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Red
750ml
Bottle: $26.84 $28.20
12 bottles: $26.30
This young bottling will have a long cellar life, thanks perhaps to the old-vine attributes. Aromas of amaro-like...
WE
94
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $43.84 $46.00
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is the wine to focus on in this range in 2018. Dark and brooding, the 2018 is such a...
12 FREE
VM
94
WE
94
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $99.90
12 bottles: $97.90
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a prime example of the transparency provided by this vintage throughout...
12 FREE
WA
95
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94
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Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $60.21
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulous. A rush of floral and spice notes leads into a core of racy purplish fruit....
VM
94
WE
93
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Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $128.10
#52 in Top 100, 2022. A brilliant, youthful, unevolved wine that will give Ridge's Monte Bello a run for its money,...
VM
97
JD
97
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Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $94.51
Ridge’s 2017 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a fabulous choice for readers who want a Monte Bello fix now, without...
VM
94
JD
93
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Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $93.29
Case only
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Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $1004.85
Expansive black-fruit aromas, plus some mulberry and bitter chocolate, make this mature Californian red hard to...
JS
98
WA
97
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $323.44
This has a wonderful balance of full, silky tannins and creamy ripeness, but with a degree of delicacy that...
JS
94
VM
92
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $353.71
The 2008 Monte Bello is in a gorgeous spot right now, as the aromatics are just starting to show the complex nuances...
WA
95
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95
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $289.94
The 2009 Monte Bello ,72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot is simply magnificent. Layers of dark...
WA
98
JS
98
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $301.70
A highlight of the tasting, with rocking energy, dense black currant and black berry fruit and loads of singed wood...
WS
98
JS
97
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $243.35
The 2012 Monte Bello is one of the most harmonious young Monte Bellos I can remember tasting. Seamless and voluptuous...
VM
98
WA
96
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $394.95
A Monte Bello for the ages, the 2013's brooding bouquet unfolds to reveal notes of black raspberry, juicy...
DC
100
WA
100
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $288.91
Stunning depth, power, purity and elegance. The blackcurrants and plums are fresh and intense on the nose with...
JS
100
VM
98
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Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $591.81
Pure perfection, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is a sensational effort from this estate that should be...
JD
100
JS
99
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $262.45
Pure perfection, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is a sensational effort from this estate that should be...
JD
100
JS
99
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Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $479.90
A bright and beautiful Monte Bello with dark and black fruit, such as blackcurrants, as well as walnuts and hints of...
WA
97
WS
97
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $209.17
A bright and beautiful Monte Bello with dark and black fruit, such as blackcurrants, as well as walnuts and hints of...
WA
97
WS
97
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Red
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $613.45
#45 Wine of the World 2022. This is a very powerful Monte Bello with currants and blackberry, black licorice and...
JS
99
DC
98

Cabernet Sauvignon Grenache Mencia Robola United States California Santa Cruz County

The purple skinned grapes of the Grenache varietal have quickly become one of the most widely planted red wine grapes in the world, flourishing in several countries which have the correct conditions in which they can grow to ripeness. They thrive anywhere with a dry, hot climate, such as that found in central Spain and other such arid areas, and produce delightfully light bodied wines full of spicy flavors and notes of dark berries. Their robustness and relative vigor has led them being a favorite grape varietal for wineries all over the world, and whilst it isn't uncommon to see bottles made from this varietal alone, they are also regularly used as a blending grape due to their high sugar content and ability to produce wines containing a relatively high level of alcohol.

In the mountains of Cephalonia, the mineral rich soils assist in the growing of one of the finest of Greece's white grape varietals – the Robola grape. These noble yellowish grapes are notable for the wines they produce, which generally contain summer fruits, peach and citrus aromas, coupled with flavors which extend beyond the usual range of white wines, revealing smoky and mineral notes, and a lengthy, lemony after-taste. These fine characteristics helped the regions it is grown in gain AOC status, and wine-makers in this area have many generations of practice in bringing out the elegant and subtle characteristics of this grape.

Robola, and the other wines of Cephalonia have a long and illustrious history, being mentioned even in ancient epic poems such as Homer's Iliad. However, it was the Venetians who first recognized the great potential of Robola grapes, which quickly became the focus for the areas wine-makers and tradesmen. Nowadays, Robola wines act as an excellent example of a refined Greek dry white wine, which can be either drank as a light and refreshing summer aperitif, or alongside grilled white meats, salads, or white fish. Robola wines, as a rule, do not age particularly well, and it is highly recommended that bottles are drunk young, within two years of bottling. By doing so, you can enjoy the unique characteristics of this remarkable wine, complete with the balanced combination of chalky, smoky citrus flavors and delicate peach aromas which typify the finest examples of Robola varietal wines.

Additional Information on Greek Wines


Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?

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.

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.