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All wines stored at 55° and 70% humidity
2012 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello
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Surviving prohibition, multiple sales, and re-planting, the Monte Bello estate came into its own when Paul Draper arrived in 1969. Monte Bello is peak California Cabernet Sauvignon: Always black-fruited, with the Santa Cruz Mountain's aromatic violet explosiveness, mint chocolate, and the longest graphite finish outside of Bordeaux's left bank.
"The 2012 Monte Bello is one of the most harmonious young Monte Bellos I can remember tasting. Seamless and voluptuous through to the finish, the 2012 is showing beautifully today. Raspberry jam, pomegranate, white flowers, mint and spices are some of the many notes that flesh out in the glass. A wine with a distinctly red-hued profile, silky tannins, no hard edges and exceptional overall balance, the 2012 Monte Bello is simply magnificent. The 2012 is racy but also impeccably balanced throughout, with shades of the 2001 that come through from time to time. I won’t be surprised if the 2013 and 2014 both eventually surpass it, but there is no denying that the 2012 is simply stunning today. This is one of the best showings yet for the 2012. Drinking Window: 2024-2052”
– Antonio Galloni of Vinous (07/15) |
“The 2012 Monte Bello is a beauty, wafting from the glass with complex aromas of plums, blackberries, bitter chocolate, black truffles, cigar tobacco and hints of crème de cassis. Its new oak is already well integrated. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, richly tannic and very deep, with a layered, concentrated core of fruit framed by chalky, fine-grained tannins. The 2012 is still quite youthfully chewy at this early stage, but there's a certain lavishness to its ripe blackberry fruit that suggests this will be a dramatic, even decadent Monte Bello in the style of the 2002 when it reaches maturity. Late September heat made for a record-setting harvest in only 16 days. The 2012 is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, and it saw a small water addition to finish at 13.8% alcohol. Drink Date: 2022-2060“
- William Kelley of Wine Advocate (05/18)
| Product Details | |
| Appellation | Santa Cruz Mountains |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Country | USA |
| Grape Variety | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Price Range | $200-$400 |
| Region | California |
| Vintage | 2010, 2012 |
| Wine Type | Red |
