The $10,000 Cellar, Part Three

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Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello

If you’re looking for the greatest Bordeaux blend in America, look no further. Ridge has half a century of experience producing their famous blend from the Monte Bello vineyard, and if you ask anyone with experience with the wines, they’ll tell you these are some of the best wines California has to offer. Elegant, complex, layered and yet remarkably well balanced, these wines come from high altitude vineyards located south of San Francisco. The blend is always based on Cabernet but generally includes a bit of Merlot and maybe some Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot.

For my palate, no American wine of my wine buying era (1980-2000) has been so consistent and aged so well. This might be the most expensive wine on this list at $100 per bottle, but I only recommend it because I think it’s worth it.

Monte Bello $100

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NORMA-
MONTOYA

1062273 1

MONTOYA WINE

Apr 18, 2012 at 4:23 PM
wine o200

108738 14

Just trying a Tardieu Laurent 1997 Bandol at the moment, yes rustic, but those tannins are fine and dusty now. Should go with the lamb strips, capsicum , tomato, caramellised onion and bonconcini, or perhaps one of your right bank Bordeaux might fit the bill.

Apr 20, 2012 at 9:09 AM