1991 Monte Bello

Saturated ruby-black in hue, the 1991 Monte Bello is still a young wine, only entering its youthful plateau of maturity. Offering up a decadently jammy bouquet of ripe blackberries, crème de cassis, acacia flowers and creamy American oak, the wine is expansive and full-bodied on the palate, simultaneously open-knit but densely concentrated, with a decidedly voluptuous, textural profile. Supple and comparatively low in acidity and tannin (a perception Baugher tells me is confirmed by chemical analysis), this is a Monte Bello characterized more by exuberant generosity and drama than complexity. Interestingly, the 1991 is also more obviously marked by its time in new American oak than either the 1990 or 1992. The product of a warm September and October, the 1991 is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot that attained 13.1% natural alcohol.

Bright, dark, fresh red with virtually no amber. Musky raspberry, redcurrant and spice aromas are lifted by a floral element. Extraordinarily silky and intense on entry, conveying outstanding spicy lift and definition to its redcurrant, spice, dried herb and underbrushy soil flavors. At once fully mature and distinctly firm in the middle palate, this impressively dense and clearly delineated wine gives no impression of undue weight. Wonderfully concentrated but not outsized or thick, this beauty stands out for its finesse, complexity and uncanny energy. Its endless finish features fully resolved tannins but still plenty of structural support. This has been one of my favorite California Cabernet-based bottlings since it was released and even today it's hard to scrape it off the palate! (13.1% alcohol)