2012 | Ridge Vineyards | Monte Bello

Red Wine: 2012 | Ridge Vineyards | Monte Bello

Sappy in feel and tight-grained in structure, this is youthfully taut overall, but the black fruit core is evident and the long mineral edge is bright and detailed, offering accessibility through the finish.

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Producer: Ridge Vineyards

Ratings: WA | 96 JS | 96

Vintage: 2012

Size: 750ml

ABV: 13.5%

Varietal: Bordeaux Blend Red

Country/Region: United States, California

Sappy in feel and tight-grained in structure, this is youthfully taut overall, but the black fruit core is evident and the long mineral edge is bright and detailed, offering accessibility through the finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: 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 crme 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.

• James Suckling: Very complex nose of red fruit, spices, pencil shavings and old balsamic vinegar. Rich and fleshy palate with beautifully integrated tannins and a touch of leather at the long, firm finish. A cuvee of 64% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 6% petit verdot. Tasted at the Thomas Kammeier Monte Bello vertical.

Producer Information

Ridge Vineyards is a famed Californian wine producer founded in 1962, and based in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but with vineyards in several parts of the state. Its flagship wine, Monte Bello, is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Bordeaux blend known for delivering the complexity and elegance of Bordeaux wines, as well as typical California fruit intensity. It is also well known for its range of Zinfandel wines and Zinfandel-based blends, led by the Geyserville cuve. Wines made from Petite Sirah, Carignan and a Grenache Mataro blend have also been longstanding features in the range, and Ridge has made a small amount of Chardonnay each vintage for many decades. In recent years the portfolio has expanded considerably. Newer additions include a Lytton Estate Ros, a limited-release Mendocino Falanghina, and a trio of Rhne-variety white wines from Adelaida Vineyard in Paso Robles. The renowned trio of vineyards, Monte Bello, Geyservillle and Lytton Springs account for the majority of Ridge's production, with the remainder coming from the estate's East Bench site and a number of key contract growers. Montebello is situated at around 800m (2600ft) above sea level in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a few miles south of San Jose. The history of the Monte Bello vineyard and winery dates back to the 1880s. All of the Bordeaux varieties are grown on the Monte Bello vineyard. Those plots that have been shown to provide the most ageworthy, complex wines go into the flagship wine, which bears the vineyard's name. The remaining parcels, which tend to produce relatively approachable, youthful wines, are earmarked for the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Blind tastings confirm the selection and the wines are blended over two sessions in the following February and May. Klein Cabernet Sauvignon is a barrel selection from a part of the estate planted by the Alsatian Pierre Klein in the late 1880s. The Estate Chardonnay also comes from the Monte Bello Estate vineyards. Geyserville is an estate (and township) located in the Alexander Valley AVA, Sonoma County. It lies more than 100 miles by car to the north of Monte Bello. The property is owned by the Trentadue family who, since 1966, have sold grapes to Ridge for the single-site, Zinfandel-based wine of the same name. It is home to the oldest vines farmed by Ridge, with some in the "Old Patch" more than 130 years of age. Lytton Springs is also known for powerful Zinfandel. It is located in Dry Creek Valley AVA, neighboring Alexander Valley to the west. Ridge first purchased grapes from 1972, then bought the estate outright in 1991. Winemaking across the portfolio combines old-school techniques with sophisticated laboratory analysis to give early warnings of any problems. Ridge only uses native yeasts, and avoids filtration in favor of settling and racking with occasional egg-white fining. Paul Draper, who joined Ridge in 1969, is one of the world's most celebrated winemakers. His awards include Decanter Man of the Year (2000), COPIA Award for winemaking (2004) and the James Beard Award (2007). In 2015, a Decanter Magazine poll of his peers voted him in the top five most admired winemakers in the world.