Ridge Monte Bello 2018 750ml

Name: Ridge Monte Bello 2018 750ml
Brand: Ridge
SKU: 893608
Price: 242.95 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 96 (7 reviews)

Case of 6

Sample image only. Please see Item description for product Information. When ordering, the item shipped will match the product listing if there are any discrepancies. Do not order solely on the label if you feel it does not match product description.

SKU 893608

$1,457.70/case

$242.95/bottle

Tariffs included

Availability: This is a Long-term Pre-arrival item and is available for online ordering only. This item will ship on a future date after a 4-8 months transfer time. For more about Pre-arrival orders, see FAQ.

Pre-arrival

Case Only

Minimum order 6 bottles

WA 98pts

WS 97pts

JS 97pts

VM 96pts

WE 95pts

JD 95pts

DC 94pts

See professional reviews

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. The finish is amazingly long and delicious and begins to close down after a few hours, telling me this timeless wine should be left alone for the next 10-12 years. Superb through and through, this wine should excel past its 50th birthday.

Country: United States
Region: California
Appellation: Santa Cruz County
Sub Appellation: Santa Cruz Mountains

Size: 750ml
Color: Red

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SKU: 893608 Category: Pre-arrival

More about this item

Winery

Ridge

Shop all from Ridge

Varietal

Cabernet Sauvignon

By far and away the most recognized and widely grown red wine grape varietal in the world is the Cabernet Sauvignon. First cultivated in the 18th century in France, this wonderful cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes has long since been the most important varietal for red wines across the globe. Now grown everywhere from its native France to the furthest reaches of the New World, Cabernet Sauvignon is adored and prized by wineries for its hardiness and resistance to rot, as well as its large and sharp flavors and wonderful capability for fine aging Indeed, many of the finest wines of history and the modern age would be simply unimaginable without Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with the famed wineries of Bordeaux and other important regions using it as the primary grape in their oak aged produce. High tannin levels, acidity and powerful flavors are the characteristics most commonly associated with this varietal, however, when blended and slowly aged, it is capable of a world of flavors and aromas unmatched by any other grape.

Country

United States

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.

Region

California

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.

Appellation

Santa Cruz County

Ratings & Reviews

WA 98pts

Wine Advocate

WS 97pts

Wine Spectator

Very expressive, with warmed blueberry compote, menthol, sweet bay leaf, steeped açaí berry and zesty sassafras notes all in the mix, carried by brambly grip and a cold cast iron spine. A 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. 3,900 cases made.

JS 97pts

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.

VM 96pts

Vinous Media

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.

WE 95pts

Wine Enthusiast

This ever-classic blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc begins with black plum, sandalwood and incense on the nose, offering a very forest vibe. Blackberry and tea-leaf flavors are wrapped in a firm tannic structure on the palate, with mahogany and more wood spice carrying through the finish. Drink 2022–2038. (Cellar Selection)

JD 95pts

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello comes from a cooler, even, drought year and is based on 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. I believe it was aged all in American oak as always (I wouldn't be surprised if there was a French barrel in there) and hit 13.7% natural alcohol. Beautiful, and classic Monte Bello, notes of plums, cassis, and blueberries all give way to more vanilla oak, tobacco, cedar pencil, and violet aromas and flavors. A more elegant, streamlined, medium to full-bodied Monte Bello, it has beautiful tannins, perfect ripeness (not overripe nor underripe), flawless balance, and a great finish. It doesn't have the sheer grandeur or dimension of the 2017, but it's a seamless, incredibly elegant, compelling Monte Bello that will benefit from 4-6 years (it's stunning today with a healthy decant) and will certainly have 30 years of prime drinking.

DC 94pts

Decanter

The nose is simply gorgeous, very ripe and seductive, and displays great charm and finesse and aromas of pure black fruits. Although rich and tannic, the wine is not too extracted and has ample acidity, which brings some severity which is welcome at this stage. Balanced and discreet, this is less flamboyant than the nose, and clearly needs time to express its full potential. Very long.

Winery Notes

The Monte Bello (originally Monte Bello Cabernet; until 1975, 100% cabernet) is the wine that introduced Ridge to the world, and the world to Ridge. It is a blend of bordeaux varietals. Cabernet sauvignon still predominates; exhaustive tasting of test blends during assemblage determines how much ”if any” merlot, petit verdot, or cabernet franc will be included in the finished wine. Almost every vintage (an unbroken chain from `62 on) has something substantive to recommend it. Every decade has its high points. Taste and opinions differ. But the just-concluded decade of the nineties has been outstanding. Generalization does a disservice to the individual wines. There's structure, there's complexity, there's balance. And they develop for a long, long time.

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Ridge Monte Bello 2018 750ml

Case of 6

More Purchase Options:

More Vintages:

Winery

Ridge

Varietal

Cabernet Sauvignon

Country

United States

Region

California

Appellation

Santa Cruz County

Wine Advocate

Wine Spectator

James Suckling

Vinous Media

Wine Enthusiast

Jeb Dunnuck

Decanter

Winery Notes

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