100/100: The 2013 Ridge Monte Bello, "a very special vintage for this great wine" (WK)
“If the United States had a formal classification of estates, Ridge would be the equivalent of a First Growth… world-class wines that can compete with the best from anywhere”
– Antonio Galloni, 2016
We are delighted to offer two cases of the 2013 Ridge Monte Bello. One of the finest wines of a spectacular vintage for California, this is a 100-point masterpiece, a benchmark for this world-class producer and a must for fans for the best wines on the planet.
The Ridge Monte Bello is a special wine from a very special producer, as Antonio Galloni makes clear in the note above. These wines have a combination of extreme quality, longevity, consistency and value that makes them stand out from the crowd. The 2013 is one of the finest vintages ever made here.
For William Kelley, the 2013 is “a very special vintage for this great wine”and “is full-bodied, powerful and multidimensional, with a lavishly textural attack that segues into a stunningly layered, richly structured mid-palate endowed with incredible depth and concentration”.Antonio Galloni calls it “utterly spellbinding in its beauty. Finely sculpted and chiseled, with super-expressive aromatics and searing tannins”.
We only two cases to offer. Do take a look and let me know if you would like them.
2013 Ridge, Monte Bello
£1,450 per case (6*75cl OC) in bond – 2 cases available
100 points William Kelley
The 2013 Monte Bello is a very special vintage for this great wine. Amazingly, it has yet to shut down, unfurling in the glass to reveal a bouquet of black raspberries, cassis, rich espresso roast, cigar wrapper, subtle black truffle and burning embers that has already integrated its 100% new oak remarkably completely. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, powerful and multidimensional, with a lavishly textural attack that segues into a stunningly layered, richly structured mid-palate endowed with incredible depth and concentration underpinned by succulent acids. The finish is long, vibrant and beautifully delineated. The 2013 is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot, and it attained 13.6% natural alcohol. Analytically, this ranks as one of the most tannic vintages of Monte Bello ever produced, but the tannins are of such high quality and cloaked in such a wealth of fruit that Ridge forwent their habitual egg white fining this year—beginning a trend that has continued since. This profound Monte Bello will begin to blossom as it reaches age ten and should prove practically immortal. (2018) www.robertparker.com Drink 2023-2070
98+ points Antonio Galloni
The 2013 Monte Bello is utterly spellbinding in its beauty. Finely sculpted and chiseled, with super-expressive aromatics and searing tannins, the 2013 is shaping up to be a modern-day classic. The 2013 is remarkably pure and vibrant for such a big wine. It will be years before the 2013 is close to being ready to drink. Even so, it is magnificent today. Where will the 2013 end up? The future seems limitless for now. Quite simply, the 2013 is a must-have wine. In 2013, Monte Bello is very heavy in Cabernet Sauvignon, partly because Merlot suffered in the drought-like conditions. The 2013 has already begun to shut down in bottle. Readers need to be in for the long haul. (2016) www.vinous.com
Offered subject to final confirmation. Available in the UK in 8-12 weeks. Offer expires 14th October 2024.
