Ridge Monte Bello 2001

James Suckling: Expansive black-fruit aromas, plus some mulberry and bitter chocolate, make this mature Californian red hard to resist. The balance of mouth-filling richness with fine tannins gives this a sensual, velvety mouth-feel, followed by chalky minerality and bright acidity that create fantastic tension at the finish. A cuvee of 56% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot and 8% petit verdot. Tasted at the Thomas Kammeier Monte Bello vertical. 98/100

Robert Parker: While certainly an outlier in Monte Bello's history, the fact that the 2001 Monte Bello's "record-high" alcohol content is just 14.1% tells one all they need to know about Ridge's aesthetic preferences. The season served as a prelude to vintage conditions that have become increasingly common: August heat spells, the resulting hydric stress and accelerated ripening. Poured from a magnum, the wine offers a remarkably youthful bouquet of red plums, pipe tobacco, truffle, dried mint and subtle undertones of vanilla, introducing a fittingly dense yet suave and impressively elegant mouthfeel despite its comparatively outsized personality. The finish continues this luscious profile, although it is energized by ample acidity and persistent, supple tannins that provide an ironclad frame for the wine's overall generosity. The cépage is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot. 97/100

Wine Enthusiast: Without doubt this is a wine to cellar. It's massive in flavor, with the purist blackcurrant and cassis fruit you can imagine, and the huge plaster of sweet oak is perfectly balanced. Then there are the tannins. They're fine and complex, but gritty. There's an astringency throughout that a great steak will cut through, but it would be infanticide to open this before, say, 2010. 97/100

Jancis Robinson: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc. 40th anniversary vintage. More Merlot in the assemblage than ever before. Cold and wet winter was followed by early, very dry spring and moderate summer temperatures with brief periods of intense heat. Harvest 10 September to 9 October. 134 tons from 108 acres. But easily extractable tannins. The only vintage that was over 14% (which was seen by Paul Draper as a mistake). 18 months in barrel (90% new air-dried American oak, 10% new French oak). Dark crimson. Intense and well-melded nose. Sweet and really quite luscious with a tannic structure still in evidence. Really very gorgeous now with beautiful balance. This balsam note again – so refreshing and the acidity keeps this wine from heft. 18.5/20