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1985 Ridge Monte Bello

Light capsule condition issue; very top shoulder fill; light label condition issue

Removed from a temperature and humidity controlled wine storage unit

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific
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RATINGS

95Wine Spectator

Rich, tannic, intense and young, but it's packed with concentrated plum, currant, mint, toast and chocolate flavors that unfold with elegance and finesse. Will only get better and more complex with time. Built to last.

95Stephen Tanzer

...a compelling gamey sweetness. Rather massive in the context of Monte Bello, and developing slowly. Finishes very long, with big but fine tannins that spread out to suffuse the palate.

94Robert M. Parker Jr.

...so promising... sweet nose of cassis fruit, lead pencil, flowers and minerals... full-bodied, opulent wine with a boatload of tannin... huge, massive yet well-delineated and focused... should prove to be uncommonly long-lived.

REGION

United States, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

Santa Cruz Mountains AVA includes high elevation territory in the counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo. The AVA follows the coast line from San Francisco to Monterey with elevations from 400 feet to 3,000 feet above sea level. There are 1,500 vineyard acres and the AVA was established in 1981. Despite the challenging terrain in these rugged mountains and hills, highly esteemed wineries have been located here since the early 20th century, when Paul Masson, a Frenchman by birth, started making sparkling wine in the area. By the 1970s vineyards were growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Numerous microclimates within the AVA offer viticulturists diverse growing conditions, and many varietals are grown successfully.

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