on its 21st birthday.
96 Monte Bello. Just a beautiful wine, I won't even go into all the descriptors, if you've had Monte Bello before then this is everything you expect. Just singing on its 21st birthday.
1 person found it helpfulOct 15th, 2017From magnum with 3 hours in the decanter. Nice deep purple. Opaque. Silky nose of plums, dark fruit, mocha and a little soil. Velvet texture in the mouth. Still young but developing complexity. Should age effortlessly for years to come
From magnum with 3 hours in the decanter. Nice deep purple. Opaque. Silky nose of plums, dark fruit, mocha and a little soil. Velvet texture in the mouth. Still young but developing complexity. Should age effortlessly for years to come
Jan 1st, 2017From Magnum. Amazing. Still a baby and can go another 20
From Magnum. Amazing. Still a baby and can go another 20