Ridge 2022 'Monte Bello' Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mts
$299.99
Ridge 2022 'Monte Bello' Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mts
96 pts
New release of Ridge Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, one of California's classic Cabernets. Limited.
99 Points Owen Bargreen: "A totally stunning wine from a warm vintage, the 2022 Ridge ‘Monte Bello’ combines nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (86%) with 10% Merlot and small parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from their estate vineyard high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains. Silky tannins frame a generous core of dark currants, roasted figs, dark chocolate shavings, anise seed and shades of black licorice on the palate. The remarkable power, intensity and minerality leads to a mouth-watering effect on the palate. A dazzling and dense wine that has some great cellaring potential, try to resist this beauty for another year. Drink 2026-2046."
98 Points Jeb Dunnuck: "Aged in 100% new oak, the 2022 Monte Bello blends 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, selected from 18 of 21 lots by blind tasting. After assemblage, the wine spent 21 more months in barrel. The vineyard starts at 1,600 feet and goes up to 2,700 feet at top, and is spread out across 4 different ranches, Klein, Rousten, Torre and Perrone, the wines getting more tightknit and ageable as the vines move up the mountain. By the end of harvest, Monte Bello is split into 55 different blocks, which are then picked and fermented separately. Year after year, this is a “wow” wine, herbal, lightly spiced in oak, with a lovely creamy, velvety texture and a backbone of well-resolved tannin supporting a medium-bodied, balanced spirit of mountain garrigue. These wines typically age 20-25 years or more."
97 Points Decanter: "The limestone soils, and the short distance to the Pacific Ocean as well as the seriously high elevation, (ranging from 1600-2700ft) means that the Santa Cruz Mountains, produce a very different Cabernet than much of California. The 2022, drought vintage, a third straight year, meant tannic, tiny fruit on the Montebello estate. The wine was fully destemmed and only pumped over half as often as a typical vintage for Montebello. Its a tightly wound iteration in its youth with 100% new American oak for 20 months. Expressive on the nose, with taut black fruits, fresh pine needles and mineral notes of wet clay and roasted herbs. The palate is fresh and medium weight, (13.8%abv) with so much lively freshness in its youthful exuberance. Salty ocean notes open the palate chasing taut early season blackberries and plum skins. The palate opens overtime revealing dried mint, and alpine meadow herbs that buoy the fruit expression and carry this masterfully made wine toward its zenith, but… don’t touch it for another 10 years for the best result."
Judgment of Paris Winner: On May 24, 2006, a 30 year re-enactment of the Judgment of Paris was organized, this time with simultaneous tastings in London and in Napa at Copia. Paralleling the 1976 event, nine expert tasters at each location judged the original red wines, now over thirty years old. The winning wine in both the US and UK was the Ridge Monte Bello 1971.
*3-packs available in OWC
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96 pts
New release of Ridge Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, one of California's classic Cabernets. Limited.
99 Points Owen Bargreen: "A totally stunning wine from a warm vintage, the 2022 Ridge ‘Monte Bello’ combines nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (86%) with 10% Merlot and small parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from their estate vineyard high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains. Silky tannins frame a generous core of dark currants, roasted figs, dark chocolate shavings, anise seed and shades of black licorice on the palate. The remarkable power, intensity and minerality leads to a mouth-watering effect on the palate. A dazzling and dense wine that has some great cellaring potential, try to resist this beauty for another year. Drink 2026-2046."
98 Points Jeb Dunnuck: "Aged in 100% new oak, the 2022 Monte Bello blends 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, selected from 18 of 21 lots by blind tasting. After assemblage, the wine spent 21 more months in barrel. The vineyard starts at 1,600 feet and goes up to 2,700 feet at top, and is spread out across 4 different ranches, Klein, Rousten, Torre and Perrone, the wines getting more tightknit and ageable as the vines move up the mountain. By the end of harvest, Monte Bello is split into 55 different blocks, which are then picked and fermented separately. Year after year, this is a “wow” wine, herbal, lightly spiced in oak, with a lovely creamy, velvety texture and a backbone of well-resolved tannin supporting a medium-bodied, balanced spirit of mountain garrigue. These wines typically age 20-25 years or more."
97 Points Decanter: "The limestone soils, and the short distance to the Pacific Ocean as well as the seriously high elevation, (ranging from 1600-2700ft) means that the Santa Cruz Mountains, produce a very different Cabernet than much of California. The 2022, drought vintage, a third straight year, meant tannic, tiny fruit on the Montebello estate. The wine was fully destemmed and only pumped over half as often as a typical vintage for Montebello. Its a tightly wound iteration in its youth with 100% new American oak for 20 months. Expressive on the nose, with taut black fruits, fresh pine needles and mineral notes of wet clay and roasted herbs. The palate is fresh and medium weight, (13.8%abv) with so much lively freshness in its youthful exuberance. Salty ocean notes open the palate chasing taut early season blackberries and plum skins. The palate opens overtime revealing dried mint, and alpine meadow herbs that buoy the fruit expression and carry this masterfully made wine toward its zenith, but… don’t touch it for another 10 years for the best result."
Judgment of Paris Winner: On May 24, 2006, a 30 year re-enactment of the Judgment of Paris was organized, this time with simultaneous tastings in London and in Napa at Copia. Paralleling the 1976 event, nine expert tasters at each location judged the original red wines, now over thirty years old. The winning wine in both the US and UK was the Ridge Monte Bello 1971.
*3-packs available in OWC
Normal shipping via Fedex or UPS Ground will range from 3 business days (West Coast) to 7 business days (East Coast). If you would like Overnight shipping, please email or call us immediately for options. Please note, expedited shipping such as "2 day air" is for transit time only, this does not include processing time and therefore does not guarantee a specific delivery date. Our ability to respond to expedited requests depends on the particular wines’ availability. We work with many small-production wines which, if not in stock may need to be acquired direct from the winery and may not be available for shipping for several days after your order is placed.
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