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Tasting notes
The 2009 Monte Bello is poured blind from magnum. It is lavish and youthful on the nose; a veneer of luxuriant new oak is proportionate to the concentrated fruit behind it with irresistible vanillary black fruit, cassis and violets. The palate is pure and concentrated, satin-like in texture and glossy merely by dint of its youth. This is a decade at least from its drinking window, but the quality is evident, and the purity on the Margaux-like finish is exquisite. Gorgeous. (NM)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Tasting this amazing Californian red is like staring into a deep abyss. The notes of graphite, soy sauce and old balsamic vinegar are underlined by remarkably youthful blackcurrant fruit. On the palate there’s a wonderful combination of great concentration, creamy ripeness and incredible structure. Very long, firm finish with intense, chalky minerality. A cuvee of 72% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot and 4% petit verdot. Tasted at the Thomas Kammeier Monte Bello vertical. Drink or hold.
72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. A long, cold winter and cool spring led to a late start, but warm summer weather brought the vines back on schedule. The last grapes were picked on October 12, one day before torrential rains. Harvest 23 September to 12 October. Grapes were destemmed, and left uncrushed as whole berries. Automated berry sorting followed by hand-sorting. Natural primary and secondary fermentations. Pressed at six days. 19 months in barrel (97% new air-dried American oak, 2% new French oak, 1% one-year-old air-dried American oak). Very deep crimson. This smells like bordeaux! But less ripe and blowsy than many red bordeaux 2009s. Medium body again with a rich panoply of flavours: balsam, dried leaves, well-mannered cassis, quite marked fine tannins in the background – for future use? Just the sort of restrained build that bordeaux used to be. Still quite dry on the end. (JR)
The 2009 Monte Bello feels very ripe and lush in its first impression, but the tannins have not softened all that much yet. Game, smoke, licorice and leather gradually open up with a bit of aeration. The 2009 is endowed with tremendous depth of fruit, but the equally imposing tannins need time to soften. All of this fruit was picked before the mid-October rains.
About the producer
Best known for its iconic Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards makes some of California’s finest wines – particularly Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Long a pioneer of sustainable farming and minimal-intervention winemaking, Ridge makes an extensive range from Sonoma County and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Product details
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc
Red
Dry