I noticed that Ridge Monte Bello appeared for sale from the 2015 vintage.
My father passed away last year, before the pandemic thankfully, and left me a few quid.
I thought I might get a case.
Seems to be Bdx 1st growth quality at a fraction of the price of a Bdx 1st growth.
Anyone had it?
Thanks
I’ve only had one bottle and not the 2015. I really enjoyed it. I questioned whether it was worth the additional price over say Ridge Geyserville and I think an answer to that will be completely subjective and will vary person-to-person. The answer is bound up in a) law of diminishing returns i.e. as you increase financial outlay you reduce the marginal benefit and b) emotional response.
Sorry for your loss. Perhaps something in fitting what he would have advised… or not. There isn’t a wrong choice perhaps.
I’ve had 1 bottle from my six pack of 2012. Personally thought it was really excellent and I’m very happy to own it. Value is hard to say. Vs. top end Bdx I’d probably say so yeah.
Quite so. I bought it for many years but has gone out the top of my price range now sadly.
I have had a few bottles and own a few more, I think the value proposition v 1st growth Bordeaux is good. My only reservation is that it really does need a bare minimum of 15 years to come round in a year like 2015. An early drinking year like 2011 is better at the moment. I would disagree with the Society’s drinking window from now, I would be more like 2030 onwards. I note Jancis Robinson gives the drinking window for the 2015, as 2025 to 2052
Agree on the time requirement
I’ve got a case of the 2014 which seemed to be very reasonably priced from TWS although I accept it was not the most prestigious vintage recently. I’m working on the basis that top winemakers work harder when the vintage is not at its best!
I intend to hang on to them for a while but it has scratched an itch! As to VFM I suppose it’s all relative. I have a couple of cases of second, third and fifth growths but I have never had a first growth or a Penfolds Grange.
Hopefully I will before Lady Brentw1 plants me!
Thanks all.
I normally wait 10 years before checking out a bottle of a good wine from a good vintage.
I’m not averse to a double decant and if the wine outlives me then my children, his grandchildren, can enjoy what’s left!
But this thread raises another interesting question - how long should we keep a wine before we drink it?
The French seem to drink their wine younger than we do. Not sure about other countries.
Is the best time to drink a wine subjective? Leave it too long and fruit gives way to secondary or tertiary flavours. Leave it even longer and you’ve five minutes to enjoy it before it fades.
I like drinking a wine at the beginning of its drinking window, opening a bottle, decant if necessary, and then seeing how it develops over the night. It’s always best at the end of the night!
Well @profavi,
I’m not sure that I should have read this thread. It made me read up on the vintage, check out wine-searcher and TWS pricing is very, very good. It’s basically ex-duty and Vat, so if you are going to do it, don’t hang around in my view.
My case is on the way with a shiny red van specified as I don’t want the carriers throwing it around. Lady Brentw1 is going to plant me early if she finds out! 
I was lucky enough to have them side by side at a restaurant and as much as I love the Geyserville, I did find the Monte Bello to be a real cut above. That said, the Monte was complimentary and I’m not sure I’d have wanted to stump up the extra for it!!
Yes exactly. I do love Geyserville and there is no doubt I thought Montebello better but my comment was in relation to the added appreciation relative to financial implications.
Even if the OP can afford it easily there is an expectation set on wine that is higher priced that it should deliver something in line with that premium. Possibly coupled with remembering a loved one it presents an emotive jeopardy. What happens if you don’t like it enough etc.
As for me, I was going through a series of exploration in what trading up gives you from some of my favourite but more modest wines. (I had become engaged so felt it was ok to splash out)
For example I tried Vega Sicilia’s Alion -> Valbuena. Sassicaia based on liking Tignanello etc. It was a good exercise in setting expectations on what going upwards brings. Best done in single bottles before going all-in
I’ve noticed other members seem to know stock levels of wines.
how do you know where to look?
thanks.
Only 14 bottles left. Add 1000 cases to basket and it will truncate the number added to the current stock level
Just try to add more than you want to your basket and see what happens. I put an order in for 10 cases in and it told me that there was a problem and it could only add 14 bottles. I then deleted the order out of the basket.
This was after I had genuinely ordered the case of six that you had shamelessly talked me in to!
Hat off to this level of top-up purchase 
Well, @wine.arbitrageur, they were not going to have 1000 cases of Monte Bello but I appreciate your time saving approach!
I’m still reeling from the realisation that dipping into TWS community tonight has cost me a grand. Ce la vie!
We’ve all been there.
It’s a fabulous wine and will find a home in your ever increasing stash which looks brilliant! If you have any spare I can help you out 
I wonder what the equivalent spend via a South African 5* platters guide wine might get you. I paid £120 to drink it in a bar/restaurant in fortnum and masons in 2013 (which includes £10 corkage). Seems some jumps in price too
I must admit that I am quite chuffed with the current contents of the hole under the kitchen! It gets worse however, earlier in the evening I added 6 bottles each of the 2013 and 2014 Musars. I have an almost unbroken flight back to the 1999 and 1998 museum releases.
At least my offspring appreciate the legacy! It’s all wine to Lady Brentw1 (but at least she howls if rubbish is served!).
Crikey that’s good going for a Tuesday. Reminds me of a Drake song.
Can you calculate from what you have and your rate of consumption at what point you will consume your stocks? Are you a collector?
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