Ridge, Monte Bello Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains

Fabulous bottle. Bright citrus and melon on the front end, with a seamless transition into a long, velvety finish, with mostly integrated oak adding subtle background notes. Balance, texture, length, depth… this has it all.

2012 vintage

Clear medium yellow; fresh elegant nose with a hint of vanilla and citrus; rich and intense attack, same in the middle and the end plus in a very long aftertaste - excellently balanced with sufficient acidity to support the rich and intense flavors; elegant, intense and very tasty at the same time

2012 vintage

This wine has been an enigma to me in previous vintages, usually with a caveat involving too much oak. But the '21 Monte Bello Chardonnay feels different, with seamlessly integrated oak complementing notes of Meyer lemon and Honeycrisp apple. The fruit is somewhat subdued too, yet stylish. A hint of caramel weaves in late, lingering on the medium finish. Elegant and stylish in its simplicity.

2021 vintage

Exceptional

2012 vintage

Tasted at Ridge Fall Release. Opened ~4 hours. White Peach and Apricot and a bit of lemon acid that will hopefully mellow over time. Wonderful salinity, but overall soft and very enjoyable.

2021 vintage

I think there's a lot of good/great American chards out there but rarely do you come across a bottle that really stands apart from the others. To me, this is a prime example of such a bottle. It's certainly on the riper side with a distinct tropical character, while retaining a round acidity and rich, fat mouthfeel. There's also a solid mineral backbone, and tasting this almost felt like I was flipping through pages of a book with the layers …

2012 vintage

An excellent bottle, and one that will age well. Displays a medium-light straw yellow color at the moment. The nose is very Burgundian: burnt caramel, lemon cake and bitter orange. Quite restrained on the oak and the fruit. The palate exhibits great depth with a richness complimented by a wonderful tension, minerality and “dryness” resulting in a really terrific structure. Yet is still retains a bit of a California terroir with a strong backbone and approachable style at a relatively …

2021 vintage

Ridge Monte Bello Chardonnay 2012. Its worth to wait for this white wine ! Deep golden color After opening the nose from the bottle got pure minerality und some gooseberry! In the glas it got opulent aromes of crushed citrus and white flowers added. Well balanced ! The mouth ecrn added some acidity perfect match with ripe peal ! Very elegant in style and a marvelous long finish at the palate! Of course enjoyed in the Riedel Sommelier Chardonnay black …

2012 vintage

A Ridge Tahoe Weekend; 6/29/2023-7/2/2023 (Edgewood Resort) : This was pure butterscotch/caramel intensity. Maybe almost a bit toasty. Still that sweeter state. Maybe some pineapple? The most intense of the wines and a bit too much for me.

2011 vintage

PHMG WAG: The California Wine Club Tasting (The Lyon Club) : Opened and out of fridge for 30', this starts with fresh peach, lemon rind, mango and then heads off to saline, minerals and carnauba. Just a baby and decent QPR.

2021 vintage

2012 Monte Bello Chardonnay from Ridge Vineyards. Wow. Opened it because a friend came for a visit. The color is deep, clear golden. This 2012 got now an expressive nose of gooseberry, orange peel and ripe apricot ! I was once told that the Monte Bello Chardonnay needs about 10+ years. And I have to say : Yes its right ! I had some of them younger and they where not so calm and elegant ! The mouth is a …

2012 vintage

At 67PM. Last of three chards, previous two Italian and won most votes. Instant smack of freshness out of the Zalto Montrachet glass. Beautifully taut yet still allowing some rich flabbiness to pervade. Stone, moss, lichen, clotted cream, nettle. A real rounded example. 14% didn’t bother the table as it didn’t show at all. Plenty of legs left here for sure.

2012 vintage

The Ridge "Monte Bello" Chardonnay 2012, like Chanin and Sandhi, comes from vineyards only a few kilometres from the Pacific coast. But the style is completely different and it was also a slightly warmer year. At the time, they said: "Apart from the lack of cool-climate aspect, the 2012 is an excellent and typically Californian Chardonnay. Initially floral and always woody, the wine becomes buttery and creamy with some honey and lots of popcorn, a ripe, rich yellow fruit and …

2012 vintage

Nice round chard with good balance. Good mouth feel, slightly buttery, moderately oaked. Rich and viscous. Bright acidity, citrus, stone fruit, pear, wet stones and some smoked nuts. Long finish.

2012 vintage

Ridge Dinner 22 November (Hawksmoor Guildhall) : Rich, voluptuous - clearly new world chardonnay with pineapple and vanilla, but some balancing acidity, almost like a lemon syrup feeling. Really lovely stuff and set us off well. Think I may have enjoyed this more than any other Ridge chardonnay I've had in the UK.

2012 vintage

Coravin sample . Compared to the previous bottle this has grown into somehting much more interesting and appealing. Tried at a cool temperature about 9-10 C degrees. Buttery popcorn, pear and pineapple on the nose. Slightly oxidized but not in a deterring way. Still rich and big. In the mouth a bit coarse. The oak is there but much better integrated now. Very complex and an extremely rich and long finish. A powerhouse with refinement. Today I really liked this.

2011 vintage

This is not as subtle as the Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is big fat and rich, not overdone but equally it is direct. Notes of melon, peach and lemon fill the mouth. Full bodied, moderate acidity. Long finish but quite straightforward. Drink now as it's charm is its primary nature, I would expect caramel notes to appear quite soon. Reminded me of various Kistler chardonnays I've tried.

2012 vintage

Light golden yellow; exotic notes, bit of citrus; very rich, good acidity, creamy, long aftertaste; really nice, wonderful

2012 vintage

Flawed, or over the hill.

2011 vintage

Warm, sunny, friendly Chardonnay full of rockmelon, white peach, and oak aromas. Rich, dry, and powerful, with green pineapple, flinty minerals, and bristling with acidity. You'll never mistake this for somewhere else, and while it might not scratch the itch for Chardonnay, it's a great wine that pushes the boundaries in a lot of ways but always makes me smile.

2012 vintage

Fantastic. Rich and creamy, lots of oak but done with style. Perfect balance. I'm not a big chardonnay fan so maybe this won't mean much, but this is quite literally one of the best chardonnays I've ever had.

2012 vintage

Courtesy of tlv, this pours a pale youthful color- in fact there is still a slight green tint to the wine. Coconut!apple and orchard fruit aromas along with vanilla and barrel elements. Marshmallow and orchard fruit flavors. There is more than enough for the oak. So very well done. WOTN to this point. This bottle showed on the young side, so if it is representative, give this an hour in a decanter and don’t serve it too cold or in …

2011 vintage

2011 bottled in 2013 with winemaker's note of it developing over the next ten to 15 years. I pulled this from the cellar a little early, and I should have waited a couple of years more. Nonetheless, after about an hour decant and reaching about 60ish degrees (F), it opened up and was a treat, not acidic at all but smooth and creamy with stone fruit at the forefront with a buttery aftertaste. Sad to say that it was my …

2011 vintage

A bit over the hill.

2011 vintage

Yellow hue that opens with citrus blossom and honeydew melon aromas. Pear and apricot on the front palate while crushed gravel, toast and baking spice on a medium length finish.

2012 vintage

Consumed by my wife and some friends during a birthday celebration for one of the group while I was in another location and at my behest in hopes of preventing a “potential disaster”, knowing I had another 2 bottles in another location in the cellar. No commentary available except that it “disappeared rather quickly”.

2012 vintage

Well described by others. The usual stellar Ridge effort. All the expected elements of a CA Chardonnay, oak, malo, citrus, but with nothing dominant. Beautifully structured and great with baked halibut and panzanella. The fruit seems to be fading to me, so drink up.

2012 vintage

My final bottle of the case. I do think 90 is fair. This is too oaky for me and a little out of balance. Very heavy vanilla. I’ve had other vintages if this wine and they were more balanced than this. Was still lovely and it had good apple and peach notes but just not as good as I wanted it to be.

2011 vintage

Bright medium yellow color. Toasty, slightly reduced nose with struck match, buttered toast, cream, lemon and pear. Nice texture and acidity on the palate which emphasizes lemon curd, pear, smokey notes and some sulphur. Finish is creamy with more pear and a touch of Macintosh apple. Quite long. Better above cellar temp and with a good bit of air. Cali style for sure but very well balanced and food friendly.

2012 vintage

Ridge Monte Bello 2011 ! I opened a bottle a few years ago and thought this wine to buy was a mistake. But I read that you have to wait up to ten years for the full potential of this wine. Now I opened one bottle again:-) the nose has a light buttery note and some kind of fresh mowed green grass, white flowers . In one word : freshness . The mouth is creamy even buttery , good acidity. …

2011 vintage

Sunday Night @ The Papies (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London) : 2 years to the days since we had this last ( Papies 93) and continues to deliver. Granted one must like the style of the flamboyant and oaky chardonnay or have it with food that complements ( oven roasted turbot was a perfect match) . For us not the go to style in white but still we could not but admire its quality. Lemony, bright, full on oaky and …

2012 vintage

Passed

2012 vintage

Spectacular wine, deep colour and viscous, but still young and super fresh. A touch of fennel and first note of creamy butter, but fundamentally still a baby. At 14.5 degree you feel the weight but no heat, this is so impressive, occasionally I try Le Montrachet and it would struggle alongside as fine a wine as this. Brilliant balance, intensity and energy, what a treat! Will it keep? I’m sure it will but tasting as delicious as it does it …

2012 vintage

Light medium yellow; faint nose, a bit citrus; nice and rounded but also somewhat flat, nice long aftertaste, really tasty; believe it is past its peak so drink up

2011 vintage

Clean, crisp, and quite green. The wine looks straw colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like grapefruit and stems.

2012 vintage

Despite traveling with the wine several hundred miles this was excellent. It is a bright medium lemon yellow with a slight golden tinge. The nose has wet stones, creamy citrus and pear and white flowers. Unlike some others I detected no significant smokiness or reduction. The mouth feel is textured and rich with medium acidity. The palate is complex and layered that has lemon curd, vanilla, honeysuckle, pear and a long minerally finish.

2012 vintage

Ridge Cabs (La Trompette, London) : Nicely lest and lemon nose. A lingering oatmeal persists to the palate too. Rich, quite alcoholic but with decent line. After a couple of Hours, and at ambient temperature, this actually seems lighter and better balanced, showing a tropical fruit profile. ***1/2

2012 vintage

Served with one-pan chicken in garlicy white wine sauce and potatoes. Opened 30 minutes before serving. Smell: initial sniff at wine check was utterly marvelous. Look: yellow, yellow/gold - clear, lively, lovely, promising. Smell: fruit, honey, butter, really good olive oil. Taste: "Oh, that's good!" Dry smooth, acid, vanilla, fruit, melon, great finish. Love it. 93.5 on the log scale in use here.

2012 vintage

From memory without a lot of detail from a party at our house. Like previous bottles. Lemon cream and moderate oak and a bit buttery. I preferred the 2010 version of this we also had.

2011 vintage

Rich medium, golden yellow color. Nose has butterscotch, butter, and tropical fruit. Palate is rich and chewy but just a little flabby, lacking enough acidity which is moderate at best. Flavors of popcorn, ripe red apple, caramel and only a moderately long finish. Slightly disappointing for me relative to the vintages of this wine I have had which had better structure and balance.

2011 vintage

Rich golden yellow; oxidized sherry-like nose; rich and tasty with fatty presence, light hint of oxidation but not that disturbing (although reducing score); good power and richness

2011 vintage

14.5% abv. Pale straw, expressive aromas. Apple, pear and citrus with bright acidic structure. Stony, and on the lean side, with a nice saline minerality. A very attractive, mature Chardonnay probably at or a bit beyond its peak. Enjoy over the next several years.

2011 vintage

Excellent to gorgeous nose (B++/A-). Excellent palate (B++).

2011 vintage

Wonderful balance with just enough oak. Must be at its best now as there is the faintest hint of ox in the nose.

2011 vintage

Qualitywise nothing to complain about but the balance is disappointing with loads of oak vanilla aromas. In addition apple and tropical fruit flavour. The oak is downplayed after 1-2 hours but it is still dominant. High intensity of fruit, full bodied and noticeable warmth. Had really expected something more restrained. Could of course get better with time. 88-90p

2011 vintage

Guldgul färg, lite smågrumligt Blommiga och florala toner, citrus, krut och en hel de snygga fat, mycket vanilj och framförallt vaniljsocker Rund och fyllig smak, bra syra, härlig längd, även ett härligt krutigt avslut. Jäkligt maffig CH som jag verkligen uppskattade. jag trodde inte att det var en Monte Bello innan flaskan visades.

2011 vintage

Classic monte bello clove immediately on the nose. Pear and apple notes, cinnamon, vanilla, and clove to go with some mild minerality, wet wool, and butter pie crust finish. It started out probably "too" cold, but i preferred it a bit more chilled which brought out more brown butter and oyster brine flavors and when warmer more coconut. Medium plus bodied with a bit of oily texture. Nice with good persistence even when cold. I wish it was a touch …

2011 vintage

With sautéed sea scallops, rice, and corn-on-the-cob. PNP. Luscious, rich gold in the glass. Nose is nice chard fruit, melon, vanilla, a touch of honey. Good balance on the palate, even with the high alcohol. Acid is there for backbone (and to balance the richness of both the wine and the food), smoothness (particularly after it had some exposure to air), and a nice finish.

2011 vintage

Deep golden yellow. Fantastic concentration and length on the finish with flavors of Golden Delicious apple and almond. Deserves contemplation--more a sipper than a food wine. Opened in honor of Neil Courtney.

2011 vintage

Light yellow; lovely bready buttery nose, white flowers, honey; silky, creamy, lots of taste and flavours, long aftertaste; delicious - Monte Bello is always a nice experience

2011 vintage

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Ridge, Monte Bello Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains

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