RidgeVineyardsMonteBello2012

Monte Bello is produced from a mosaic of high-elevation vineyard parcels on the Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, shaped by a cool, maritime-influenced climate and a long growing season. Vineyards are planted between approximately 400 and 820 metres above sea level, often above the fog line, with marked diurnal variation that slows ripening and preserves natural acidity. Soils vary significantly across the ridge, combining fractured greenstone, clay, and decomposed limestone, an unusual geological mix in California that contributes structure, mineral tension, and longevity.rrThe modern expression of Monte Bello emerged after the ridge was acquired in 1959, with the first Ridge Monte Bello bottled in 1962 and the style refined following Paul Draper’s arrival in 1969. Draper recognised the importance of the site’s diversity, managing Monte Bello as a collection of distinct vineyard blocks with differing elevations, exposures, and soil profiles. These parcels are farmed and vinified separately, with only the most balanced and expressive lots selected for the final blend. The vineyards have been certified organic since 2006, reinforcing a low-intervention approach that allows Monte Bello to consistently express its complex mountain terroir.rrWeather in 2012 A dry winter ended abruptly in February, as we raced to finish pruning before new growth emerged. That early start to the growing season, and late September heat, threatened to over-ripen the fruit. With help from our Sonoma crew, we harvested in a record sixteen days. Despite limiting pump-overs and pressing early, tannins were quick to extract, producing one of our most structured vintages. In tastings, 19 of 24 parcels were selected for this exceptional wine. Balanced and appealing now, it will come into its own with twenty years of age, and show well at fifty.rrTechnical Information: rVineyard: Monte BellorGrapes: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc & 4% Petit VerdotrAppellation: Santa Cruz MountainsrAlcohol: 13.8 %rBarrels: 98.5% new air-dried american oak; 1.5% new french oakrAgeing: Sixteen months in barrelrrTasting Note: The 2012 Monte Bello is a beauty, wafting from the glass with complex aromas of plums, blackberries, bitter chocolate, black truffles, cigar tobacco and hints of crème de cassis. Its new oak is already well integrated. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, richly tannic and very deep, with a layered, concentrated core of fruit framed by chalky, fine-grained tannins. The 2012 is still quite youthfully chewy at this early stage, but there’s a certain lavishness to its ripe blackberry fruit that suggests this will be a dramatic, even decadent Monte Bello in the style of the 2002 when it reaches maturity â€?Tasted by William Kelley