Professionele reviews
Winespectator (93)
Bold and distinctive, with notes of flint, toasted sesame seed and litsea oil adding a savory overtone to the core of ripe stone fruit, pineapple and pear flavors, backed by plenty of fresh acidity. More distinctive notes of beeswax, nutmeg and toasted green tea linger on the finish.
James Suckling (93)
Aromas of blackcurrants, licorice, tea leaves, cedar and spices. The palate is full-bodied with firmly framed tannins and bright acidity that leads to a bright, savory finish. There's lovely freshness despite the warm vintage.
Jancis Robinson (16.50)
Full bottle 1,220 g. Fruit from the Monte Bello Estate Vineyard. Barrel fermented. Full malolactic conversion. From the wonderfully detailed label: 'Bottled Jan 24. A dry, warm growing season resulted in reduced yields with small berries and concentrated flavours. We picked nine parcels over a two-week period from late August to early September. The grapes were pressed as whole clusters and barrel-fermented as separate lots. The next summer, after malolactic finished, [the lots] were combined for this fine chardonnay ... Ingredients: hand-harvested, estate-grown grapes, indigenous yeast, naturally occurring malolactic bacteria, oak from barrel-ageing; minimum effective SO2.'
Medium gold. HUGE nose – old-school California Chardonnay done right – all the oak, all the malolactic creamy notes, really rich, ripe peach and yellow-apple fruit with an unusual metallic edge. Fresh acidity on the palate but very round. Finishes with vanilla and spice from the oak. (SCJ)
Decanter (94)
“A ripe, opulent Chardonnay from the legendary Montebello grounds in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Aromatics of lemon curd and nutmeg-dusted pear flesh converge alongside honeyed florals. A full and fleshy palate with a throughline of salinity frames smoky grilled pineapple, honeycomb and concentrated lemon oils. A note of nutmeg and spicy vanilla tones carries a core of ripe pomme fruit to the finish. Delicious and rich.”
Wine Enthusiast (94)
This legendary winery deserves constant props for being a leader in listing ingredients on wine labels. The wine's great too, starting with tightly wound aromas of chiseled blocks of fine-grained wood plus Meyer lemon and flinty melon. The palate is stony and focused on a fine sandalwood spice, with lemon peel adding acidic balance.
