Santa Cruz Mountains

100% Merlot. Rich, bright red fruits dominate this cuvee, with a density on the core of cherry and licorice. Tannins are rich and round with the sweetness form the American oak evident. Long length and concentrated.
Fiona Hayes, Wine Buyer

Ridge Vineyards makes wines that compete in terms of quality and desirability with Bordeaux First Growths and Grand Cru white Burgundies. Founder Paul Draper has practised and engendered a practical, hands-off approach to winemaking at Ridge, one that has resulted in an exceptional and highly sought-after range of wines.

A dry, mild winter left the vines short of water. Fortunately summer fog cooled the nights, reducing stress. The grapes from each parcel where whole-cluster pressed and barrel fermented as separate lots. During malolactic, lees stirring added complexity. Fresh and wonderfully aromatic, this fine Chardonnay shows the elegance of the vintage. 

A great vintage for a perennially high class ‘Californian Cabernet’ has produced a wine of intense colour with ripe, dark fruit, well balanced tannins and a lovely seductive sweetness at the finish. Jancis Robinson goes so far as to describe it as “almost Lafite like in its raciness”.

A blend of 75 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 14 percent Merlot, six percent Petit Verdot and five percent Cabernet Franc, the grapes for this wine come from Ridge’s iconic Monte Bello vineyard in the Santa Cruz mountains. The complex terroir and the elevation of the Monte Bello property, combined with meticulous attention to detail in the vineyards and winery enable the Ridge wines to age remarkably, while also offering accessibility in youth. This 2014 has a generous profile with a mix of red and black fruits. Sweet and savoury spice aromas combine with cloves, while a herbal top-note adds complexity and depth to this Bordeaux blend. It has a velvety texture with ripe but broad tannins and refreshing acidity. Drink now or keep for a further six to eight years (2024-26).
Fiona Hayes, Wine Buyer

A retaste of the flagship wine, the 2007 Monte Bello (a blend from this famous estate of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc) reveals a dense ruby/purple wine with a floral, blueberry, and earthy cassis nose and elegant mid-weight flavors with impressive purity and classicism. There is good acidity, firm tannin, and modest alcohol (13.1%). This is not the most concentrated or powerful Monte Bello, but one built on finesse and elegance. According to the back label, only 41% of the production made it into this wine from the 103-acre estate vineyard. Give this wine another good 5-7 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 20-25 years.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate # 193 - Feb 2011

Quite possibly one of the greatest examples of this legendary cuvée from Ridge. The blend is unusual in that it is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, (usually much more) 36% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot. The fruit is incredibly pure and fresh, with piercing definition of cassis, graphite, plums and kirsch overlaid with a spicy, smoky aroma. On the palate there is immense concentration, but no sense of blowsiness or heat despite the relatively high alcohol of 14.2%. The acidity and tannins are pronounced, giving the wine an austere note in its youth, but the lush texture supplied by the high Merlot content helps to offset this and there remains a silkiness underneath the rather firm exterior. Only now is the wine beginning to emerge from its youthful period and begin to develop more mature flavours, but it seems sure to be a wine of immense longevity which will give increasing pleasure over the next 20 years. Drink with full-flavoured red meat, from now until 2040.

The 2011 Monte Bello (87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc) emerges from the glass with tobacco, grilled herbs, smoke, incense and plums melding together in this soft, beautifully textured Monte Bello. The 2011 is a wine of exceptional textural finesse. The 100% new oak is totally integrated. In 2011, Ridge used a total of 18 of a possible 24 lots for the final blend. The presence of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon is the highest since the 1980s. I expect the 2011 to be a relatively early drinking Monte Bello, but time will be the judge.
Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate - Issue#202 Aug 2012

Lovely perfume of Cassis and black plum fruit on the nose with a touch of earth, mocha, undergrowth. The palate is finely poised with a medium body, finely grained tannins and a very lifted acidity which gives an impression of a cool climate Cabernet and a lovely old world sensibility. A lovely well balanced Cabernet that will drink now perfectly with red meat but will keep another 3 – 5 years.
Stuart Rae - Private Account Manager

Ridge Vineyards makes wines that compete in terms of quality and desirability with Bordeaux First Growths and Grand Cru white Burgundies. Founder Paul Draper has practised and engendered a practical, hands-off approach to winemaking at Ridge, one that has resulted in an exceptional and highly sought-after range of wines.

This impressive 2013 is a Cabernet Sauvignon blend with less Merlot than usual, after the drought of 2013. This is an extremely concentrated wine, with powerful, seamless aromas of cassis and violet. A big wine, for sure, but drinking nicely from 2019 and onwards.

The just-bottled 2010 Monte Bello combines pure structure and power in a rich, full-bodied style for this wine. Waves of dark red fruit, crushed rocks, flowers, mint and grilled herbs wrap around the long, insistent finish. Today, the 2010 is slightly more reticent than it was last year, but the wine comes to life the more it sits in the glass. Always classy, the 2010 Monte Bello impresses for its impeccable balance. Count me among those who will be thrilled to own this magnificent California classic. The 2010 is a decidedly virile, powerful Monte Bello, qualities winemaker Eric Baugher attributes to a year with a very cold summer and periods of heat that arrived only towards the tail end of the growing season. In 2010, the blend is 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040.
Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate - Aug-2012