Red dry
The wine shows a deep purple colour and opens with aromas of black cherries, plums, black tea and toasted bread. On the palate it reveals notes of blackberry, vanilla, mint and beautifully integrated tannins, creating a long-lasting, complex and distinguished finish.
The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with native yeasts. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged for 16 months in American oak barrels dried in open air (55% new, 45% second-use).
The wine’s ageing potential is approximately 15 years.
Serve at 16–18 °C with game dishes, beef steaks, hearty red-meat stews with wild mushrooms, and aged hard cheeses.
Though born in the early sixties (In 1962, Ridge made its first Monte Bello, two years later - Zinfandel) to the post-Prohibition world of modern California winemaking, Ridge relies on nature and tradition rather than technology. Our pre-industrial approach is straightforward: find intense, flavorful grapes; intrude upon the process only when necessary; draw the fruit’s distinctive character and richness into the wine.Interestingly, Monte Bello has often been called America’s First Growth, as it is the finest domestic example of a classic Bordeaux blend in which cabernet sauvignon predominates.