Adam Gäfvert

9.4

I had seen this bottle on the wine list (for only around €75) for a while but been worried it might be past its peak. But there is nothing to be afraid of here. Just an excellent example of how well quality old vine Californian Zin-blends can age in the skilful hands of the team at Ridge. Large ripe berries, spice, orange peel, dark chocolate, liquorice and charcuteries. Flavourful, expressive and balanced. Very enjoyable. — 8 months ago

Juliet Kasko

9.8

Wedding of Ming and Bel 💕 — 3 years ago

Skip Smyser

9.7

Haven’t had this top of class of 2000 in awhile. It so outperforms most of that vintage. Tannins are perfect. Lush red fruit that lingers forever. Spent a little time tending the vineyard and decided to treat myself. WOW!!! Only two bottles left. Boo🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 4 years ago

Rob Russell

9.0

Just had this in Bordeaux a few weeks ago. Like most wines of this vintage it took a bit of imagination to fully appreciate. It is clearly time to drink this wine, it may be on the downhill side of life. Overall a good experience for what was not noted as a premium vintage, but is a very solid wine. — 5 years ago

Angel Phillips

9.2

One of my favorites. — 6 years ago

Andrea Fix Lovering

9.0

Scents of dark fruit and smoke. Flavors of plum, cherry. Definitely needs to open up and mellows more as it does. Not bad! — 7 years ago

Eric Egan

9.2

Super-weird bottle. Mid-shoulder, crumbly cork, and the colour of freshly pressed strawberry juice - extremely pale as slightly cloudy! The immediate scent was quite off-putting but after 30 minutes it stormed back! Scents of autumn mulch, burning vine roots, sour cherries, and raspberry compote. A weird sourness and heady acidity on the front of the palette but it still keeps together well. Clearly badly kept but still really interesting to drink! A true testament to The quality of Mouton under the stewardship of the late Baron. I wonder if this is what some of the better kept bottles might be like in 100 years' time!? — 8 years ago

Nelson Dent

9.0

This is excellent! — 9 years ago

Matthew Beckman

9.3

Lovely nose of cherry and tobacco...plenty of time left for this but approachable now. My wine of the night — 9 years ago

Jim Wallick

9.3

Coaxing it out of the glass. Needs time to blow off typical barnyard nose, leads way to dark red fruit and really long finish — 9 years ago

with Charles

Spencer Fox

9.3

Always superb. Ripe, juicy cherries on the verge of jammy but still fantastic freshness. Pink flowers and some minerality buzzing around the mid palate as well. Began to fall apart after an hour or two but still, hits every single time. — 8 months ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.9

The 2019 Lynch Bages is every bit as magnificent from bottle as it was from barrel, if not moreso. What a wine! Towering and vertical in its bearing, the 2019 is a total stunner. There is plenty of Lynch Bages charm, but what distinguishes the 2019 most is its spine of tannin and energy. Time in the glass brings out sweet red cherry, plum, blood orange and pomegranate and mint. The 2019 is a great, great, great Lynch Bages. It reminds me of the epic 1989, but with the youthful grip of this vintage. A towering Pauillac, the 2019 Lynch Bages will make a great addition to any cellar. (Antonio Galloi, Vinous, February 2022)
— 2 years ago

Nicole Schilling

9.2

Berry fruits with hint of spice. — 5 years ago

Andrew Lohse

9.6

[from 750] drinking very well right now (2018). Indescribable? Taste from some other axis of space-time-sense? Custard, melon, pineapple, diesel, bandaid, orange spice. . . — 6 years ago

Ryan Guy

9.1

Day 3: nose of plum, dark berry fruit, black pepper, baking spice, tobacco, and roasted red pepper. Firm on the palate. Forest berries are wrapped with spice that confirms the oak treatment. Finish lingers with a mild kick of heat which may soften over time. Decant or hold for 5+ years. — 6 years ago

Frank Zbignewich

9.0

Young Caymus wine so some of the comments are interesting. Great dark berry flavors and much room to develop. Not the toasty oak of the 2012 but still needs some time to evaluate over the next 4 years. Still a fun wine to drink. — 8 years ago

Carlos Alba

9.2

Amazed by how time can be kept in a bottle! Lots of complexity and yet still some fruit, port-like texture. Dreaming about the great vintages — 8 years ago

Matt

9.5

Velvet texture and finish and really integrated structure. Lots of American oak and tobacco cedar notes. Fruit has faded a bit but opened up with time. Cool experience — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.1

2000 Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon:
From Jay. Dark ruby red in color. A preponderance of black forest fruits on the nose mixed with cedar and some menthol and a touch of spice. Rich blackcurrant, black cherries and traces of vanilla on the palette. This is a solid effort from Ridge and although it does not have the makings of an epic wine it will certainly improve with time. Drink 2017 to 2030. 91/100


— 9 years ago

Matt Baker

10

Z-Best!!! My personal fav of all time!!!! — 9 years ago

Ten Summoner

9.9

Very rich nose, tobacco, rich, deep, velvety, any kind of steak, smooth and complex at same time. Nice. — 11 years ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.3

Lafite Rothchild and Harlin Estate side by side tasting. Both are 2008 vintages

Lafite Rothchild - A magenta color. Initial aromas of dark black cherry and currants with beautiful floral and subtle vanilla notes. Herbaceous and leather secondary notes. Taste - blue-black fruit, licorice and cedar/tar coat the palate followed by crushed rock, minerals and mocha giving it dry med-long finish. 9.3 rating

Harlin Estate - color is a dark garnet. Nose - notes are restrained and muted. Dark fruits, perfume and dark chocolate followed by notes of graphite and planting soil. Taste - creamy and coats the palate with notes of dark fruits, chocolate espresso, pencil lead and cedar with a long dry finish. Tannins are still present giving the wine more time to age. 9.3 rating



— 10 months ago

with Leslie, Karin and 1 other

Jerry Mimus

9.0

Beautiful blend. Can't go wrong for the money — 3 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Wow! Velvet, dark currants, mocha, caramel, dark chocolate, saddle-wood, underbrush, gravel, stones & elegance that only happens with this much time forward. Round acidity and beautiful balance and finish.

Stupidly good with our Tri-tip!!!

Photos of; my visits to Bodega La Rioja, their well backlit tasting bar, outside patio and large oak barrels that were assembled inside the Bodega more than 100 years ago...they’re that big and have required many repairs over the years. — 4 years ago

with James and Christina

Brian Stotter

9.6

PnP at a friend's house. Wonderful nose of blackberry, black currant, dried blueberries, cedar, eucalyptus, and tobacco that keeps intensifying with time in the glass. Full body with fully-integrated tannins and a long complex finish that fluctuates between black fruits, organic earth, and eucalyptus. Everything about this wine is in perfect harmony right now but it still has plenty of life left. — 6 years ago

James Im

8.9

Needs some more time in the bottle but the potential is there. Very balanced. Hints of graphite and stone. Not as good as I remember. — 6 years ago

Greg Gregory

10

Spectacular! Mind blowing. One of my top 10 of all time. On every serious wine lover’s bucket list, and here we had a nigh perfect bottle. While aromatically a little recalcitrant, you still got some of the Margaux violets and potpourri on the nose, hints of clove, all trying to shake off their doldrums. But on the palate, it was timelessly ravishing. The finesse, richness, balance and smoothness, with an underlying, almost flabbergasting mixture of complexity and delicacy, was just astonishing. The finish is marvelously sweet and intense, with chocolate and cassis and utterly seamless tannins. This is a miracle of wine making and an exaltation of vintage and terroir besides. Wow! And bravo! We can only pray for an encore of such a wine. — 8 years ago

Miguel A. Nistal

9.0

I love Stags Leap and this one is crazy reasonable and so good. Cherry flavored, soft on pallet. Beautiful wine. — 9 years ago

with Miguel

Mike Barbella

9.6

One of my Fav's of ALL time — 9 years ago

Alan Dickinson

9.0

A little rough in the aromatics. Cork was suspect, looked and smelled a bit funky. wine was otherwise youthful in the mouth with raspberry, tar, spice and plenty of lively acid. Have a few more '89s and think its time. overall a beautiful wine still but perhaps in aromatic decline. - 1989 vintage — 9 years ago