1 | Wine | California, 91 to 95, 3 L

"A candidate for one of the longest-lived Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines in California is Ridge’s Monte Bello. The 2002 Monte Bello Proprietary Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, with more of the Cabernet component than the 2001 possesses. Aromas of white chocolate, charred oak, black currants, tar, cedar, and earth are followed by a full-bodied, tannic red that is not as fleshy or fat in the mid-palate as its older sibling."

"Tight and concentrated, with a dense, rich, chewy beam of dried currant, mineral, graphite, black cherry and blackberry fruit that's intense and full-blown, both flexing its muscle while displaying deft balance. Ends with a compact, layered finish."

"Sweet, smoky, meaty aromas interwoven with melted asphalt, camphor, blackberry, cassis, and charcoal scents emerge from the complex aromatics. In the mouth, the wine is full-bodied, displaying sweet tannin, a concentrated mouthfeel, and a long, heady finish with substantial fruit, glycerin, and extract. It should drink beautifully for 20+ years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Deep ruby. Explosively perfumed nose offers a profound bouquet of ripe cherry, blackcurrant, yellow rose, Asian spices and vanilla bean; you could use this for incense. Deep and sweet but remarkably precise, offering powerful dark berry and kirsch flavors supported by substantial, velvety tannins. The fruit plows through the finish with superb energy, depth and clarity, fully absorbing the tannins. A big but wonderfully balanced example of Monte Bello, and sure to reward extended cellaring."

"A barrel sample of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection offers terrific fruit intensity and purity, a more laid-back style, a meaty, chewy texture, and impressive opulence as well as length. It should evolve for 10-15 years." 92-94 pts. Reviewed by Robert Parker

"A blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, the wine exhibits sweet, subtle notes of underbrush, earth, black cherry, currant, coffee, tapenade, and even a hint of truffle. This is a wine of impressive finesse, richness, and superb purity of fruit along with a full-bodied texture. It should drink beautifully for 15 or more years as well." Reviewed by Robert Parker. 94-96 pts.

"The 2008 Geyserville Proprietary Red (72% Zinfandel, 20% Carignan, and the rest Petite Sirah, Mataro, and Mourvedre; 14.8% alcohol) exhibits a dense ruby/purple color along with lots of glycerin, blue and black fruits, pepper, and incense. This rich, fleshy 2008 may turn out to be more juicy and succulent than the 2007. It should last for 7-8 years." Reviewed by Robert Parker, 90-92 pts.

"Sweet creme de cassis fruit intermixed with incense, charcoal, and hints of asphalt and creosote, along with some subtle smoky barrel smells. The wine has a big, substantial mouthfeel, firm but sweet tannins, and a generous, savory finish with outstanding purity and extract. This wine is more backward, as one might expect in this vintage, but it promises to evolve for 25+ years as well." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"This wine is a fleshy, silky-textured, opulent wine with a gorgeous nose of roasted herbs, coffee, jammy black cherry and plum-like fruit.... Asian spice, licorice, and blackberry and cherry notes with tobacco spice all add to this complex, very involved, yet gorgeously symmetrical Dominus. The wine is medium to full-bodied, very concentrated, and silky-textured. It is gorgeous to drink now, but should age easily for 10-15 years." Reviewed by Robert Parker, Dec 2000.

"The impeccably made 2001 Dominus boasts a dense plum/purple color in addition to a fragrant, promising perfume of cocoa, cedar, coffee, roasted herbs, and copious quantities of black fruits.... Rich and medium to full-bodied, with sweet but noticeable tannin, a layered mid-palate, and a long finish with obvious tannin, it will require 3-4 years of cellaring. It should last for two decades." Reviewed by Robert Parker, Dec 2003.