Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 2019

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Ridge Vineyards
Monte Bello 2019

Vintage : 2019
Country : USA
Region : California
Subregion
Type : Red
Style Deep Full Bodied
Format : 75cl
Alcohol : 13,5°
Grappes : 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc

Experts		Score	Vintage
DCT	Decanter	98	2019
VN	Vinous (Antonio Galloni)	98	2019
RP	Robert Parker	97	2019
W&S	Wines & Spirits	96	2019
WS	Wine Spectator	95	2019
WE	Wine Enthusiast	95	2019
JS	James Suckling	95	2019
JD	Jeb Dunnuck	95	2019
JR	Jancis Robinson	18	2019
CG	Connoisseurs' Guide	93	2018

More information on wine critics and ratings

Reviews
From the same producer

Decanter (DCT) : 98 Points (2019)

Opens with soaring red raspberry and vivid cassis flavours. Even more precise and pure-tasting than its brother, the Estate Cabernet, Monte Bello has exquisite choreography and building on the palate. Still terribly young, has an immense structure. With time, its finish will no doubt lengthen if one can endure the agony of waiting. This is the wine that has established Ridge as a California 'First Growth'. Because of the vineyard’s cool mountain site exposed to the Pacific, Monte Bello always has a dramatic freshness—drinking it, you feel as though you’re in the mountains yourself. The first Monte Bello vines were planted in 1886, but the vineyard fell into near ruin during and post-Prohibition. A mere 3.25ha (eight acres) were replanted in 1949 and were the source of the first Monte Bello in 1962. Since then, other historic blocks have also been replanted. The 2019 is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. (KM) (11/2022)

Vinous (Antonio Galloni) (VN) : 98 Points (2019)

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! (AG) (5/2022)

Robert Parker (RP) : 97 Points (2019)

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!

Wines & Spirits (W&S) : 96 Points (2019)

Drawn from three estate vineyards on Montebello Road, this 2018 comes together in youthful energy and supple textures. It’s cabernet with a sense of freedom, its blackplum flavor reaching skyward, not bound by the American oak in which it aged. This will live for decades.

Wine Spectator (WS) : 95 Points (2019)

This has a densely packed core of vivid red and black currant and mulberry fruit, which is encased for now in a mix of charcoal, cast iron, singed mesquite and apple wood. Shows terrific drive, though, and everything is in proportion, with an echo of violet hinting at some inner purity. This will just need time to unwind. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. (JM) (11/2022)

Wine Enthusiast (WE) : 95 Points (2019)

There's a prominent mineral streak of graphite, wet clay and lava rock on the nose of this bottling, which also includes 11% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Further investigation reveals aromas of blackberry, dried oregano, pepper and dried meat, and the palate falls in line, as leathery tannins frame baked berry, cocoa dust and roasted meat flavors. *Cellar Selection* (MK) (9/2022)

James Suckling (JS) : 95 Points (2019)

A unique chardonnay with sliced cooked peach, dried pineapple, lemon curd and vanilla. Some nougat, too. It's full-bodied and layered with a creamy texture. Flavorful and spicy finish. Chalky at the end, with a white-pepper undertone (9/2022)

Jeb Dunnuck (JD) : 95 Points (2019)

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. (8/2022)

Jancis Robinson (JR) : 18 Points (2019)

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. 18/20 points (RH). (7/2022)

Connoisseurs' Guide (CG) : 93 Points (2018)

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.

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