Ridge Monte Bello
| Vintage: | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Description: | "Unfortunately, the 2020 Monte Bello is a victim of this harvest's devastating wildfires. Smoke taint is evident from the first pour, after which it receded and then reappeared on and off over the two days I spent with the bottles. The palate tells the same story, with the retronasal signature of campfire smoke and hollowed-out, gritty fruit on the finish. This was only more glaring in the context of a vertical spanning 2021-2015, many of which are banner vintages for Ridge. While an otherwise technically well-made wine is there behind the smoke, albeit with noticeably less depth and concentration than is typical, due to Ridge's decision to bulk out of 90% of the pressed wine, this flaw is unavoidable. In the interest of thoroughness, a sample of the bottled 2020 Monte Bello was submitted to Ets Laboratories in St. Helena, where a series of tests to detect glycosylated smoke markers were carried out (glycosylated tests specifically separate sugar-bound markers from volatile markers that can be imparted by oak levage). The results confirmed significantly elevated levels of 4-methylguaiacol rutinoside, cresol rutinoside, phenol rutinoside and syringol gentiobioside, all of which correspond to elevated levels of smoke exposure and heightened sensory thresholds by up to a factor of four from the 99th percentile of a non-smoke-affected vintage." - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com (Apr 18, 2024) |
| Price: | $ 215.00 |
| Price in original currency: | None |
Available from Belmont Wine Exchange
| Address: |
1091 Industrial Road, Suite 107 San Carlos, CA 94070 United States |
|---|---|
| Telephone (toll-free): | 888-802-9929 |
| Telephone (regular): | 650-802-9463 |
| Fax: | 650-802-9465 |
First added to 1000 Corks on May 25, 2024.
