92 2003 Ridge SCM Chardonnay 3/10/06 ($25)
Color: Medium gold with a slight tint of green and brown. (3.0) Bouquet: Rich toasty oak with concentrated pear, litchi nut and minerality uplifted by excellent acidity. (3.5) Body: Medium thick mouthfeel with a lot of toasty oak, but has very ripe fruit that handles it. (3.0) Flavor: Parallels bouquet, but a little more restrained, with some bitterness from oak. (3.0) Finish: Parallels bouquet, with excellent length and some elegance showing even at this stage. (3.5)
Overall: Young, but accessible, this has wonderful concentration and should develop beautifully in the next 3-5 years. It is not as primal as the Monte Bello bottling and shows more developed flavors than one might expect this early on, which might be a red flag to not age it too long. It will be interesting to see if this or the 2002 will ultimately be the better wine, as they are both fine. (16.0)