1991 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains

Absolutely spectacular, the 1991 Monte Bello comes from a low tannin year where the estate was wondering how well the wine would age. I'm happy to report it has aged brilliantly! Fully mature, yet still youthful and lively, it offers tons of cassis, underbrush, spice and dried herbs to go with a full-bodied, utterly seamless, sexy feel on the palate that just keeps you coming back to the glass. Review Date: October 2015

The 1991 Monte Bello is utterly captivating. Sweet tobacco, cedar, mint, dried flowers and herbs are some of the many notes the open up in the wine's striking bouquet. Aromatic, mid-weight and gracious, the 1991 is wonderfully complex, with more than enough balance to drink well for another two decades. The aromatics in particular are super-expressive, open-knit and incredibly finessed, all qualities Paul Draper says the wine showed right out of the fermentation tanks. What a gorgeous wine this is. (AG) Review Date: July 2015