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  • Country ranking ?

    338
  • Producer ranking ?

    14
  • Decanting time

    30min
  • When to drink

    Now
  • Food Pairing

    Duck confit, Pulled pork BBQ & Saltimbocca alla Romana

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The Story

In 1886, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the first Monte Bello vineyards were planted, and winery construction begun. A first vintage from the young vines followed in 1892. During Prohibition (1920-1933), the vineyard was not fully maintained; some vines survived into the late 30s, but by the 1940s they were effectively abandoned. Eight acres of cabernet sauvignon were replanted in 1949. These were the source of the first Ridge Monte Bello (1962) and subsequent vintages until 1974 when younger blocks replanted in the 1960s were considered for inclusion. Since then, the historic vineyards on the ridge have gradually been replanted.

The Monte Bello (originally Monte Bello Cabernet; until 1975, 100% cabernet) is the wine that introduced Ridge to the world, and the world to Ridge. Today it is a blend of bordeaux varietals in which cabernet sauvignon still predominates. Exhaustive tasting of test blends during assemblage determines how much — if any — merlot, petit verdot, or cabernet franc will be included in the finished wine. Almost every vintage (an unbroken chain from '62 on) has something substantive to recommend it. Each decade has its high points, but year after year Monte Bello proves to be a consistently outstanding wine. There's structure, there's complexity, there's balance. And it develops for a long, long time. 

The vineyards are grown organically.

Ridge wine is made with an emphasis on quality and naturalness that is rarely attempted. Our grapes are grown in select vineyards (usually identified on the label), where they are left to ripen to peak maturity, often at some loss of quantity. We let the wine settle and age in small barrels, with only rare cellar treatment other than racking. Varieties are not blended unless so indicated on the label. Near Black Mountain on Monte Bello Ridge, our main vineyard is 10 miles south of Palo Alto, 15 miles inland from the ocean, and over 2000 feet in elevation.

 

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Wine Information

BLEND: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot

ALC: 12.0%

VINTAGE 1981 REPORT: This fine vintage was smaller in quantity than the 1980 and produced elegant varietal character. Given the claret style of the wine, we aged part in new French oak, and the rest in our traditional air-dried American oak. Virtually all of our small estate vineyards at Monte Bello were included, and their distinct qualities, along with that of our Merlot, contribute complexity. This excellent wine should begin to open up in two or three years but will need at least eight years to develop fully.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

Very mineral nose, reverberant. A hint of mint. Lively and fresh. Super clean and long. Lovely balance. So long. So refreshing. An absolutely beautiful wine.

  • 96p

Ruby, brick rim. Licorice, cherry stone, cassis, leather, feels more youthful than the last bottle, coffee, but not as expressive and open either. Layered, fresh acidity, ripe tannins, long. 94

  • 94p
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Information

Origin

Cupertino, Santa Cruz

Grapes

8% Merlot
92% Cabernet Sauvignon

Drinking temperature

17-18C

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Monte Bello Merlot

Pagani Ranch Zinfandel

Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Ridge Geyserville

Ridge Mataro Bridgehead

Ridge Monte Bello

Ridge Monte Bello Chardonnay

Ridge York Creek Zinfandel

Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon

Syrah Lytton Estate

Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyard

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