2018 Monte Bello

Full bottle 1,319 g. 78.7 tons from just 57 acres. 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Spring storms helped. Relatively cool, foggy summer led to harvest from 28 September to 18 October. 100% whole-berry fermentation pressed to barrel after eight days with reduced pumpovers to limit tannin extraction. 0.22 g/l calcium carbonate was added to seven of the 23 fermenters to reduce acidity. 100% new, air-dried barrels were mainly American but supplemented by 7% French and 3% specifically Ozark. 22 lots were assembled into the final blend. Really deep blackish garnet. Already thoroughly rewarding on the nose – truly a bouquet of complexity! Some menthol with strong, ripe cassis. Already smells tertiary and utterly beguiling. Both rich and savoury with much dried-leaf character. Luscious, savoury fruit and yet with a dry, neat finish. Opulent but not sweet. Gloriously satisfying already but clearly set for a long, long life that will deliver even more pleasure. Intense and glorious. (JR)

74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Organically grown fruit. December brought intense rains but they ended by January. Drenching spring storms saved the growing season. Though summer was foggy and cold, the vines received abundant sunshine and warmth that ripened the grapes by early October. Harvest 28 September to 18 October. Grapes destemmed, 100% whole-berry fermentation. 15% automated berry sorting. Fermented on the indigenous yeasts. Pressed at eight days. Natural malolactic. Reduced pumpovers during fermentation helped moderate tannin extraction. 17 months in barrel (93% air-dried American oak, 7% air-dried French oak). TA 7.43 g/l, pH 3.39. Very dark crimson. The ripeness level is quite a shock immediately after the 1977! Floral cassis in abundance but nothing heavy. It’s supported on an air mattress of acidity and gives huge pleasure. I wouldn’t choose to drink the 2019 now but I could drink this! Great lift and freshness as well as all that ripe fruit. SO neat! (JR)

The 2018 Monte Bello is ridiculously young. There's plenty of energy and drive, but writing a note at this point is rather superfluous. Readers should not plan on opening a bottle anytime soon. Early tastings suggest the 2018 is a Monte Bello built on linear, savory intensity more than volume. I very much like the energy here.