Ridge '20 Monte Bello

Just received an email that due to a challenging harvest and my tenure as a “Monte Bello Collector” I won’t be allowed any '20 futures as per my membership. Has anyone experienced this before? I understand nature has its own rules but I only started a membership for these futures so it’s fairly frustrating…

Got the same email. I was wondering if they would even release a 2020 MB due to the fires nearby.

As a Monte Bello Collector Member, you receive a yearly allocation of our new Estate Wines from our Monte Bello Vineyard and are placed on the waiting list for futures of our flagship Monte Bello. In certain challenging years like 2020 when yields are low, we produce a significantly smaller quantity of Monte Bello in order to ensure that our final bottling meets the high standards that it has been known for for more than 50 vintages.

We are sorry to inform you that because of our significantly smaller crop in 2020, we will not be able to offer you a futures allocation for the 2020 vintage of Monte Bello. Our decision regarding which of our members would receive an allocation was based soley on tenure in the club. With the cooperation of Mother Nature, and a few new plantings at Monte Bello coming into maturity over the next few years, we are hopeful that we’ll be able to offer a futures allocation to all of our Collector Members for the 2021 vintage and beyond.

On one hand I’m pleased they can offer any wine and understand the difficulty but I also wonder if they could limit allocations to extend the offerings to more. Of course, if I was a member being limited I’d be frustrated as well so maybe it’s a lose lose.

Same here…too bad.

How long have you folks been on the list?

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Got same email

Received the same email

Same email. Been on the list for 1 year

I think this is my 13th or 14th year and I didn’t get an email. Wondering if allocations will be reduced for the folks that do get wine. I’m assuming there will be no winner’s curse and that they’ll only make a wine worthy of the name.

I have not yet received the email. 2020 would be my 3rd MB vintage on the list. But I did not get any 2018 MB due to low yields.

I’ve gotten it every vintage from 2008 and got the rejection email.

Yeah, this happened form low yields in 2018 as well. Can’t remember other years though.

Damn. Makes me feel better about not getting any with only a year on the list!

Did they make you buy the other bottles the last time this happened?

Seems that some are grandfathered in not having to buy the other bottles to get MB. I don’t feel we should have to buy the bottles if we don’t want them since there is no MB for us.

Same. Only on it for 1+ year, but been an ATP member for about 9 years. Also interested if I still need to get the estate wines (which I do like, don’t get me wrong).

I also didn’t make the cutoff for the 2018 MB due to low yield. I recall still getting the three estate bottles as I believe it is automatic if part of the MB Futures program. However, I seem to recall members emailing the winery about having to purchase the three estate bottles without getting MB and they allowed them to cancel the estate bottles for that year. I can’t say that with 100% certainty, but seem to recall that being a potential option. I just left it as is though and still got the estate bottles.

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No, I asked to cancel the estate wine order. They are good wines though, just not what I signed up for.

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I agree, although with the estate wines being the 18’ vintage, I’m probably buying some anyways.

How do you know they didn’t?

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Fair. But from a client relationship POV you’d normally be upfront with that to lessen hard feelings and show the effort you’ve made. Sometimes there isn’t a good answer but the steps in how you get there matter.

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