Tasted May 2008

Ah, the legendary Ridge, star of many a film and TV series (some of you may have spotted to middle-aged Englishmen having an argument in this vineyard on the box recently) is one of the oldest and finest of Californian wineries. Its Monte Bello wine was placed 5th in the infamous 1976 "Judgement of Paris" (a slightly over-the-top name for an excuse for some more middle aged men to be wine-geeky about expensive wines), beating a number of top Bordeaux Chateaux. Their more affordable Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Monte Bello vineyard, but is made with parcels of grapes selected for their approachable, fruit driven character. This was tasted at last night's 'Simply Sauvignon' tasting and went down a storm!

Grapes: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1 % Cabernet Franc

Region: Santa Cruz, California

Soil Type: Franciscan Greenstone over fractured limestone and some clay

Winemaking: Parcels of grapes from the Monte Bello vineyard are assessed each vintage, the denser, more impressive fruit going into the top wine, and the more accessible parcels are made into this wine, which receives 22 months ageing in American oak barrels (60% used, 40% new)

ABV: 13.7%

Tasting note.
'There must be Petit Verdot in this' came the cry from the wine-geek (i.e. reserve staff) corner at the tasting as they smelt those distinctive violet aromas. The perfume really is incredible, elegantly laid over deep, brooding dark fruits. The palate is dense and heavy (they may use approachable fruit, but that doesn't mean this wine isn't serious!), with fantastic structure and immense depth to the berry flavours. Classic leather and tobacco come to the party in the mid palate, and the finish is very strong. Most definitely a food wine, it's crying out for a good bit of rare beef.

Cellaring
This showed beautifully, but has many years of development ahead, and the class to expect it to mature for at least 5 years, and drink well beyond that.

If you like this why not try.. have you won the lottery? If so, it's got to be a bottle of Monte Bello, hasn't it! (Actually you don't need to be a millionaire, £85.99 should do it!) If not, try one of its sister wines, the Zinfandels of Lytton Springs and Geyserville - a totally serious take on Zin!