Ridge Monte Bello 2020 (75cl, 13.5%)

A Bordeaux-style red blend from Ridge Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The 2020 blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, fermented on native yeasts with natural malolactic fermentation. The vineyard sits on fractured limestone and the wine is aged in American oak barrels. The nose opens with dark cassis and blackcurrant leaf, pencil shavings, sage and balsam, with juniper berry, bay laurel and toasty oak. The palate has firm acidity, ripe plum, mulberry and red currant, with velvety tannins, black raspberry, earth and smoky mineral notes. The finish is long and sumptuous, with fennel, vanilla and rocky minerality.