Ridge Red Bordeaux Blend Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello 2004
- Winery: Ridge Vineyards
- Region: USA » California » Santa Cruz Mountains
- Blend: Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Vintages
- 2004
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
- 1999
- 1998
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
- 1991
- 1990
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987
- 1986
- 1985
- 1984
- 1983
- 1982
- 1981
- 1980
- 1979
- 1978
- 1977
- 1976
- 1975
- 1974
- 1973
- 1972
- 1971
- 1970
- 1969
- 1968
- 1967
- 1966
- 1965
- 1963
- 1959
- 1955
- 1954
- NV
- Show All (49)
Add a vintage
Winemaker's Notes:
Winter rains were scarce this year, and total rainfall down twenty-five percent. Budbreak came early, but bloom was l...
Read more...-
W&S: 94
|
Arlington Wine and Liquor Poughkeepsie, NY (260 mi) |
USD
138.99
$119.99 750ml |
Buy Now |
|
Shoprite Liquors Laurenti Wines Trenton, NJ (170 mi) |
USD
138.99
$129.88 750ml |
Buy Now |
| See 16 more prices » | ||
This has a lovely nose that shows some early maturity with sweet, tobacco accents over a base of gentle black spice and smoke-tinged blackcurrant f... Read more
crushed rocks Read more
Young and tight, with tart currant and wild berry flavors. Takes time to unfold, but the depth and concentration become evident on the finish where... Read more
Click to sign up or Log in
Food Pairings for Ridge Red Bordeaux Blend Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello
All Prices
|
Arlington Wine and Liquor Poughkeepsie, NY (260 mi) |
Ridge Monte Bello 2004 » |
|
|
Shoprite Liquors Laurenti Wines Trenton, NJ (170 mi) |
Ridge Monte Bello 2004 » |
|
|
Brown Derby International Wine Center Springfield, MO (870 mi) |
2004 Ridge Monte Bello » |
|
|
America's Wine Shop (New York, NY) New York, NY (220 mi) |
Ridge - Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello Vineyard 2004 » |
|
|
Bowery And Vine New York, NY (220 mi) |
Ridge Monte Bello 2004 » |
Editorial Reviews for Ridge Red Bordeaux Blend Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello
This has a lovely nose that shows some early maturity with sweet, tobacco accents over a base of gentle black spice and smoke-tinged blackcurrant fruit. Bright acidity on entry leads to a rather gentle mid-palate that shows off very clear blackberry and red currant fruit formed with suggestions of wild herbs. This is a touch simple, yet remains clear and bright in the mouth. 88 points
External Reviews for Ridge Red Bordeaux Blend Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello
Young and tight, with tart currant and wild berry flavors. Takes time to unfold, but the depth and concentration become evident on the finish where the flavors linger. Give this time; best after 2001. A blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 9% Petite Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc.
A wine of great balance, finesse and grace. Well-focused, the ripe, tart, rich blackberry and currant fruit is intense yet elegant, picking up earthy, mineral and sage notes, and finishing with fine, well-integrated tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2012.
Saturated ruby color. Brooding aromas of cassis, bitter chocolate, peat and cigar box. huge, sweet and mouthfilling but as unevolved as a barrel sample. Impressively intense cassis and blueberry flavors boast great verve. Thoroughly suave tannins coat the palate with a fine layer of dust. Juicy and extremely long. An infant that should prove to be very long-lived; likely to merit a score in the mid-90s.
The 2000 Monte Bello Proprietary Red (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc) is a surprisingly forward example of a Ridge Monte Bello. Its dense ruby/purple color is accompanied by sweet toasty oak along with creme de cassis, licorice, and resin-like aromas. Medium to full-bodied, nicely textured, and elegant with soft tannin as well as a forward style (surprising in view of winemaker Paul Draper's typical style), I would not be surprised to see it firm up considerably in the bottle, and last for 12-13 years. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2016.
Ripe and compact, with rich black cherry, plum, chocolate and cedar notes, focused and long on the finish. Has tannin to lose. Best from 2002 through 2009.
A candidate for one of the longest-lived Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines in California is Ridge's Monte Bello. The 2001 Monte Bello Proprietary Red is this historic vineyard's 40th anniversary cuvee. It boasts a saturated purple color in addition to a luxurious perfume of smoky oak, plums, cedarwood, espresso, black cherries, and cassis. As the wine sits in the glass, a hint of tar also emerges. This full-bodied, broad, expansively flavored offering exhibits high tannin along with a huge finish. In blind tastings, I consistently mistake these cuvees for French Bordeaux, and also underestimate their age since they last for 30+ years. Over 90% of this offering is aged in new American oak, yet it never displays that sappy American oak character thanks to the superb cooperage of the barrels. This top-notch 2001 Monte Bello should be at its best between 2012-2035.
Made from the younger vines at the famous Monte Bello vineyard, This is one of the best under-$50 Cabs we have ever offered. The typical Monte Bello qualities of tobacco leaf, charred oak, deep cassis fruit balanced by Bordeaux-like minerality are found here but in softer more approachable style. 92 Points
Ratings & Tags for Ridge Red Bordeaux Blend Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello
Winemaker's Notes:
Winter rains were scarce this year, and total rainfall down twenty-five percent. Budbreak came early, but bloom was late, delayed by cold April weather. Having set a small crop for the third consecutive year, the vines required little thinning. Harvest began on schedule; most parcels were picked in the first two weeks of October. Four days later, heavy rains drenched the remaining grapes—a quarter of the crop. Fortunately, sun and wind dried the clusters fully before the next storm, and we finished harvest with no damage to the fruit. The forty small lots fermented to dryness on their natural yeasts in nine days on average. Twothirds of them completed natural malolactic in barrel, and remained on the lees for five months. The rest finished in tank, and were racked off their lees to barrel within one month. In a series of tastings conducted from late January through March, we selected seventeen lots for the first Monte Bello assemblage. Another was included in May, one more in December. Eighteen months in barrel has begun to integrate the firm tannins and rich texture of this fine vintage. Unusually appealing as a young wine, it will gain further depth and complexity over the next fifteen to twenty years.
Photos
+ Add Image
Closure: Cork
Recipe Downloader
-
Northern Italy Sun-dried Tomato and Italian Sausage Risotto
View Recipe -
India Chicken Biryani
View Recipe -
Greece Athenian Salad
View Recipe
RiceSelect
Best Wine Deals
-
$29.9840%off
Rutherford Ranch Cab Reserve 2005 -
$17.4517%off
Maso Canali Pinot Grigio Trentino 2006
Cabernet Sauvignon Top Lists
Community Activity
-
Arnot-Roberts Chardonnay North Coast (2008)Wishlisted
02:36AM 5/21/13 -
Ramey Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (2008)Wishlisted
02:35AM 5/21/13 -
Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Single Vineyard Alexander's Crown Vineyard (2009)Wishlisted
02:31AM 5/21/13 -
Stuhlmuller Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley (2009)Wishlisted
02:31AM 5/21/13 -
Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (2009)Wishlisted
02:31AM 5/21/13 -
Elio Altare Nebbiolo Langhe DOC Vigna ArborinaScanned
01:43AM 5/21/13 -
Clif Family Winery The Climber (2010)Reviewed
01:30AM 5/21/13 -
Clif Family Winery Kit's Killer Cab (2009)Reviewed
01:28AM 5/21/13 -
Clif Family Winery "gary's Improv" Zinfandel (2009)Reviewed
01:25AM 5/21/13 -
Clif Family Winery Grenache (2010)Reviewed
01:21AM 5/21/13