2021 Monte Bello

Full bottle 1,310 g. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. From the wonderfully detailed label: 'Bottled June 2023. Warm weather in August, especially at the higher elevations, expedited ripeness. For the first time, we harvested from the top vineyard at Perrone to the bottom at Klein. The drought reduced yields by more than a third, resulting in small berries with exceptional tannin and colour concentration. This year, instead of all parcels finishing malolactic in barrel as in the past, sixty percent finished in tank ... Ingredients: hand-harvested, estate-grown grapes, indigenous yeast, naturally occurring malolactic bacteria, oak from barrel-ageing, minimum effective SO 2 .' Deep, inky purple. Sumptuous, richly layered nose of black fruit, dried herbs, cedar, and spice. Full-flavoured yet elegant, with ripe, round tannin and balanced acidity. More weight and depth than the Estate Cabernet. This needs a decade before it shows properly. Absolutely stunning. (SCJ)

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot that was raised in mostly new American oak. It reminds me of the 2016 with its beautifully balanced, seamless style, and it has a riveting perfume of pure crème de cassis, sweet tobacco, lead pencil shavings, and violet-laced aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, and absolutely seamless, it's a gorgeous Mont Bello that's surprisingly already accessible, yet it won't hit full maturity for 7-8 years but will have 30+ years of longevity.

Tightly wound at this stage, the wine is massively concentrated, taut, yet trim and medium-bodied. Aged in 100% new oak, predominantly American, it offers espresso, blackberry, black cherry and vanilla bean flavors with a linear intensity and drive. Known to age and improve for several decades, this is one of California’s most collectible cabs and from a classic, age-worthy vintage.