2005 Monte Bello Estate Vineyard, bottled May 2007.Our estate vineyards high on Monte Bello Ridge are exposed to the Pacific Ocean, fifteen miles to the west. This gives us a climate as cool as Bordeaux, but also subjects us to the ocean's vicissitudes. In 2005, late rains and cold winds cut yields to a ton an acre,
the lowest in ten years. Warm summer days and atypically warm nights brought ripening back on
schedule, and a warm October fully ripened each of the thirty-six parcels between October 4 and
November 1. Clusters and berries were small, color and tannin abundant. Pressed at eight days on
average, forty percent of the wine went through natural malolactic in barrel, the rest in small fermentors. Assemblage began in February. After several weeks of blind tasting, we made a barrel each of three different blends. By March, it was easier to
determine the finest. Petit verdot and cabernet franc were added immediately, another merlot and three cabernets in May, some rich first-press wine in December. Seventeen months in new air-dried american oak—from both french and american coopers—has contributed spice and texture. This is a superb vintage. Beautifully balanced, it will continue to develop over the next several decades.
70% CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 22% MERLOT, 6% PETIT V ERDOT, 2% CABERNET FRANC
Technical notes
In 1886, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Monte Bello
estate vineyard was planted, and the winery constructed. A first
vintage from the young vines followed in 1892. During
Prohibition (1920-1933), the vineyard was not fully maintained;
by the 1940s it was effectively abandoned. Eight acres of
cabernet sauvignon were replanted in 1949. These were the
source of the first Ridge Monte Bello (1962). Since then, the
original vineyards have gradually been replanted.
