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Wine Description
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.
Wine Information
BLEND: 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc
ALC: 13.7%
VINTAGE 2018 REPORT: December brought intense rains but they ended by January. Drenching spring storms saved the growing season. Though summer was foggy and cold, the vines received abundant sunshine and warmth that ripened the grapes by early October. Reduced pump-overs during fermentation helped moderate tannin extraction. Assembled by blind-taste, twenty-two lots came together to make this superb vintage. Sensuous and showing great complexity, it will be enjoyable over the next thirty years.
Rainfall: 26 inches (below normal)
Bloom: June
Weather: Winter rains were late to arrive, delivering a season’s worth or rainfall in March. This gave Monte Bello 75% of the 26 inches of rain for the year, which is below normal. Spring remained cold with heavier than usual fog, slowing the progress for a late September harvest.
WINEMAKING:
Harvest Dates: 28 September – 18 October
Grapes: Average Brix 24.4˚
TA: 7.43 g/L
pH: 3.39
Fermentation: Grapes destemmed, 100% whole berry fermentation. 15% automated berry sorting. Fermented on the native yeasts. Pressed at eight days. Natural malolactic.
Selection: Twenty-three Monte Bello parcels
Barrels: 100% new air-dried oak barrels (90% American, 7% French, 3% Ozark).
Aging: Seventeen months in barrel
Hand-harvested; estate grown Monte Bello Vineyard grapes, organically farmed, destemmed and sorted; fermented on the native yeasts; full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; 0.22 g/L calcium carbonate added to moderate the high natural acidity in seven of the twenty-three fermenters; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur 35 ppm at crush, 78 ppm during aging; depth filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.
CRITIC SCORES:
97 Points – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
97 Points – James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
96+ Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
96 Points – Owen Bargreen, OwenBargreen.com
(94-97)+ Points – Erin Brooks, The Wine Advocate
PRESS:
Wine Spectator: 97 Points “Very expressive, with warmed blueberry compote, menthol, sweet bay, steeped açaí and zesty sassafras notes all in the mix, carried by brambly grip and a cold cast iron spine. Late echo of mesquite completes this remarkably complex and vivid offering. Should be fun to watch this develop in the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2042.” -James Molesworth (August 2021)
JamesSuckling.com: 97 Points “A bright and beautiful Monte Bello with dark and black fruit, such as blackcurrants, as well as walnuts and hints of vanilla. Full-bodied with creamy tannins that are there from start to finish. Turns lightly dusty. Beautiful length. Really pure and focused. Needs time to come together completely, but already a beauty. Drink after 2025.” -James Suckling (March 2021)
Vinous Media: 96+ Points “The 2018 Monte Bello is a wine of extraordinary finesse. Although it doesn’t have the body or overt richness of some recent vintages, it more than makes up for that with its total sense of harmony. Lavender, mocha, spice, licorice and dried flowers all develop in a sublime, refined Monte Bello that will thrill Ridge lovers. This is an especially elegant, lithe vintage for Monte Bello that is marked by a dry year with no heat spikes and a very long harvest that wrapped up in late October.” -Antonio Galloni (September 2020)
OwenBargreen.com: 96 Points “This vintage has a lower percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (68%) with smaller parts Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The nose exudes class with toasty oak that wraps around the core of blackberry compote, dark currants, cigar box and garrigue undertones. The palate is deeply concentrated with a brilliant veil of tension and a light dusting of salinity that falls over the core of dark fruits. Full-bodied and voluptuous to consume in its youth, I have little doubt this will be a 20-30 year old wine.” -Owen Bargreen (August 2021)
The Fine Wine Review: 96 Points “Even in the elite context of Monte Bello wines, this is a notable one. The nose shows the characteristic hot brick aromas. The hot bricks follow in the mouth with cassis and plum fruit, some chocolate and smoke from the American oak, and a rich, dense texture with round tannins. Ideally, one would keep this wine in the cellar a decade and then drink it over the following thirty years, but it can be drunk now if decanted a few hours in advance.” -Claude Kolm (September 2021)
The Wine Advocate: (94-97)+ Points “I tasted the 2018 Monte Bello as a finished barrel sample during the annual Ridge Monte Bello Tasting Final Assemblage event; the blend was 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 11% Petite Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. It has a medium to deep ruby-purple color and youthfully primary nose with boysenberry, blueberry jam, blackcurrant, dark chocolate-covered cherries, cigar box, graphite, loamy earth and oodles of floral character. The palate is medium to full-bodied and packed full of flavor layers, knit by very fine, ripe, pixelated tannins and great freshness and finishing very long.” -Erin Brooks (February 2020 Issue)
