2008 リッジ・ヴィンヤーズ モンテベロ

2008 リッジ・ヴィンヤーズ モンテベロ

2008 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello

ロバート・パーカーのワイン・アドヴォケート

アントニオ・ガッローニ　97+ Points

"The 2008 Monte Bello is striking. It is a decidedly muscular Monte Bello endowed with layers of dark fruit. Tobacco, mint, asphalt and crushed rocks develop in the glass, adding tons of complexity and finesse. A long, saline finish rounds things out beautifully. In 2008 the cold growing season stretched into October and the wine definitely has the feel of a cool vintage. The spring frost and the second year of drought conditions lowered yields significantly. Yields were just 1.25 tons per acre on average, but some of the older vineyards came in at less than 1 ton per acre. The balance of fruit, tannin and structure is simply extraordinary, but the wine needs time, most likely lots of it. In 2008 the blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2038.

I tasted a breathtaking array of wines during my recent visit with Paul Draper at Ridge. Draper is a true American icon, so it’s great to see him doing well after a bout with illness. I also tasted a number of older wines, including several Monte Bellos going back to the 1970s. Heretical as it may sound, I think the wines Draper is making today will prove to be far superior to the wines of decades past, many of which are rightly considered legendary. For ease of reference I have also included notes on all of the Ridge wines made outside the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Chardonnays are fermented with native yeasts and go into barrel with their gross lees, which are stirred once a week. The malos usually start the following spring. The wines are assembled just before the following harvest and go back into neutral oak. Aging is about 15 months for the Estate and 17 months for the Chardonnay Monte Bello, with a maximum of 25% new barrels. The reds are fermented with ambient yeasts, undergo malolactic fermentation in tank (except for the Monte Bello which is mostly done in barrel) and stay on their gross lees until the following spring."

(Wine Advocate #196 Aug 2011     アントニオ・ガッローニ[Antonio Galloni] Drink: 2018 - 2038)

ロバート・パーカー (94-96) Points

"The 2008 Monte Bello (still in barrel) is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot. More successful and higher in quality than the 2007, it exhibits a thicker, deeper, richer purple color, medium to full body, beautifully pure blackberry and cassis fruit, and attractive spicy, earthy notes. This velvety-textured, rich, impressive offering appears to be a strong success. It is another 20-25 year wines.

Ridge’s iconic Monte Bello Proprietary Red (no longer called Cabernet Sauvignon) is one of the candidates for the longest-lived Bordeaux blend made in California. Even vintages from the late sixties and early seventies are still vibrant wines. The winery owns just over 100 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vines, and production varies enormously based on the mountain climate. With respect to this group of wines, the smallest yields were achieved in 2005, and the highest in 2007. The selection process here is relatively severe. For their Monte Bello, the flagship wine, 32% of the production was used in 2003, 38% in 2004, 49% in 2005, 39% in 2006, and 41% in 2007. These wines continue to be anomalies in the sense that the Cabernet Sauvignon component is aged in American oak, a somewhat contrarian procedure since most top producers long ago moved to French oak. The Santa Cruz Mountains cuvees, essentially a second wine culled out from Monte Bello, are also high quality efforts from Ridge. Each of the vintages I tasted reflects the vintage conditions in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Three 2008 barrel samples reveal a consistent, high quality style with slightly more elevated alcohol contents."

(Wine Advocate #187Feb 2010　ロバート・パーカー[Robert Parker ] Drink: 2010 - 2035)

ジェームズ・サックリング 95 Points
"This is a fantastic wine showing subtle power with fine, racy tannins and a long fruity finish. Wonderful aromas of milk chocolate, toasted oak and red fruits. It's full, intense and balanced. Made from 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot." (Jun 15th, 2011)

ワイン・スペクテーター 92 Points
Very tight, dense, tense and firm, with aromas of road tar, dried currant and dried tobacco leaf offering plenty of enticement, picking up gamy earth and black licorice notes. Retains its trim, narrow band of flavors and focus. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2013 through 2024. 2,700 cases made. –JL