Dried mulberry, brick dust and rosemary aromas intertwine with Monte Bello’s signature sweet n’ sour scent. Seamless, pure and plump on the palate, with flavours of dried blueberry, fig and dried cherry. The finish is firm and rustic, ending with notes of ash, cocoa powder and cherry skins. Still in its youth, but beginning to reveal itself. Drinking Window 2021 - 2041
Tasted by Matthew Luczy (at Los Angeles, 01 Feb 2021)
Part of Luczy: 2011 California Cabernet - 10 years on

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. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2031. (Not yet released) Indiana Jones and I have one thing in common – a fear of snakes. That is why every time I see the sign in the Ridge parking lot that reads “Beware of rattlesnakes,” I get a little uneasy. So it’s quickly into the tasting room for me. Winemaker Eric Baugher and his team have prepared a great tasting covering all of the Ridge classics, plus a few smaller-production bottlings I am tasting for the first time. This is a sublime set of new releases from one of this country’s greatest heritage wineries. It’s hard to know where to start, but the highlights are the 2009 Monte Bello, followed by the 2010, which will be released this year, plus some of the Zinfandels and Zinfandel-based wines. The 2010 harvest was not an easy one. The summer was very cold, as it was throughout California. Ridge was severely affected by August heat spikes that were crippling for Zinfandel. The wines that were bottled are the result of a severe selection of the best fruit that survived the heat. Tel. (408) 867-3233

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Monte Bello Vineyard is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Lighter than normal for a Monte Bello, it will also be more limited in terms of longevity (these wines can sometimes last 35-50 years). The medium-bodied 2011 offers up red and blackcurrant and spicy oak notes, a modestly endowed mouthfeel and light tannin. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.

88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. A long winter delayed the growing season. Summer temperatures remained cool as persistent fog covered much of northern California. Monte Bello, whose elevation kept the grapes in full sun, was an exception. Following an October rain, two weeks of warm weather ripened the fruit for harvest before the next storm. Harvest 19 October to 8 November. Grapes destemmed, 100% whole berries. Automated berry sorting followed by hand-sorting. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Extraction of colour and tannin required extended pumpovers. Pressed at eight days. Natural malolactic (15% in tank, 85% in barrel). 16 months in barrel (99% new air-dried American oak, 1% French oak). Very deep blackish crimson. Already, great beauty on the nose! A clever tactic to show us how the 2019 is likely to develop? Ripe fruit evident on palate entry and dried herbs on the palate. Nothing out of place. Only medium body at most with slightly dry tannins on the end. Super-fresh but lifted and racy. Sinewy. Definitely not one to share with a Napa Cab devotee but possibly to a senior claret enthusiast? Style alert! (JR)