A couple nights ago, it was the 25th anniversary of wedded bliss with SWMBO. We made reservations at a local establishment renowned both for it's food, and wine cellar. We chose a '98 Ridge Monte Bello (Bordeaux style blend) - our first experience with this renowned wine. I won;t mention the price - suffice to say that we won;t be eating out for a while. We had the bottle opened for about 40 minutes before pouring. The nose was initially amazing; all kinds of spicey fruit - almost like an aged Zin - with a balanced oak. But as time wore by we noticed less fruit character on the nose and more oak. Still excellent - but by the last glass, it was almost like drinking a completely different wine. We personally preferred the fruit character, so we felt the intial nose was better than the latter. On the palate the wine was soft and subtle - almost a bit much so, but with a long satisfying finish. The acididty was well balanced - and the color perfect; deep and dark, but brilliantly clear. Each year certainly brings a different character to a wine, but we thought the '98, while being an excellent wine, was not worth the price tag.
Two nights later, last night, we decided to pull a Ridge out of the cellar - a 2002 Geyserville (Zin, Carignan, Petit Sirah). On our family 'modified 100 point scale' the wine scored a 91.5 - giving it an 'excellent'. We really enjoyed this wine; a remarkable nose, with spice, leather, dark fruits, and balanced oak; excellent color; rich flavor, with a long satisfying finish. With a price tag in the high $20's, we still recommend this wine to any and all. This is a Zin dominated blend that can stand respectfully with Bordeaux style blends.
en vino veritas