Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz Mountains) 1997

Wow. Still a very young wine at 7 years of age. Deep purple-black with no fading at the rim. Modest nose, but clean and typical. Still very firm, with a ton of fruit wrapped around a core of tannins. Rich, ripe plums, cassis, violets, and mocha java. A wine of finesse but also power. Still a baby, it needs at least 5 more years, if not even longer. You can still order it from the winery, provided you live in one of those enlightened states that allows interstate shipment of wine. Grade: A