2006 Ridge Monte Bello Chardonnay, California

A fairly long growing season after a late Spring and cool August has imbued the wine with considerable complexity. The bouquet is profound with a great depth of sweet, ripe fruit. The oak seems exceptionally well integrated and is not at all intrusive, such is the concentration of the wine. Real intensity on the palate and despite the 14.4 % alcohol there is real sense of European-style restraint in the wine. Beautiful elegance, lots of minerality and a very long, classy finish. Bottled unfiltered.
(Alun Griffiths MW, BBR Wine Director)

Lemony gold with a hint of green. Lots of minerals on the nose. Very rich start and then it’s all reined in. So it can be rather like a Grand Cru burgundy on the front palate. Really tangy, superripe melon notes with a hint of milky coffee on the end. Very neat and precise but much broader and bigger than most Chardonnays. Sweet but not heavy.
(Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com - 11 Mar 2010)