This lot is comprised of 3 bottle(s) of 2007 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains - 750ml. Estimate for this lot is between $960 - $1400 with a reserve of $750. The wine in this lot belongs to collection 11530.
Condition
Please note the following condition/s on 2007 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains In Neck.
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Based in Calgary, this consignor has had a lifelong relationship with wine. He vividly remembers bottles of Chateau de La Gardine Chateauneuf du Pape on his family’s dinner table and how he enjoyed playing the part of "wine steward". In his 20s he had friends who worked for prominent fine wine merchants and had his first “a-ha” wine moment after tasting a 1988 Columbia Crest Merlot. He was a sales representative for Britannia Wine Merchants and his association and interest in fine wine and dining led to trips to the major wine regions of the world. He began drinking the fruit forward wines of Napa and Sonoma but his taste soon expanded to the more subtly expressive wines of the old world. He was always curious about the ageing process and its ability to soften tannins and develop secondary and tertiary characteristics in wine - so he began to buy and cellar Bordeaux from the 1988, 1989 and 1990 vintages in the early 1990s, as well as select purchases of Barolo and Super Tuscans throughout that period. Much of his collection was purchased upon initial release through several private wine stores in Calgary and a significant subset was procured directly from the winery or as part of library offerings. All bottles have slept at 55F and approximately 70% humidity away from light and vibration. He had always intended to consume these wines with family and friends and has been extremely diligent about proper storage conditions.
The tasting note for 2007 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains is from Robert Parker and the score is 95 - Reflecting on the 2007 Monte Bello, Eric Baugher describes the year as "a vintage that almost didn't happen." Until the eve of harvest, everything was going well, with a large crop ripening in balmy conditions. In late September, however, cold weather retarded ripening, with wet and wintry October weather only relenting on the 23rd, when temperatures returned to the high 80s. Due to such extended hang time, seeds were hard and woody, so it was difficult to extract much tannin, but that tannin was of very high quality. Today, the wine is beginning to show superbly, wafting from the glass with a lavish, creamy bouquet of crème de cassis, ripe plums, blackberries, black truffle and loamy soil. On the palate, it's full-bodied, fleshy and expansive, its generous core of fruit framed by rich, melting tannins and underpinned by the freshness and energy that this site always seems to capture. As it approaches age 11, the 2007 is an elegantly voluptuous vintage of Monte Bello that bears analogies with the lovely 1991. The blend is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, and it attained 13.1% natural alcohol and was cropped at around two tons per acre.