This 2014 release is comprised of the following; 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot.

"Opaque ruby color. Intense blackberry fruit aromas, blackcurrant, exotic barrel spice, toasted oak, licorice, and complex forest notes. Rich mountain fruit entry, refreshing high acid, full chalky tannin structure, and sweet oak; strong mineral aftertaste."
Winemakers Tasting Note (Feb 2017)

"A worthy successor to the profound 2013 and the fruit of the earliest harvest on record at this address, the 2014 Monte Bello is still quite youthfully expressive, wafting from the glass with an exuberant bouquet of minty dark berries, plums, black cherries, cigar box and a nicely integrated framing of new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and intense, with a rich chassis of structuring tannins, which are currently largely concealed in a succulent core of fruit, and bright balancing acids. In profile, it's structurally more open-knit and giving than the massive 2013, and I suspect it will reach its plateau sooner, but it should enjoy over three decades of longevity. The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, and it attained 13.5% natural alcohol. "The drought had a positive effect on concentration," observed winemaker Eric Baugher when we corresponded shortly after harvest, adding that "the wines are opaque in color, with rich tannins and marvellous fruit." Four years later, that remains an accurate characterization of the 2014 Monte Bello. Drink 2024 - 2035."
97 Points. William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2018))

In 1886, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the first Monte Bello vineyards were planted, and winery construction begun. A first vintage from the young vines followed in 1892. During Prohibition (1920-1933), the vineyard was not fully maintained; some vines survived into the late 30’s, but by the 1940s they were effectively abandoned. Eight acres of cabernet sauvignon were replanted in 1949. These were the source of the first Ridge Monte Bello (1962) and subsequent vintages until 1974 when younger blocks replanted in the 1960’s were considered for inclusion. Since then, the historic vineyards on the ridge have gradually been replanted.

The Monte Bello vineyard on a ridge more than 2,500 feet above the Pacific to the west, and Silicon Valley to the east, is one of the world's most atmospheric and historic vineyards. The Bordeaux grapes grown there are responsible for Ridge Vineyards' top wine. The vineyard has some of the oldest Bordeaux vine varieties in the whole of California. The oldest Monte Bello vines have been 60 years in the ground. Ridge adopts a natural rather than technological approach to winemaking. As Ridge maintain 'As with raising a child, there are no recipes, only attention and sensitivity.