Ridge Vineyards – Monte Bello – 2022

Deep and viscous colour starting to turn garnet on the rim. Lovely intensity and purity marrying lots of layers of inky dark fruit, liquorice-tinted black cherry, cassis, blueberry, bay leaf, sage, tobacco, and a slight whiff of oak-derived vanilla and clove. High density and concentration, balancing between ripeness and freshness with exemplary tannin, plentiful and powdery with layers of crunchy dark fruit and an nuanced spiciness leading to a very long and savoury finish.