ANTONIO GALLONI 98 POINTS - "Ridge's 1996 Monte Bello is an absolute stunner. The bouquet evokes a top Left Bank Bordeaux in a great vintage. Not surprisingly, the Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1996 is very high at 80%. Every bit as compelling on the palate, the 1996 simply exudes class. I am not sure words alone can capture just how vivid the wine is at twenty years of age. Graphite, smoke, tobacco, licorice and a core of dark fruit unfold on the palate as the 1996 shows off its pedigree. Readers lucky enough to own it can look forward to another two decades plus of exceptional drinking. The 1996 is an uber-classic, Médoc-leaning Monte Bello. What a wine!"
JEB DUNNUCK 97 POINTS - "As always at visits to Ridge, they like to show older vintages, and I’m always amazed at how well these wines age. The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Mont Bello checks in as 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, and comes from a low-yielding vintage due to poor weather at set, which was followed by a warm growing season and early harvest. Aged all in new oak, it’s classic Monte Bello all the way with its Bordeaux-like bouquet of tobacco leaf, Christmas spice, cured meats, and sweet currants and plum fruits. Full-bodied, classic, and elegant on the palate, it’s drinking brilliantly today yet will certainly keep for another 10-15 years."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 96+ POINTS - "The most aromatically exotic vintage of the decade, the 1996 Monte Bello is superb, bursting from the glass with an extravagant bouquet of cassis, cigar box, rich soil, roasted meats and decadent oriental spices. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, richly tannic and very intense, with a deep and tight-knit core and a bright line of acidity, concluding with a long, youthful finish. The 1996 vintage saw rain during flowering—which reduced yields at this address to less than one ton per acre—followed by a warm summer. The result is a super concentrated Monte Bello that hasn't even reached its plateau of maturity yet. Choosing between this and the formidable 1995 will always be a challenge, but I suspect the 1996 has the greater upside. The blend consists of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot, attaining 13.2% alcohol."
JEB DUNNUCK 97 POINTS - "As always at visits to Ridge, they like to show older vintages, and I’m always amazed at how well these wines age. The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Mont Bello checks in as 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, and comes from a low-yielding vintage due to poor weather at set, which was followed by a warm growing season and early harvest. Aged all in new oak, it’s classic Monte Bello all the way with its Bordeaux-like bouquet of tobacco leaf, Christmas spice, cured meats, and sweet currants and plum fruits. Full-bodied, classic, and elegant on the palate, it’s drinking brilliantly today yet will certainly keep for another 10-15 years."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 96+ POINTS - "The most aromatically exotic vintage of the decade, the 1996 Monte Bello is superb, bursting from the glass with an extravagant bouquet of cassis, cigar box, rich soil, roasted meats and decadent oriental spices. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, richly tannic and very intense, with a deep and tight-knit core and a bright line of acidity, concluding with a long, youthful finish. The 1996 vintage saw rain during flowering—which reduced yields at this address to less than one ton per acre—followed by a warm summer. The result is a super concentrated Monte Bello that hasn't even reached its plateau of maturity yet. Choosing between this and the formidable 1995 will always be a challenge, but I suspect the 1996 has the greater upside. The blend consists of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot, attaining 13.2% alcohol."
Overall Rating
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