Monte Bello 2015

Ridge Vineyards (hentet 17. okt. 2026): 2015 Monte Bello – 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc; mark: Monte Bello; AVA: Santa Cruz Mountains; alkohol 13.5%. Smagsnote (producentens tekst, engelsk): Dark ruby in color. Cassis and blackberry aromas, barrel spice, fennel, scented juniper, and cedar. Rich mountain fruit on entry, violets, black olive, refreshing acidity, and elegant tannins. Strong minerality in a long finish. EB (1/18) Årgangen (producentens tekst, engelsk): A mild winter brought early bud-break. Unfortunately, cold temperatures returned and storms swept through during bloom reducing yields. Summer’s warmth hastened ripening for a September harvest. Grapes from twenty-four parcels fermented separately. Once barrel malolactics finished, we made our first selection in January. In April three wonderful lots were added at the second assemblage. This elegant vintage shows superb intensity. It will develop fully over the next thirty years. Vækstsæsonen (producentens tekst, engelsk): Rainfall: 24.4 inches (below normal) Bloom: Early June Weather: Wet December & driest January on record; spring rains were below normal with warm temperatures. End of spring was cool with ocean fog and drizzle adding 3+ inches of rain allowing the vines to grow nicely. Moderate summer resulted in early ripening and we began picking in early September. Vinifikation (producentens tekst, engelsk): Harvest Dates: 9 September – 8 October Grapes: Average Brix 24.0˚ Fermentation: Grapes destemmed, 100% whole berries. Automated berry sorting. Fermented on the native yeasts. Pressed at eleven days. Natural malolactic. Selection: Twenty-two of twenty-five Monte Bello parcels Barrels: 100% air dried oak barrels – 97% American, 3% French (94% new and 6% one year old) Aging: Sixteen months in barrel Sustainably farmed, hand-harvested, estate-grown grapes; destemmed and sorted; fermented on the native yeasts; full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; 0.42 g/L calcium carbonate added to moderate the high natural acidity in nineteen of the twenty-five parcels; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur (35 ppm at crush, 65 ppm during aging); pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions. Historie (producentens tekst, engelsk): In 1886, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the first Monte Bello vineyards were planted, and winery construction begun. A first vintage from the young vines followed in 1892. During Prohibition (1920-1933), the vineyard was not fully maintained; some vines survived into the late 30’s, but by the 1940s they were effectively abandoned. Eight acres of cabernet sauvignon were replanted in 1949. These were the source of the first Ridge Monte Bello (1962) and subsequent vintages until 1974 when younger blocks replanted in the 1960’s were considered for inclusion. Since then, the historic vineyards on the ridge have gradually been replanted.