Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 2002 **

The wine is very dark and to me a blue blood with a purple rim (but the picture makes it look a little purple, I admit). The aromatics and top notes are woodsy: mostly soft cedar, a touch of evergreen, some fresh oak. There are thick tannins on entry and the acidity is light, but it has that mouth coating velvet texture I have come to love about Monte Bello. (I'm not at all biased, yeah right.) Ultra dry, and tight, the fruit is in a fading stage, and the secondary aromatics have yet to emerge. Overall, I think that right now, at six years of age, the 2002 is in between its fruity, sweet beginnings and a sophisticated adolescene just around the corner. I will come back to this wine in 2012.

The 2002 was the sixth Monte Bello I tasted this year. So, it's a good time to recap my Monte Bello tastings to date:

2007 *** showing good balance of sweetness and acidity, but what is really awesome about this wine is the purity of the fruit. This is like 2003 and could be greatness in the making.

2006 *** I am eagerly anticipating the release of this wine. It's a combination of 2007's gorgeous and pure fruits and 2005's depth and class. There are some complex oak notes here (banana, pine colada) but they are well integrated. The wine is almost finished aging and will be released in a year.

2005 *** Very sophisticated. The fruit has been tamed. Raspberries, raspberry leaf, and mild cedar do most of the heavy lifting. This is probably your last chance to get a good glimpse of this wine before it closes down and does not re-emerge for a decade. Released last month.

2004 **? Totally closed down. The fruit faded quickly from this wine and nothing has emerged to fill the midpalate. I would not open another one of these for five years.

2003 **** Un-freaking-belieable. My favorite Monte Bello of the 21st century (thus far). Goreous and pure fruits, nice acidity, with secondary aromatics and a big finish. This wine bucks the old saw that Monte Bellos always need a decade to age. When you think of this wine, think Carolyn Murphy beauty.

2002 ** or ***? The fruit has gone and the complex notes are starting to slowly appear. Everything is there- the dark fruits, good balance, good tannins - but the wine's muted, and this may require some patience to release its full potential.