Ridge, California Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains 2017

Still a perfect wine in my opinion, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is a powerhouse that's going to need substantial time in the cellar. Reminding me of the 1986 Mouton Rothschild with its powerful, inward, massively structured style, it offers a dense, powerful nose of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, scorched earth, crushed stone, and lead pencil, with some solid chocolaty oak. Deep, rich, massively concentrated, and structured on the palate, it has building tannins, a beautiful spine of acidity, and a fabulous finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only got better, so don’t be afraid to give these plenty of air if opening any time soon. It will ideally be given another decade of bottle age and it's going to see it 50th birthday in fine form.

The 2017 Monte Bello is a towering triumph of California Cabernet Sauvignon. The final blend includes 15% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. The colossal nose reads like a dictionary definition of young Monte Bello, with inky black fruits, fragrant dried herbs, treated leather and a refreshing, breezy lift that continuously bounds from the glass. The palate continues the immense heft and gravitas of the nose, with ample mid-palate richness buttressed by forceful, penetrating and vigorous tannins. The oak integration throughout is remarkable, its edges gently buffed rather than vigorously polished. Overall, this is an incredibly impressive, complex and multifaceted wine that should have no problem aging for five decades.

This shows incredible intensity and depth of blackberries, pine needles, blackcurrants and black olives. Conifer, too. Love the nose. Full-bodied with so many layers of fruit and very fine, creamy tannins. It goes on for minutes. Impressive density with such weightlessness. Superb wine. Drink in 2026 and onwards.

The 2017 Monte Bello continues to develop beautifully. A heady, opulent wine, the 2017 also has tons of supporting structure to balance things out. Layers of dark red/purplish fruit give the 2017 remarkable primary intensity, with hints of licorice, mocha, dried flowers and menthol that build over time, hinting at the wine's ultimate potential. Sensual and exotic, but with plenty of tannic clout, the 2017 has a very bright future. Today, it is decidedly explosive. In 2017, the berries were small, and that high skin-to-juice ratio yielded a Monte Bello that is quite imposing in the early going.