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ridge, california cabernet sauvignon monte bello, santa cruz mountains 2010
VINOUS
97

2010 ridge, california cabernet sauvignon monte bello, santa cruz mountains

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Why We're Buying

Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon is a Bordeaux-style red blend that has defines the wine industry in California. The fruit is sourced from a vineyard on the southern-facing slopes of red volcanic soils in the Santa Cruz mountains from 60+ years old vines. The result is a wine that critic Wilfred Wong called "one of the greatest achievements in the history of wine." To date, Monte Bello has received seven 100-point ratings from critics.

Critics Scores

VINOUS
97

Vinous

The 2010 Monte Bello is just as stunning as it has always been. Today, the 2010 appears to be entering a closed phase, so it is best left alone for at least another 5-10 years, perhaps longer. The signatures are super-ripe, exotic fruit, sweet aromatics and firm tannins, all of which ensure the 2010 will be utterly magnificent in a few decades. The growing season was characterized by mostly cold weather, with an unexpectedly intense heat spike in mid-October that gave the fruit a final push. One of the things that makes this vintage so compelling is the interplay of firm structural elements from the cold year and a high level of ripeness that was achieved late. In my view, the 2010 is one of the most thrilling recent Monte Bellos, however it won't be ready to drink for a number of years and it won't peak for quite some time beyond that. (AG) 97+