2019 Monte Bello

Full bottle 1,319 g. A generous 143 tons from 65 acres. All of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon with just 9% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Notably wet winter and spring until mid May. Generous fruit set for all varieties except Merlot. Picked 28 September to 20 October with average Brix 24.4. A record 41 lots were selected for the final blend. 100% whole-berry (not whole-bunch) spontaneous fermentation with total of nine days on skins. 17 months in new, air-dried barrels, 95% American and 5% French. Shaded garnet with a blackish tinge. Relatively mineral nose – less emphatic than the 2020. High toned and ethereal. Herbal notes and real lift. Very much sui generis. Not remotely like a red bordeaux and so much drier than any California Cabernet from further north. Very aromatic. This may be relatively more approachable than the 2020. In all, a lighter-weight Monte Bello than many. Very refreshing, lingering finish with, again, a stony, mineral impression. (JR)

82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, organically grown. Abundant winter rainfall followed by warm spring weather created ideal growing conditions. With the exception of Merlot, the vines set a big crop. A long warm summer fully ripened all varieties in early October. Harvest: 28 September to 20 October. Grapes destemmed, 100% whole-berry fermentation. 15% automated berry sorting. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Pressed at nine days. Natural malolactic. 17 months in barrel (all new, air-dried oak, 95% American, 5% French). During blind tastings, a record 41 separate lots were assembled to create this vintage of Monte Bello. Firm crimson with lively rim. Mid intensity sappy, appetising balsam – so different from the Napa Cabs I tasted last night! Lots of acidity and a certain herbal note. You definitely wouldn’t choose to drink this yet. Medium weight and still lean and long but with lots of restrained fruit just waiting to open out. Already great integration. Impossible to discern the ingredients. Super-clean and fresh. (JR)

This is a very powerful Monte Bello with currants and blackberry, black licorice and smoked meat. Mint. Some sesame seed, too. It's full-bodied with incredible darkness and saltiness like volcanic salt. Umami. Grilled seaweed. Flavorful and captivating. It goes on for minutes. Try after 2025, but this may age forever.