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The April 2021 Auction: Part 1
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1 / 2Lot 784
Estimate: $180
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Collection name
Reviews
94WA
"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Klein Monte Bello Vineyard is another special bottling from Ridge, part of their Historic Vineyard Series. This vintage, the wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 18 months in 100% new American oak barrels. Medium to deep ruby-purple, it gives aromas of sage brush, bay leaf, iron, dried herbs, pencil shavings, cedar and crushed stone—there's so much here, before you even get to the fruit—with warm red and black cherries, plums and currants. It's medium to full-bodied and minerally to begin, fleshing out to spicy fruits, with firm, pixelated tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and nuanced. This merits at least another few years in bottle and should age beautifully over the next 10 to 15+ years. Eric Baugher says winter rains saved the vines during the heat wave in 2017. ‘It was a wetter year,’ he remembers, ‘and the vines had a chance to use those water resources through the growing season. So it was a slower, more steady progression toward ripeness. It got hot during Labor Day, but the vines got through fine because there was so much water in the soil.’ Alcohols were a bit lower this vintage, and Baugher has been focused on bringing down overall levels. ‘We’ve been disciplined about picking earlier,’ he comments, noting that in 2017 most of the fruit was off the vine before the heat. ‘By Labor Day all the fruit at Geyserville was in,’ he says. ‘Carignan and Petite Sirah came in after the heat but didn’t show signs of over-ripening. Carignan thrives in the heat and isn’t susceptible to shrivel, so every drop went into the Geyserville blend this year.’ Baugher is optimistic about quality in 2018. ‘In 2018 we slipped back to drought. There was no rain in January or February at all. It was unusually dry, and we were pushing budbreak. Then it got really cold in March and April, and things stalled out again. The summer was nice with even temperatures, no heat spikes. We ended up with good weather at bloom and about average yields.’ Uniform ripeness was a hallmark of the vintage for Baugher. ‘2018 had much more uniform ripening, which leads to a more complete, sensuous expression,’ he says. ‘The Zinfandels have deep flavors and a quality of tannins I don’t see every year with that grape. They are just woven in with the fruit, creating a complete wine with great length and great vineyard expression as well. All the 2018s speak of place, and it’s a trick to get that to happen with Zinfandel. It has the tendency to overripen, and that puts a lid on vineyard expression. 2013 is another great example of a perfectly ripe vintage. It happens twice a decade, if we’re lucky.’ Baugher is excited about the 2018 Monte Bello, which I tasted from barrel. ‘For me, great vintages of Monte Bello are when all four varieties are included,’ he explains. ‘There are 45 plots within Monte Bello. We grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, in that order. They’re fermented and go to barrel separately. For blending, everything is tasted blind. We’re looking at aromatics, texture and complexity, not grape variety. We look at the grape percentages after assemblage is finished. The years that are special are the years all four grapes make it into the blend, because the conditions in the vineyard have to be perfect.’ The 2018 is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 11% Petite Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. While still very primary, it’s showing plenty of nuance and complexity already, and I look forward to tasting it again from bottle."
Region
Red
Country
Score
"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Klein Monte Bello Vineyard is another special bottling from Ridge, part of their Historic Vineyard Series. This vintage, the wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 18 months in 100% new American oak barrels. Medium to deep ruby-purple, it gives aromas of sage brush, bay leaf, iron, dried herbs, pencil shavings, cedar and crushed stone—there's so much here, before you even get to the fruit—with warm red and black cherries, plums and currants. It's medium to full-bodied and minerally to begin, fleshing out to spicy fruits, with firm, pixelated tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and nuanced. This merits at least another few years in bottle and should age beautifully over the next 10 to 15+ years. Eric Baugher says winter rains saved the vines during the heat wave in 2017. ‘It was a wetter year,’ he remembers, ‘and the vines had a chance to use those water resources through the growing season. So it was a slower, more steady progression toward ripeness. It got hot during Labor Day, but the vines got through fine because there was so much water in the soil.’ Alcohols were a bit lower this vintage, and Baugher has been focused on bringing down overall levels. ‘We’ve been disciplined about picking earlier,’ he comments, noting that in 2017 most of the fruit was off the vine before the heat. ‘By Labor Day all the fruit at Geyserville was in,’ he says. ‘Carignan and Petite Sirah came in after the heat but didn’t show signs of over-ripening. Carignan thrives in the heat and isn’t susceptible to shrivel, so every drop went into the Geyserville blend this year.’ Baugher is optimistic about quality in 2018. ‘In 2018 we slipped back to drought. There was no rain in January or February at all. It was unusually dry, and we were pushing budbreak. Then it got really cold in March and April, and things stalled out again. The summer was nice with even temperatures, no heat spikes. We ended up with good weather at bloom and about average yields.’ Uniform ripeness was a hallmark of the vintage for Baugher. ‘2018 had much more uniform ripening, which leads to a more complete, sensuous expression,’ he says. ‘The Zinfandels have deep flavors and a quality of tannins I don’t see every year with that grape. They are just woven in with the fruit, creating a complete wine with great length and great vineyard expression as well. All the 2018s speak of place, and it’s a trick to get that to happen with Zinfandel. It has the tendency to overripen, and that puts a lid on vineyard expression. 2013 is another great example of a perfectly ripe vintage. It happens twice a decade, if we’re lucky.’ Baugher is excited about the 2018 Monte Bello, which I tasted from barrel. ‘For me, great vintages of Monte Bello are when all four varieties are included,’ he explains. ‘There are 45 plots within Monte Bello. We grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, in that order. They’re fermented and go to barrel separately. For blending, everything is tasted blind. We’re looking at aromatics, texture and complexity, not grape variety. We look at the grape percentages after assemblage is finished. The years that are special are the years all four grapes make it into the blend, because the conditions in the vineyard have to be perfect.’ The 2018 is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 11% Petite Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. While still very primary, it’s showing plenty of nuance and complexity already, and I look forward to tasting it again from bottle."
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The fourth-largest wine producer in the world, led by California. American fine wine is defined by ripe, expressive fruit and a spirit of innovation, with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon among the most sought-after wines globally.
The world's most planted premium red grape, yielding deeply colored, tannic and structured wines with cassis, cedar and graphite notes. Firm tannins and acidity make it exceptionally age-worthy, whether as a varietal or the backbone of a Bordeaux blend.