RIDGE VINEYARDS Monte Bello Red - Santa Cruz Mountains, San Francisco Bay, Central Coast 2001 Bottle

Description

Ridge Monte Bello 2001 is an extraordinary Californian red that has garnered widespread acclaim, receiving 98 points from Vinous and James Suckling. Currently entering its plateau of maturity, this wine showcases sweet dark cherry, plum, spice, and licorice, with fresh flavours and aromatic complexity. The mouth-filling richness pairs seamlessly with fine tannins, creating a sensual, velvety mouthfeel complemented by bright acidity and chalky minerality that adds tension at the finish. The 2001 vintage is unique, being the only Monte Bello to exceed 14% alcohol, with an impressive blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot. Its luscious profile and balance make it an exquisite choice for enjoyment now through 2051, truly reflecting luxury and classicism.

*****

VINOUS 98 points
Drinking Window 2017 - 2051
From: Ridge Monte Bello: Past, Present and Future (Jul 2015)
What a pleasure it is to taste the 2001 Monte Bello. A wine that is just beginning to enter the early part of its plateau of maturity, the 2001 is magnificently complete. The flavors remain quite fresh, but there is plenty of aromatic complexity in the glass. Sweet dark cherry, plum, spice and licorice meld into the super-expressive finish. At nearly fourteen years of age, the 2001 is still remarkably young and intense. Readers who own the 2001 are in for a real treat, to say the least. Incidentally, this is the only vintage of Monte Bello to top 14% in alcohol. Opulence and classicism can indeed coexist, as the 2001 makes it abundantly clear. - By Antonio Galloni on June 2015

JAMES SUCKLING 98 points
"Expansive black-fruit aromas, plus some mulberry and bitter chocolate, make this mature Californian red hard to resist. The balance of mouth-filling richness with fine tannins gives this a sensual, velvety mouth-feel, followed by chalky minerality and bright acidity that create fantastic tension at the finish. A cuvee of 56% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot and 8% petit verdot." - Stuart Pigott

THE WINE ADVOCATE 97 points
Drink Date: 2011 - 2030
The 2001 Monte Bello is a very atypical vintage for Ridge, attaining a record high alcohol of 14.1% and containing an unprecedented 36% Merlot. Baugher remembers that the grapes retained green, unripe flavors while sugars soared, so he was forced to wait to pick. It's hard not to be seduced by the resulting wine, which wafts from the glass with lavish aromas of ripe plums, black truffles, dark chocolate, cigar ash and loamy soil. It's full-bodied, ample and dramatic, with a broad, expansive attack and a voluptuously layered mid-palate, its sweet fruit complemented by plenty of savory nuance. At this stage, I prefer the 2002, which is almost as generous but better balanced and more Cabernet Sauvignon-driven in personality, but I suspect many tasters will favor the more opulent, sun-kissed 2001. - William Kelley

JANCIS ROBINSON 18.5 points
Dark crimson. Intense and well-melded nose. Sweet and really quite luscious with a tannic structure still in evidence. Really very gorgeous now with beautiful balance. This balsam note again – so refreshing and the acidity keeps this wine from heft. Great for drinking now. (JR)

DECANTER 94 points
Tasted by: Stephen Brook
(at London, 25 Oct 2022)
Part of Ridge Monte Bello retrospective: 21 vintages of the California classic
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2032
After two decades the deep colour is just starting to evolve, as is the nose, which now shows leafy and tobacco aromas while retaining the firm black fruits so evident when the wine was young. The palate is now velvety and supple, with integrated tannins that are not too grippy. The assertive acidity threads through the wine but it's not aggressive and the finish is sweet and long. Incidentally, one of the very few Monte Bellos to surpass 14% alcohol, though it doesn't show.