'07 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose - rich spicy oak, lemon, lemon balm
Firm, harsh oak, zesty, waxy, herbal, mushrooms, restrained fruit. Needs 5+ yrs. to settle down. 92 pts
'08 Monte Bello
Well, it wasn't actually the final assemblage. What we got was 71% C.S. and 29% Merlot. Various lots are still being considered. I believe Franc is out for sure and it's about 50/50 if the PV will make it - the employees are split. We loved the PV in March, and felt it would add a lot, so are hoping some makes it in.
Nose - bright full fresh boysenberry, nutmeg, black elderberry jam.
Dusty tannin, black elderberry, firm, grippy, peppery, touches of boysenberry and charcoal. Needs 20+ yrs. 94 pts
'99 Monte Bello (25% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petite Verdot)
Nose - very mature fruit, as in '70s, cedar, tobacco.
Mature, dusty, cedar, dragonfruit, hints of prune, black currant. Drink now. 88 pts
'97 Monte Bello (8% Merlot, 4% Petite Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc)
Nose - warm, roasted fruit, mint, wintergreen, smooth, dusty, black elderberry, black currant, cedar, hint of tobacco, very slight hint of prune om the finish. Drinking well now, should continue to improve for at least 5 years, then hold steady for a long time. 94 pts
'95 Monte Bello (18% Merlot, 10% Petite Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc)
Nose - Mature, rich, cedary.
Spicy, black plum and black currant, peppery, good structure. Drink now-'24. 93 pts
'05 Monte Bello (22% Merlot, 6% Petite Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc)
Nose - tight, black fruit, sandalwood, mint.
Dusty, intense black currant, firm, good acid, black plum, hint of lemon zest. Give it 20+ yrs. 94 pts
With lunch we had a '90 Geyserville
Nose - cedary, mature.
Smooth, rich, black currant and orange, zingy, hint of marachino, light prune. Drink now. 92 pts
1 comment:
Greetings from Ridge/Monte Bello! I saw your correspondence on Dave's blog, and thought I'd reach out to you as well. We all three definitely seem to be debating an issue of bottle and/or case variation (plus a climate/temperature question), and as with Dave, it doesn't seem that we're too far off from one another palate-wise re: the other bottles, so as I'd suggested to him, I wonder if a "re-visit" of the '99 MB is in order? Let me know if you'd be interested, and I'll see if I can arrange a tasting for yourself, Dave, and I up at Ridge Monte Bello.
And regardless, thank you for your engaged response to our wines!
Cheers!
Regards,
Christopher Watkins
Tasting Room Manager
Ridge/Monte Bello
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