Ratings & Tasting Notes:
99 points Owen Bargreen
A totally stunning wine from a warm vintage, the 2022 Ridge ‘Monte Bello’ combines nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (86%) with 10% Merlot and small parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from their estate vineyard high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains. Silky tannins frame a generous core of dark currants, roasted figs, dark chocolate shavings, anise seed and shades of black licorice on the palate. The remarkable power, intensity and minerality leads to a mouth-watering effect on the palate. A dazzling and dense wine that has some great cellaring potential, try to resist this beauty for another year. Drink 2026-2046.
98 points Jeb Dunnuck
Aged in 100% new oak, the 2022 Monte Bello blends 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, selected from 18 of 21 lots by blind tasting. After assemblage, the wine spent 21 more months in barrel. The vineyard starts at 1,600 feet and goes up to 2,700 feet at top, and is spread out across 4 different ranches, Klein, Rousten, Torre and Perrone, the wines getting more tightknit and ageable as the vines move up the mountain. By the end of harvest, Monte Bello is split into 55 different blocks, which are then picked and fermented separately. Year after year, this is a “wow” wine, herbal, lightly spiced in oak, with a lovely creamy, velvety texture and a backbone of well-resolved tannin supporting a medium-bodied, balanced spirit of mountain garrigue. These wines typically age 20-25 years or more.
97 points Decanter
The limestone soils, and the short distance to the Pacific Ocean as well as the seriously high elevation, (ranging from 1600-2700ft) means that the Santa Cruz Mountains, produce a very different Cabernet than much of California. The 2022, drought vintage, a third straight year, meant tannic, tiny fruit on the Montebello estate. The wine was fully destemmed and only pumped over half as often as a typical vintage for Montebello. Its a tightly wound iteration in its youth with 100% new American oak for 20 months. Expressive on the nose, with taut black fruits, fresh pine needles and mineral notes of wet clay and roasted herbs. The palate is fresh and medium weight, (13.8%abv) with so much lively freshness in its youthful exuberance. Salty ocean notes open the palate chasing taut early season blackberries and plum skins. The palate opens overtime revealing dried mint, and alpine meadow herbs that buoy the fruit expression and carry this masterfully made wine toward its zenith, but… don’t touch it for another 10 years for the best result.
97 points James Suckling
A fruit-driven example of Monte Bello coming from the warm 2022 vintage. There are layers of blackcurrants, black cherries, cedar, licorice, olive brine and spices on the nose. The palate is full-bodied with a seamless mouthfeel, fine tannins and bright acidity. Much to love for early drinking, but will age well. Drink or hold.
96 points Wine Advocate
The 2022 Monte Bello is a rich and distinctly firm iteration of this classic cuvée, evoking a hypothetical blend between the textural power of the 2017 and the bracing structure of the 2015. The nose displays a classically deep and resonant bouquet of red and black fruits, vanilla pod, dark chocolate, cigar wrapper and dried herbs, with balsamic overtones and admirable oak integration. The palate combines lush generosity with an eminently sturdy core, concluding with a stern, bracing finish of firm tannins, pleasantly complemented by gentle succulence. It will take time to view the full potential here, but it certainly delivers the tried-and-true profile long-time fans will expect. This vintage is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc.
Cult Wines International Notes:
The legacy of Ridge Monte Bello began in 1885 when Dr. Osea Perrone, a San Francisco physician, purchased 180 acres high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains and carved out the first terraces in the fractured limestone soil. While the estate’s initial winemaking success was halted by Prohibition, the property was resurrected in 1959 by four Stanford Research Institute scientists—Dave Bennion, Hewitt Crane, Charlie Rosen, and Howard Zeidler—who recognized the site’s potential for producing world-class Cabernet. Under the subsequent fifty-year guidance of legendary winemaker Paul Draper, and now John Olney, Monte Bello secured its place in history by placing fifth at the 1976 Judgment of Paris and winning the 30-year anniversary re-tasting. Today, the wine remains a “first growth” of California, defined by its high-altitude viticulture (reaching 2,700 feet) and its unique signature of being aged in air-dried American oak rather than the industry-standard French oak.
The 2022 vintage at Monte Bello was a year of extreme resilience, marked by the challenges of a third consecutive year of drought. The growing season started with an early bud break due to a mild winter, followed by a cool, rainy spring that helped replenish the parched limestone aquifers. However, the defining event of the year was a historic, record-breaking heatwave over Labor Day weekend, where temperatures on the ridge spiked above 106°F for several days. To preserve the wine’s characteristic freshness and acidity, the team conducted a rigorous selection, ultimately utilizing only 18 of the estate’s 31 parcels. The resulting 2022 blend—composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc—is a powerful and tightly wound iteration. It balances the “mountain garrigue” aromatics of sage and pine needle with a core of dense dark fruit, showing a surprising elegance that belies the torrid heat of the harvest season.
Bottle Size:
750 mL
Storage History:
Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.
Condition:
Outstanding condition.
Please note: The condition of the bottle you will receive is accurately reflected by the one shown in the images.
