86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc -- Organic

Food pairings: Bone-in prime rib, grilled lamb chops, pan seared filet mignon with mushroom gratin

"The 2022 Monte Bello feels like a cooler-vintage wine, defying all expectations of the torrid growing season. Juicy, fresh and very old school, the 2022 sashays with true elegance as it unfurls into classic layers of cedar box, tobacco, grilled herbs, tart cherry and crushed rocks. A return to a more typical percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in this vintage can be felt in the wine's upright build and darker aromatic shadings. Winemaker John Olney chose to keep the 2022 in barrel for 21 months, a little longer than usual, in an effort to tame its fierce young tannins. That prescription worked out swimmingly. The 2022 is a very serious, structured wine, but its textural polish is beyond reproach. It's a Monte Bello that whispers rather than shouts. Time is very much on your side." -Vinous 

"The nose displays a classically deep and resonant bouquet of red and black fruits, vanilla pod, dark chocolate, cigar wrapper and dried herbs, with balsamic overtones and admirable oak integration. The palate combines lush generosity with an eminently sturdy core, concluding with a stern, bracing finish of firm tannins, pleasantly complemented by gentle succulence. It will take time to view the full potential here, but it certainly delivers the tried-and-true profile long-time fans will expect." Wine Advocate

Why Does Ridge add Ingredients to its Back Labels?

At Ridge we call our approach to winemaking “pre-industrial”. We believe that for anyone attempting to make fine wine, modern additives and invasive processing limit true quality and do not allow the distinctive character of a fine vineyard to determine the character of the wine.

Several years ago we began adding to our labels a list of actions and ingredients to demonstrate how little intervention is necessary to produce a fine, terroir-driven wine from distinctive fruit. Although an ingredient list is not required by the TTB (i.e. American wine law), if a winery chooses to add a list of ingredients to its back label it must list ALL ingredients.