Ridge Vineyards - Monte Bello 2019 (750ml)

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Producer	Ridge Vineyards
Country	United States
Region	California
Subregion	Central Coast
Varietal	Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage	2019
Sku	35666
Size	750ml

   

WS

95

WA

97

JD

95

JR

18

JS

99

V

98

Ridge Vineyards, founded in 1885 by Osea Perrone, is a historic winery located on Monte Bello Ridge in California. The winery was later acquired by a group of Stanford Research Institute engineers in the 1960s, who began producing high-quality cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel wines. Under the guidance of winemaker Paul Draper, who joined in 1969, Ridge Vineyards has become known for its traditional, minimalist approach to winemaking, focusing on expressing the unique character of its vineyards. The estate expanded to include the Lytton Springs vineyard in Sonoma County in 1991, and continues to produce internationally renowned wines, primarily from cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel grapes.

Abundant winter rainfall followed by warm spring weather created ideal growing conditions. With the exception of merlot, the vines set a big crop. Fortunately, a long warm summer fully ripened all varietals in early October. During blind tastings, a record forty-one separate lots were assembled to create this vintage of Monte Bello. Structured and opulent, it will be enjoyable for the next twentyfive to thirty years.

Complex aromas of blackberry, tobacco, roasted coffee bean and wintergreen. On the palate, concentrated plum layered with well-coated tannins, firm acidity, oak spice and notes of licorice on the long finish.

This is a very powerful Monte Bello with currants and blackberry, black licorice and smoked meat. Mint. Some sesame seed, too. It's full-bodied with incredible darkness and saltiness like volcanic salt. Umami. Grilled seaweed. Flavorful and captivating. It goes on for minutes. Try after 2025, but this may age forever.

The 2019 Monte Bello is a wild, exotic wine. Huge, soaring aromatics meld into a core of heady, exotically ripe fruit. Not a shy wine by any means, the 2019 is atypically opulent, and yet all of the classic Monte Bello structure is there, underneath all of that fruit. The 2019 needs time in bottle to shed its baby fat, but there is a lot to look forward to. I imagine it will always be a pretty exuberant wine. Inky red fruit, blood orange, espresso, sweet American oak, cedar and pipe tobacco leave a lasting impression. In a word: magnificent!

Medium ruby in color, the 2019 Monte Bello is bursting with pure, expressive perfume! Red and black currants are layered with wafts of rose petals, charcuterie, fresh thyme and tobacco, graphite, vanilla and cedar. Medium-bodied, it's the definition of weightless intensity, with concentrated layers of floral perfume and spice, a silky, mouthwatering frame, and a very long, ethereal finish that calls you back to the glass for another sip. Delicate, complex and very easy to drink, it's an especially elegant expression of Monte Bello!  Erin Brooks

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is a more Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, all hitting 13.7% alcohol. As usual, it was aged in new American oak. It shows the higher Cabernet component and is deep purple-hued and tight and closed, with a primordial vibe to its dark blue and black fruit, smoked tobacco, vanilla bean, graphite, and cedarwood aromatics. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has terrific overall balance, building, ripe tannins, a good sense of freshness, and outstanding length. It reminds me slightly of the 2018 with its more elegant, streamlined profile, but I expect this to build with bottle age, and it should have 2-3 decades of overall longevity.

82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc.
Confected but not sickly black fruit. Wonderful smoke, chocolate and earth character on the palate – this really stands apart from their other wines. There's delicious mintiness that lingers on the palate, as well as sophisticated oak spice. So finely tuned, and so gratifying to drink now, although it will age well. Absolutely gorgeous – and proudly California in profile. (RH)