Ridge Vineyards
Ridge Vineyards started in 1962 on the Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Winemaker Paul Draper was appointed in 1969, he now draws on over 40 vintages of experience. They shot to fame in 1976 by coming first at the famous Judgement of Paris Tasting. Using traditional methods and minimal intervention they make great Bordeaux blends and Chardonnay from excellent terroir in Monte Bello and Zinfandel in their Sonoma County vineyards.
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California | 1 | 18 (JR) | $670.00 | |||||
Jancis Robinson (18)Dark garnet – much darker than Geyserville 2021. Extremely sophisticated and complex on the nose already! Quite a contrast to the Geyserville. Lots of ripe, slightly dusty, well-integrated fruit hits the front palate and then the wine builds towards the rich finish. You could enjoy this now but it might be a bit of a shame – not least in view of how well the 2009 shows today. Definitely a wine for the table. |
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California | 1 | 97+ (VN) | $1,825.00 | |||||
Vinous (97+)The 2010 Monte Bello is just as stunning as it has always been. Today, the 2010 appears to be entering a closed phase, so it is best left alone for at least another 5-10 years, perhaps longer. The signatures are super-ripe, exotic fruit, sweet aromatics and firm tannins, all of which ensure the 2010 will be utterly magnificent in a few decades. The growing season was characterized by mostly cold weather, with an unexpectedly intense heat spike in mid-October that gave the fruit a final push. One of the things that makes this vintage so compelling is the interplay of firm structural elements from the cold year and a high level of ripeness that was achieved late. In my view, the 2010 is one of the most thrilling recent Monte Bellos, however it won't be ready to drink for a number of years and it won't peak for quite some time beyond that. |
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California | 2 | 100 (JD) | $1,470.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)Still a perfect wine in my opinion, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is a powerhouse that's going to need substantial time in the cellar. Reminding me of the 1986 Mouton Rothschild with its powerful, inward, massively structured style, it offers a dense, powerful nose of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, scorched earth, crushed stone, and lead pencil, with some solid chocolaty oak. Deep, rich, massively concentrated, and structured on the palate, it has building tannins, a beautiful spine of acidity, and a fabulous finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only got better, so don’t be afraid to give these plenty of air if opening any time soon. It will ideally be given another decade of bottle age and it's going to see it 50th birthday in fine form. |
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California | 2 | 95+ (VN) | $1,200.00 | |||||
Vinous (95+)A dark, brooding beauty, the 2006 Monte Bello is still very, very young. The aromatics alone are enticing, but the tannins still need time to soften. The 2006 is a masculine, vertical Monte Bello that demands cellaring. Even so, it is pretty impressive today. Scents of lavender, sage, mint and savory herbs add closing flourishes. The perfumed sweetness of the fruit - one of the hallmarks of the very late harvest - remains one of the signatures of the 2006. The 2006 can be enjoyed today or cellared for another 25+ years. |
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California | 1 | 98 (WA) | $1,485.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)The 2009 Monte Bello ,72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot is simply magnificent. Layers of dark red fruit, flowers, spices and graphite are all woven together in this utterly impeccable wine. The 2009 is an especially huge, intense Monte Bello, yet a sexy, silky core of fruit lies within its imposing frame. Everything comes together in this glorious, radiant wine. Last year the 2009 had some pretty stiff competition from the 2010, but today it is simply firing on all cylinders. Eric Baugher describes 2009 as a year with cold weather early on, followed by heat in early June and July. The fruit was brought in on October 12, just before an intense downpour swept through the region. There is a purity and silkiness supported by structure in the 2009 that is impossible not to admire. Simply put, this is another utterly magnificent, towering masterpiece from Ridge. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2049. |
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California | 1 | 97+ (VN) | $328.00 | |||||
Vinous (97+)The 2010 Monte Bello is just as stunning as it has always been. Today, the 2010 appears to be entering a closed phase, so it is best left alone for at least another 5-10 years, perhaps longer. The signatures are super-ripe, exotic fruit, sweet aromatics and firm tannins, all of which ensure the 2010 will be utterly magnificent in a few decades. The growing season was characterized by mostly cold weather, with an unexpectedly intense heat spike in mid-October that gave the fruit a final push. One of the things that makes this vintage so compelling is the interplay of firm structural elements from the cold year and a high level of ripeness that was achieved late. In my view, the 2010 is one of the most thrilling recent Monte Bellos, however it won't be ready to drink for a number of years and it won't peak for quite some time beyond that. |
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California | 1 | 95 (WA) | $1,045.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (95)A superb example of this chronically undersung harvest, the 2011 Monte Bello strikes me as a more contemporary version of the 1985, combining a pleasantly herbal profile with a tensile, understated core and just enough streamlined polish. It opens with a distinctly herbal, open-knit bouquet energized by streaks of menthol, underbrush, dried tobacco and chalky overtones, and it concludes with a succulent, gentle and fine-grained finish. While I don't expect this to enjoy the extraordinarily long drinking window of Monte Bello's more structural and assertive renditions—although this example was served from magnum—it is a fantastic example of a modern vintage drinking near its peak, and I suspect it will hold for the better part of a decade. It achieved 12.8% alcohol, and the blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. |
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California | 1 | 97+ (VN) | $1,240.00 | |||||
Vinous (97+)The 2012 is a racy, voluptuous Monte Bello built on a core of sweet red fruit, with striking perfume, silky tannins and fabulous overall balance. The 2012 is of course an infant, and the new oak is still evident. As Vinous readers know, Monte Bello is a wine that really should not be touched until its tenth birthday, and even that requires an optimistic view. The 2012 has been a consistently brilliant wine. Today, it is once again stellar. |
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California | 1 | 98 (JS) | $1,230.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Unique aromas of blackberry, black currant, dark chocolate and walnut. Full body, very powerful and tannic. Incredible depth and power. Precise and so focused. Muscular. Great structure. This needs at least six to eight years to come together. |
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California | 1 | 100 (JS) | $1,275.00 | |||||
James Suckling (100)Stunning depth, power, purity and elegance. The blackcurrants and plums are fresh and intense on the nose with blueberries and gently herbal notes, too. The palate has a keenly articulated array of vibrant tannins that hold long, fresh and pure. It invokes a sense of wonderment at the finish. So long and so pure. This blend of 77 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 11 per cent merlot, seven per cent petit verdot and five percent cabernet franc, is just at the start of a wonderful journey. Try from 2021. |
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California | 1 | 98 (VN) | $1,305.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)One of the highlights in this tasting, the 2016 Monte Bello has turned out just as beautifully as I hoped it would. Soaring aromatics, bright acids and mid-weight structure give the 2016 a super-classic feel. Clearly, the 2016 is very primary today, with plenty of bright red and purplish berry fruit. More than that, though, the 2016 pulses with energy and simply exceptional balance. Don't miss it! |
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California | 1 | 100 (JD) | $1,820.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)Still a perfect wine in my opinion, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is a powerhouse that's going to need substantial time in the cellar. Reminding me of the 1986 Mouton Rothschild with its powerful, inward, massively structured style, it offers a dense, powerful nose of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, scorched earth, crushed stone, and lead pencil, with some solid chocolaty oak. Deep, rich, massively concentrated, and structured on the palate, it has building tannins, a beautiful spine of acidity, and a fabulous finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only got better, so don’t be afraid to give these plenty of air if opening any time soon. It will ideally be given another decade of bottle age and it's going to see it 50th birthday in fine form. |
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California | 1 | 96+ (VN) | $1,340.00 | |||||
Vinous (96+)The 2018 Monte Bello is a wine of extraordinary finesse. Although it doesn’t have the body or overt richness of some recent vintages, it more than makes up for that with its total sense of harmony. Lavender, mocha, spice, licorice and dried flowers all develop in a sublime, refined Monte Bello that will thrill Ridge lovers. This is an especially elegant, lithe vintage for Monte Bello that is marked by a dry year with no heat spikes and a very long harvest that wrapped up in late October. |
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California | 1 | 97-100 (VN) | $1,465.00 | |||||
Vinous (97-100)The 2019 Monte Bello, tasted from barrel, is insanely beautiful. Vibrant, deep and pulsing with energy, the 2019 simply has it all. How will it turn out in bottle? I can’t say just yet. But this barrel sample shipped across the country is positively dazzling, so the wine’s potential is clear. The 2019 offers superb fruit density, with mid-weight structure, bright acids and plenty of tannin. It could very well turn out to be epic. |
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California | 2 | 97-100 (VN) | $1,535.00 | |||||
Vinous (97-100)The 2019 Monte Bello, tasted from barrel, is insanely beautiful. Vibrant, deep and pulsing with energy, the 2019 simply has it all. How will it turn out in bottle? I can’t say just yet. But this barrel sample shipped across the country is positively dazzling, so the wine’s potential is clear. The 2019 offers superb fruit density, with mid-weight structure, bright acids and plenty of tannin. It could very well turn out to be epic. |
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California | 1 | 97-100 (VN) | $509.00 | |||||
Vinous (97-100)The 2019 Monte Bello, tasted from barrel, is insanely beautiful. Vibrant, deep and pulsing with energy, the 2019 simply has it all. How will it turn out in bottle? I can’t say just yet. But this barrel sample shipped across the country is positively dazzling, so the wine’s potential is clear. The 2019 offers superb fruit density, with mid-weight structure, bright acids and plenty of tannin. It could very well turn out to be epic. |
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California | 1 | 97-100 (VN) | $1,265.00 | |||||
Vinous (97-100)The 2019 Monte Bello, tasted from barrel, is insanely beautiful. Vibrant, deep and pulsing with energy, the 2019 simply has it all. How will it turn out in bottle? I can’t say just yet. But this barrel sample shipped across the country is positively dazzling, so the wine’s potential is clear. The 2019 offers superb fruit density, with mid-weight structure, bright acids and plenty of tannin. It could very well turn out to be epic. |
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California | 1 | - | $197.00 | |||||
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California | 10 | 98 (JD) | $657.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98)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. |
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California | 1 | 99 (WA) | $281.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (99)The 2023 Monte Bello is the definition of classicism across every metric, seamlessly fusing a slow-moving, even-keeled profile with an enviable combination of charm, assertion and effortlessness. The nose opens with a perfect melange of red and black berries, framed by classically informed toasted, herbal and graphite flourishes, along with youthful vanilla undertones that meld with floral notes after aeration. The palate is simultaneously seamless, supple, juicy and firm, before moving into a long finish that is expansive yet expertly controlled, riding on a chassis of ultra-refined, chalky tannins. I had one bottle open for multiple days and saw nothing but an upward trajectory, with notable oak integration relative to its first-day showing. Additionally, I retasted the wine out of magnum in the context of a vertical spanning back to 1971, which only solidified my belief that this could prove to be one of the all-time greatest iterations of Monte Bello. It will be worth cellaring for a decade, at minimum, and should drink beautifully for at least the next three after that. The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, and the wine achieved 13.2% natural alcohol. |
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California | 1 | - | $97.00 | |||||
