Ridge Vineyards

Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

9.418 ratings
9.65 pro ratings
Santa Cruz Mountains, San Francisco Bay, California, USA
Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot
Onion, Shallot, Garlic, Pasta, Venison, Tomato-Based, Potato, Pork, Chocolate & Caramel, White Rice, Mushrooms, Beef, Lamb, Chili & Hot Spicy, Salami & Prosciutto, Exotic Spices, Baking Spices, Herbs, Chicken, Pungent Cheese, Turkey, Soft Cheese, Beans & Peas, Hard Cheese, Duck, Blue Cheese, Onion
Top Notes For
Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.7

Stellar. Many young vintages of this wine show their oak more than this. Sure there’s a coconut whiskey barrel note but more prominently incredibly smooth and supple tannins wrapped around cherry and plum notes with hints of dried herbs and graphite. Stunner. Drink now or hold for three decades or anywhere in between.

Stellar. Many young vintages of this wine show their oak more than this. Sure there’s a coconut whiskey barrel note but more prominently incredibly smooth and supple tannins wrapped around cherry and plum notes with hints of dried herbs and graphite. Stunner. Drink now or hold for three decades or anywhere in between.

Oct 1st, 2019
Roy Goble

Consistently good

Consistently good

Aug 14th, 2019
Meg Herring

Concentrated. Elegant. Extremely well integrated oak flavors like cedar and clove. Could use quite a few more years but already showing beautifully.

Concentrated. Elegant. Extremely well integrated oak flavors like cedar and clove. Could use quite a few more years but already showing beautifully.

Nov 21st, 2018
Delectable Wine

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9.8

The 2015 Monte Bello is just as phenomenal in this tasting as it has always been. Explosive and powerful in the glass, with fabulous textural richness, the 2015 has a lot to say. Super-ripe red and purplish berry fruit, rose petal and spice add myriad shades of complexity as this towering Monte Bello shows off its personality and pedigree. Rain during bloom reduced the crop significantly. Moderate temperatures with no heat spikes led to a long, relatively cool growing season. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, September 2018)

The 2015 Monte Bello is just as phenomenal in this tasting as it has always been. Explosive and powerful in the glass, with fabulous textural richness, the 2015 has a lot to say. Super-ripe red and purplish berry fruit, rose petal and spice add myriad shades of complexity as this towering Monte Bello shows off its personality and pedigree. Rain during bloom reduced the crop significantly. Moderate temperatures with no heat spikes led to a long, relatively cool growing season. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, September 2018)

1 person found it helpfulSep 5th, 2018
Michael Ochsner

Bigggg.

Bigggg.

Jan 27th, 2019
Neil Valenzuela

At the premier of Somm 3 with @DLynn Proctor - Nice purple color, aromas of blackberry, star anise, and clove. Flavors of dark fruit, black olive, and moss/forest floor.

At the premier of Somm 3 with @DLynn Proctor - Nice purple color, aromas of blackberry, star anise, and clove. Flavors of dark fruit, black olive, and moss/forest floor.

Oct 26th, 2018
Matthew Sabato

A baby. Long life ahead. Check back in 10-15.

A baby. Long life ahead. Check back in 10-15.

May 21st, 2018
JeremyC

This particular btl on this particular overcast, non fruit day didnt do a ton for us esp in light of its hype. Not bad at all but void of all fireworks. No one else visiting that day bought any. At $215 it's a tough sell esp showing like that. The estate cab from 16 actually showed a more complex and promising experience vs the 15MB.

This particular btl on this particular overcast, non fruit day didnt do a ton for us esp in light of its hype. Not bad at all but void of all fireworks. No one else visiting that day bought any. At $215 it's a tough sell esp showing like that. The estate cab from 16 actually showed a more complex and promising experience vs the 15MB.

May 15th, 2019
Renato Hoyle

Renato had this 6 years ago

Renato had this 6 years ago

Sep 8th, 2018
Georgia1

Georgia1 had this 4 months ago

Georgia1 had this 4 months ago

Jan 1st, 2024