Differing views on Ridge's 2007 Cabs

WINE TALK
#1

I was among a number of “blobbers” invited to Ridge last week for a special tasting. Tasting room manager Chris Watkins opened up almost all the wines that Parker had tasted recently (plus a few extras) and we were taken through them. I was surprised that for the most part my scores and his were pretty close, but on both the 2007s our scores differed widely. Here are my notes on those two (the full writeup is here). I’d be curious to read Parker’s full notes on these wines, to see why he scored them so low. The 88 he bestowed on the SCM Estate was the only sub-90 score he gave.

2007 Santa Cruz Mountains Estate
58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot.
Big nose of blackcurrant, menthol and coffee. Lots of plum and blackcurrant backed by nice herbal notes. Great fruit without being too fruit-forward; nice structure - lot of tannin on the finish. A great food wine; approachable now with air but will repay cellaring. 93 (RP88)

2007 Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains
This was only opened that morning and on the initial showing I can see why Parker didn’t rate it as highly as I did. The nose showed smoked meat, black fruit, mint, pencil shavings. In the mouth there is concentrated black fruit but it’s very tight and not showing anything like as well as it did the last time I tried it.
So having tasted though the rest of the line-up I came back to it. By then it had opened up quite a lot and was showing far more fruit and less of the tannin. Still very primary, but good delineation, nice black fruit and a long finish. I’m right, Parker is wrong. 95+ (RP92)

#2

Dave, I’m no Parker apologist, and often disagree with his reviews of some of the more restrained wines (I like them more). But in this case my notes and his were pretty much in lock step. I think the 07 MB was very lucky to be scored as high as it was by Parker - it’s definitely a leaner, higher acid wine. I think even the Ridge folks will tell you it was a tough year, and they were happy to have it come out as well as it did.

#3

Sorry I had to miss that tasting – I had to give a presentation at that hour for a bunch of paying attendees at a 3-day training our Agency does. Thanks for your report Dave.

The answer is simple: Parker is wrong (for the umpteenth time). The '07 Monte Bello is gorgeous. (I know Alan prefers the '06, but we have to agree to disagree.)

#4

Actually, I prefer the 05 and 01, but I do think the 06 will be fantastic in 10-20 years :slight_smile: I spoke with Draper about the 07 while tasting it, and to give Parker credit, his review reflects exactly what Draper told me - that they had trouble getting the fruit ripe enough in 07, and that they had to extend pump-overs and use other techniques to get as much tannin extraction as they could, still falling a bit short of the goal. As always, preferences vary and are obviously personal, I’m just here to say that in this case I’m on the same wavelength with Parker (and apparently Draper as well) in ranking the wines. Believe me, that’s not an important goal of mine :wink:
Cheers

#5

Parker has said he has trouble getting a read on MB when they are young. Look at his ratings on the 91 and 92 and his raving about them 10+ years later.

#6

Dave, here are the full notes:

Wine Advocate # 187
Feb 2010 Robert Parker 92 Drink: 2010 - 2035 $90-$163 (145)
The 2007 Monte Bello is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Its dense ruby/purple color is accompanied by attractive aromas of incense, red and black currants, spice, and forest floor. Much lighter in the mouth with less concentration and texture than the 2006, 2005, and 2003, the 2007 is built along the lines of the 2004. There is a slight lack of intensity in this offering (yields were almost twice as high in 2007 as they were in 2005), but it is a very pretty effort made in a lighter, more elegant, restrained style. It reveals lots of blue, black, and red fruits, medium body, good acidity, and a fine finish. The extremely cold weather in late September as well as the wet October has had an impact on the 2007 in contrast to what happened further north in Napa and Sonoma. While it does not represent a great classic, the 2007 will certainly last 15 or more years.

Ridge’s iconic Monte Bello Proprietary Red (no longer called Cabernet Sauvignon) is one of the candidates for the longest-lived Bordeaux blend made in California. Even vintages from the late sixties and early seventies are still vibrant wines. The winery owns just over 100 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vines, and production varies enormously based on the mountain climate. With respect to this group of wines, the smallest yields were achieved in 2005, and the highest in 2007. The selection process here is relatively severe. For their Monte Bello, the flagship wine, 32% of the production was used in 2003, 38% in 2004, 49% in 2005, 39% in 2006, and 41% in 2007. These wines continue to be anomalies in the sense that the Cabernet Sauvignon component is aged in American oak, a somewhat contrarian procedure since most top producers long ago moved to French oak. The Santa Cruz Mountains cuvees, essentially a second wine culled out from Monte Bello, are also high quality efforts from Ridge. Each of the vintages I tasted reflects the vintage conditions in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Three 2008 barrel samples reveal a consistent, high quality style with slightly more elevated alcohol contents.

Wine Advocate # 187
Feb 2010 Robert Parker 88 Drink: 2010 - 2018 $40 (40)
The lightest of these offerings, the deep ruby/purple-tinged 2007 Santa Cruz Mountains Estate (58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot) displays a straightforward nose of crushed, jammy red and black fruits, earth, and spice. More narrowly constructed with less richness and intensity than either the 2005 or 2006, with slightly higher acids, this wine finishes a bit sharply. Drink it over the next 7-8 years as it does not have the depth necessary to hold up to extended aging.

Ridge’s iconic Monte Bello Proprietary Red (no longer called Cabernet Sauvignon) is one of the candidates for the longest-lived Bordeaux blend made in California. Even vintages from the late sixties and early seventies are still vibrant wines. The winery owns just over 100 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vines, and production varies enormously based on the mountain climate. With respect to this group of wines, the smallest yields were achieved in 2005, and the highest in 2007. The selection process here is relatively severe. For their Monte Bello, the flagship wine, 32% of the production was used in 2003, 38% in 2004, 49% in 2005, 39% in 2006, and 41% in 2007. These wines continue to be anomalies in the sense that the Cabernet Sauvignon component is aged in American oak, a somewhat contrarian procedure since most top producers long ago moved to French oak. The Santa Cruz Mountains cuvees, essentially a second wine culled out from Monte Bello, are also high quality efforts from Ridge. Each of the vintages I tasted reflects the vintage conditions in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Three 2008 barrel samples reveal a consistent, high quality style with slightly more elevated alcohol contents.

#7

Thanks Peter!