Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Monte Bello is as classic a release from this storied site as ever. It contains 17% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. A ravishing, multidimensional nose of wet clay, cocoa powder, peperoncini, cured meat and eucalyptus endlessly expands and congeals with further aeration. The palate precisely stitches together supple concentration and firm, coarse tannins that give sturdiness and intensity to its otherwise medium-bodied frame.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: I sometimes think to myself: Why do I need Château Latour when I have Ridge Monte Bello? From the early 1970s, I always put the two in the same class, and as I have grown up in the wine biz, this notion remained with me. The 2018 Ridge Monte Bello is incredible as it has ever been. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of black fruit, dried leaves, savory spices, and a sense of place. Pair it with a grilled, well-marbled ribeye and an assortment of wild mushrooms. (Tasted: September 26, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
A bright and beautiful Monte Bello with dark and black fruit, such as blackcurrants, as well as walnuts and hints of vanilla. Full-bodied with creamy tannins that are there from start to finish. Turns lightly dusty. Beautiful length. Really pure and focused. Needs time to come together completely, but already a beauty. Drink after 2025.
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Wine Spectator
Very expressive, with warmed blueberry compote, menthol, sweet bay, steeped açaí and zesty sassafras notes all in the mix, carried by brambly grip and a cold cast iron spine. Late echo of mesquite completes this remarkably complex and vivid offering. Should be fun to watch this develop in the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2042.
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Vinous
The 2018 Monte Bello is ridiculously young. There's plenty of energy and drive, but writing a note at this point is rather superfluous. Readers should not plan on opening a bottle anytime soon. Early tastings suggest the 2018 is a Monte Bello built on linear, savory intensity more than volume. I very much like the energy here. Rating: 96+
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Wine & Spirits
The youthful energy of this wine is breathtaking, as if channeling its proximity to the sky and the ocean in a combination of brightness and freshness, their power subsumed into supple fruit. It’s cabernet with a sense of freedom, its flavor extending skyward, not bound by the American oak in which it aged, or the black-plum flavor of the grapes grown on a high ridge of limestone in the Cupertino hills. Harvested from 23 parcels starting on September 28 and ending on October 18, this fermented as whole berries without added yeasts, then aged in new barrels, mostly American oak. If there’s an impression of delicacy, it might have more to do with the context of contemporary American cabernets: This is clean and elegant with no excess weight to stand in the way of the Monte Bello ridge, a formidable site with the power to grow long-lived and beautiful cabernet.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
74% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Merlot; 7% Petit Verdot; 2% Cabernet Franc. With a mid-volume nose of currants, black cherries and plums all wrapped up with a nice bit of sweet oak and accented with subtle notes of graphite and cedar, the latest edition of Ridge’s flagship Cabernets is a solidly structured, well-muscled wine that is rich without playing overly to ripeness. Very deep and insistently fruity, yet not a wine that is close to being ready to drink, it is noticeably, if not abrasively, tannic and finishes with no small amount of youthful grip. As with most Monte Bello Cabernets, it asks for at least six to ten years of age and, under the right cellar conditions, is sure to be very long-lived.
RIDGE's history begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor and prominent member of San Francisco's Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He planted vineyards and constructed a winery of redwood and native limestone in time to produce the first vintage of Monte Bello in 1892. The historic building now serves as the RIDGE production facility.
In 1962, Ridge Vineyards made its first Monte Bello, and two years later its first zinfandel. The RIDGE approach is straightforward: find the most intense and flavorful grapes, guide the natural process, draw all the fruit's richness into the wine. Decisions on when to pick, when to press, when to rack, what varietals and what parcels to include and when to bottle, are based on taste. To retain the nuances that increase complexity, Ridge winemakers handle the grapes and wine as gently as possible. There are no recipes, only attention and sensitivity.
In August 2021, Ridge Vineyards joined International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), a group of like-minded wineries that are dedicated to decarbonizing the global wine industry. RIDGE is committed to achieving Net Zero by 2050 and completes a biannual greenhouse gas audit utilizing the World Resources Institute Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol methodology and be verified by an internationally accredited, third-party auditor.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A rugged and topographically diverse cool-climate appellation with a rich history, the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA stretches from Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco, to the northern border of Monterey County. Elevations range from 800 feet to upwards of 3,000 and microclimates vary substantially depending on which side of the mountains the vineyards lie; cool ocean winds and fog play an important role here. This can be a challenging region in which to grow grapes, but it is well worth the effort. Santa Cruz Mountains wines are noted for balanced acidity levels, often showing great aging potential. Wine has been made here since the 1800s, most notably from the legendary Ridge Vineyards, whose Monte Bello vineyard garners international admiration.
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the stars of this region, while Merlot and Zinfandel also perform quite well. Organic and sustainable vineyard practices are becoming increasingly common.