Tasting Notes
Vinous 92
(12.9% alcohol; aged for 18 months in new American oak; a 45% selection for the estate’s grand vin): Bright, dark red-ruby. Sexy, lifted aromas of cassis, redcurrant, licorice, tree bark, mint and roasted herbs. Intensely flavored and surprisingly firm and energetic, with sweet plum, currant, tobacco and earth flavors lingering through a persistent finish. Tannins are firm and dusty but fine-grained. There’s nothing at all over the top about this midweight, focused, juicy wine. Was it fleshier five years ago? In any event, it’s still juicy and lively today.
Anticipated maturity: 2017-2026
Robert Parker 94
“The product of a generous crop and a balmy vintage, the 1997 Monte Bello continues to show beautifully, wafting from the glass with an expressive bouquet of cassis, dried cherries, menthol and loamy soil, lavishly framed by new American oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, supple and open-knit, with largely melted tannins and a generous personality, which is all tied together by the bright thread of acidity that’s such a signature of this site. Despite being seemingly fully mature, an open bottle held up beautifully over three days. Even after extensive crop thinning, yields in 1997 were around two tons per acre-high by this bottling’s modest standards-and the blend was 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, attaining 12.9% natural alcohol.”
Anticipated maturity: 2007-2027
JancisRobinson.com 18.5
Effortlessly successful. Salty and savoury with great balance and soft maturity. Really lifted with that characteristic balsam note.
Anticipated maturity: 2008-2034