Eric wrote the 2014 winemaker notes, so I presume he was still doing that.
Perhaps that was too strong, but it just seems like people are assuming the worst (style change, points-chasing, etc.), when it may not be.
Probably just alternative facts…
Eric Baugher responded to my email. The most pertinent points are that the new oak percentage has gone up recently due to the drought concentrating the wines, and his feeling that the wine can handle that increase as part of its overall profile. He clearly does not see the Estate Cab as a drink now wine, so that may be a lesson for all of us.
Also, the new oak is only 45% in the 2015. That’s more the general target range per Eric.
I’ve always treated these as wines to sit on for at least 15 years. That was my introduction a couple decades ago, when mature bottles were easy to find for cheap, and I tasted all the new releases at the winery and elsewhere. I don’t think anything’s changed in that regard. (Other than the average vine age increasing.) So, I don’t particularly care how the oak shows when the wine isn’t ready to drink. I’m used to that with some of their Chards and Zins being unpleasantly oaky or obnoxiously fruity for my palate on release. Just take the tail end of the recommended drinking window on the back of the bottle as the earliest to pop one and bury them deep. Their wines that drink well young get better.
One other quick FYI from Eric’s email that I missed: Monte Bello has been 100% new oak since 1987.
Yes, MB has been 100% for a very long time, and some vintages had small percentages of French oak. I’ve actually never had an MB with less than 10 years. Certainly the density of that wine carries the new oak reasonably well.
When did they start making the Estate Cab? I first had it with the 08. The 09 was much better and I still have some for that 10+ cycle.
Looking in CT I only see it back to 2008. I wonder if there was a similar wine with a different name prior to that.
I think it was called Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet.
I have a 2005 in the cellar that says “Santa Cruz Mountains Estate.”
Yep. That’s the one. Thanks.
Based on these comments, it looks like this could last at least 10 years before drinking…I was thinking of purchasing a couple of these for my kid (birth year wine) to lay down, but can they go 20-25 years (or 30)? I expect Monte Bello to reach that far, but if I am going to spend $50-$60 on a cab as a birth year wine as Monte Bello is unfortunately out of my spending range, I want to make sure it goes the distance otherwise I’ll just source from Bordeaux. Thanks in advance!
Not clear that it will, as have not tasted it On the Ridge site, Eric does not have a long drinking window for the wine, but Ridge has always been way more conservative with that than the wines were capable of.
Honestly, Ridge is never a bad bet.
Properly stored, I see no reason why these Estate Cabs cannot mature very well for 20 or so years. The 2013, especially, is a pretty solid, dense wine. I’ve had Geyserville with 20+ years, no issues. If anything, it took on a bit of a classic Bordeaux note. Funny enough, last Friday I had a 1975 Mondavi Zin at Bern’s off their “by the glass” menu, and it was in perfect condition. Blind, I would have guessed Bordeaux straight off the nose and the initial palate impression. Only with a little more time did some subtle Zin spice notes come to the fore. I guess my point is, well made wine, comprised of good materials, can age much longer than people realize if stored properly.
We were at Ridge this past Friday. The gentleman doing our tasting opined that the 2013 Estate Cabernet would best not be opened for at least 10 years. This could easily be a birth year wine.
Sounds like a claret style zin, which I confuse for a cab blend at times
I’ll bet they can go the distance. I’ve been stocking up on 2013 CA Cabernet at various price ranges, and I picked a few these for long term cellaring.
mseeber wrote:
Based on these comments, it looks like this could last at least 10 years before drinking…I was thinking of purchasing a couple of these for my kid (birth year wine) to lay down, but can they go 20-25 years (or 30)? I expect Monte Bello to reach that far, but if I am going to spend $50-$60 on a cab as a birth year wine as Monte Bello is unfortunately out of my spending range, I want to make sure it goes the distance otherwise I’ll just source from Bordeaux. Thanks in advance!
Mark, I am not sure if these can go 25 to 30 years, but at the price point that you are referring to of $50-$60, this would be my first choice from Northern California to hold for that time period. When we tasted the 2013 last year for the first time, the people pouring were recommending holding for at least 15 years.
Thanks,
Ed
As others have pointed out many but not all vintages labeled as “Santa Cruz Mountains” are from Monte Bello fruit. Before the “Estate” designation Ridge used “Home Ranch” to designate estate cab not going into the Monte Bello.
So is it fair to say the 2014 Estate cab is Monte Bello grapes that didn’t quite make the cut since the label says “Monte Bello Vineyard…Santa Cruz Mountains”?