2012 Monte Bello Ridge Chardonnay 75cl

2012 Monte Bello Ridge Chardonnay 75cl Fine Wine from USA

Wine Information
100% Chardonnay

Vintage
2012

Vineyard
Monte Bello

Appellation
Santa Cruz Mountains

Pale, sun-bleached straw. Apricot, pear, pineapple, wet stone, dried fig. Green plum and apricot on entry; citrus blossom, lively acid, oily texture; lingering crushed-rock mineral finish.

In 1949 William Short, retired theologian and then-owner of the Ridge middle vineyard (2070 – 2390), planted several acres of chardonnay, which provided the 1962 estate Monte Bello Chardonnay for the Ridge partners’ first vintage. From 1962 to 1984, limited amounts of chardonnay were produced each year under the Monte Bello designation. By 1985, younger, replanted vines had begun to supplant the older vines, whose yields had dropped to a quarter-ton per acre.
To distinguish this wine from the Monte Bello, we called it Santa Cruz Mountains.
Fifteen years later, in 1999, the young vines had matured; we were able to select several exceptional parcels for a Monte Bello, a practice that continues to the present. 

Press
The Wine Advocate (October 2015): 94+ Points “The 2012 Chardonnay Monte Bello is a beauty. Ripe, concentrated and still fresh, with lots of golden fruits, toasty oak, crème brulee and minerality, it’s medium to full-bodied, concentrated and layered, with a classy, balanced fruit and integrated acidity. Full, complete, concentrated and balanced, it will have a decade or more of longevity. This was a terrific set of wines from Ridge. The 2012 Bordeaux releases all have brilliant purity of fruit, with surprising freshness and focus. They’ll need short term cellaring to be approachable, especially the Monte Bello. The 2013s are similar in style to the 2012s, with tight, fresh profiles and solid tannic grip.” – Jeb Dunnuck