1977 Ridge Monte Bello
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Tasting notes
97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot. ‘In the spring of 1977 winds and rain interfered with the set of the grapes in our cool region and produced the shortest crop in the 20 years that we have owned the vineyard. The wine was slow to develop…’ ‘Beast of wine when young’, according to David Gates. From magnum. Smells just like a fully mature bordeaux! Pale ruby. Gentle, delicate and beautifully balanced with lots of salinity. Sweet and salty and fresh. Great finesse but far from a blockbuster. (JR)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
An early vintage after a difficult season, majoring on tobacco, library, earth, rose petals, saffron, still alive but full on tertiary, soy, tar, savoury dried herbs, with a gentle grip, one to savour but to enjoy now and over next decade, revelling in these umami, meaty broth and violet petal flavours. Paul Draper winemaker.
This particular bottle had been sourced from the cellar of the Mirabelle restaurant, assembled in chef/patron Marco Pierre White’s heyday and subsequently sold off at auction . The colour was impressively graded ruby but unfortunately it seemed to be suffering from low-level TCA and had a very dry, rather fruitless finish. (JR)
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About the producer
Best known for its iconic Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards makes some of California’s finest wines – particularly Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Long a pioneer of sustainable farming and minimal-intervention winemaking, Ridge makes an extensive range from Sonoma County and the Santa Cruz Mountains.