2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello | MG

Quite simply, the 2023 Monte Bello is brilliant. It’s an unbelievably expressive wine in every way. Stunningly pure and delineated, the 2023 is an infinitely layered, complex, concentrated Monte Bello that attains superb balance and powerful concentration without a shred of excess weight. Dark blue-toned fruit, bay leaf, blood orange, crushed rocks and chalk press on with confidence through an epically long finish. The extended growing season meant that much of the Merlot in the vineyard never fully ripened, hence the higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (89%) in the blend. Cool conditions and long hangtime not only imbued the 2023 with immeasurable depth, it also cemented the hallmark cedary freshness that lifts Monte Bello like few other wines in the world. This is a Monte Bello for the ages. 
- Billy Norris (06/2026)

Haunting aromas of tobacco leaves, iron and graphite lead to potent, concentrated black olive, black cherry, wild sage and cocoa flavors in this fresh, brilliant classic from an elegant vintage. Aged in 100% new oak barrels, about 95% American. It's tight and closed but bursting with potential. Unusually low in alcohol at 13.2%. Drinkable now if you want to, but it’ll be much better with time. Best from 2033. 
- Jim Gordon (03/2026)

The tremendously impressive 2023 Monte Bello blends 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, assembled together after a cold spring and long hangtime. Bay leaf, cedar, and warm baking spices accent a light-bodied frame of structured tannins and high-toned acidity, blended as usual from highly selected lots and spending nearly two years in barrel. It's still shedding its youthful skin; enjoy best 2033-2045.  
- Virginie Boone (03/2026)

The 2023 Monte Bello is the definition of classicism across every metric, seamlessly fusing a slow-moving, even-keeled profile with an enviable combination of charm, assertion and effortlessness. The nose opens with a perfect melange of red and black berries, framed by classically informed toasted, herbal and graphite flourishes, along with youthful vanilla undertones that meld with floral notes after aeration. The palate is simultaneously seamless, supple, juicy and firm, before moving into a long finish that is expansive yet expertly controlled, riding on a chassis of ultra-refined, chalky tannins. I had one bottle open for multiple days and saw nothing but an upward trajectory, with notable oak integration relative to its first-day showing. Additionally, I retasted the wine out of magnum in the context of a vertical spanning back to 1971, which only solidified my belief that this could prove to be one of the all-time greatest iterations of Monte Bello. It will be worth cellaring for a decade, at minimum, and should drink beautifully for at least the next three after that. The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, and the wine achieved 13.2% natural alcohol. 
- Matthew Luczy (04/2026)