Ridge is a winery that knows it doesn’t need to produce a Monte Bello every year to survive. That is an icon wine that for them to skip a year would only add value to that particular brand. If they do bottle a Monte Bello I would have confidence in them that it is a sound wine.
That said- there is a lot of fearmongering regarding 2020. A lot of sound fruit was left on the vine between the LNU and Glass fires in Napa if you were on the floor.
I agree with all of that, John. MB adds prestige to the Ridge brand more than it determines their bottom line, so all the incentives are to do the right thing.
-Al
Couldn’t agree more, John. They will not release a sub-standard MB.
Tom
There were some fantastic 2020 Santa Cruz Mountains reds at the Grand Wine Tasting last month, and more whites. (There’s a thread.) I’ve had other good examples elsewhere. Some picked ahead of the fires, some quite a bit later. One big area of the northern coastal side up to Skyline was written off. Much of the bay side, and the southern coastal side were fine. I know of a couple late decisions to declassify wines that are pretty good - no ash tray or bitterness, but a minor smoke influence that didn’t bother me. One was in the subjective zone, a Pinot with a very attractive smoked paprika note. One a Cab, where most wouldn’t notice, but may become prominent with age.
The '98 was my first “futures” purchase of Monte Bello. I drank them early and was happy that they were so accessible. I still have '99s that seem to be evolving. In retrospect, I am not at all sour about the price paid for the value delivered. A smoke-tainted vintage would be disappointing. My understanding is that the smoke taint issues show up in the finished wine and are not something that dissipates with time, so “seeing the problem” should be obvious.
fred
FIFY
Do you think Galloni is fearmongering? His reports on Ridge are usually positive and enthusiastic. The comment on the 2020 MB seemed like a significant deviation.
Like everyone, I have a some worries in this life. That Ridge will stick me with a sub-par Monte Bello is not one of them.
Not to kickstart an old thread, but I just had a 2020 Ridge Estate Chardonnay that I would absolutely never buy more of and I’m fairly certain the wildfires are to blame. I would be skeptical of all their 2020 wines from the Montebello vineyard until a good sample of people have tried them out.
That wasn’t picked before the fires?
Okay, I’ll ask. Why? What did you taste in the wine? Why blame wildfires? Please explain so we understand where you are coming from
It tasted… smoky and unlike their previous estate bottlings that I’ve had. I’m not experienced at detecting smoke taint, however. I guess I’d walk back my claim that “I’m fairly certain the wildfires are to blame.” I just don’t have any other explanation.
That wasn’t picked before the fires?
The big bay area fires started 8/16. The Chardonnay was picked starting 8/22 according to Ridge.
I’m a big fan of ridge, and I don’t think they’re pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes, but I’m just suggesting people be wary. I mean, here’s a quote from Eric Baugher from August of 2020:
“The Monte Bello bordeaux grapes are still undergoing veraison and are apparently less susceptible to smoke taint. Chardonnay, being further along in development, might be problematic. We will be conducting a lot of tests to assess the situation.” (from: Bay Area winemakers worried about smoke-tainted grapes)
Thanks for additional info. I can’t speak to it based on personal experience, but others here have stated before that smoke taint tastes like a dirty ashtray. Personally I’ve only had 1 2020 and it was fantastic. Not questioning your experience, just trying to understand .
There are quite a few compounds that can come from smoke and affect a wine. The most commonly tested for is guaiacol, which is barrels and some grape varieties such as Syrah. So, a moderate introduction of that might not be noticed. Above that, it’s smoky, like we intentionally introduce to some foods. A bit odd in wine, but some people like it and it can have context to consume it, like rauchbier does. Some taint shows peaty, like the smoke tainted style of Scotch that’s unfortunately popular. 
Weird to have in wine. Dirty ashtray is pretty bad, though some people don’t notice it at lower thresholds. When it’s bad, for me it builds up on the palate with each sip and takes a long time to fade. There’s also a gritty texture on the finish that accompanies that. A type of bitterness is also common. Muted character is another thing some people note, which might be a byproduct of treating for taint.
There’s a big gap between Skyline ridge and the top of Black Mtn. where Ridge is. The fire went up the west side, ruining the crops from the Rhys, Mindego and Fogarty vineyards there, and blew across. The upper Monte Bello vineyards weren’t picked. The question is if smoke settled down to their various lower plots to a significant degree. The really bad taint compounds are dense and drop out of the air over time, so the air can look and smell smoky, but not affect a wine.
Usually those of us that order MB futures will have received multiple emails for our 2020 MB order by now, confirming shipping address, shipping date, and the like. Having heard nothing and recalling this thread, I called Ridge this morning to see if there was anything unusual happening. I was told the emails should be out soon and the wine would be shipped in late March, as it has been the past few years. They’re currently busy with ATP and will get to the MB when that’s done.
I did note this brochure on the Ridge web site. Not surprisingly, there’s no mention of the fires or smoke in the notes for the MB or the other estate red wines.
Huh. I would love to see an impartial tasting note or two on the 2020 MB.
I would love to see an impartial tasting note on many 2020 Cali cabs. Did Galloni do a systematic review of producers?
Personally, I find the greatest majority of Galloni’s notes ominous. Almost every time I come across a note by Galloni, I am beset by the certain realisation that the end is nigh 
There’s a Vinous article today on 2020-2021 Napa Cabs and some late release 2019s. Doesn’t include Ridge though.