At thirteen, the 1995 Monte Bello *** is still a child. Composed of 69% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot, 10% petit verdot, and 3% cabernet franc, the wine is dark and brooding, with complex notes of cedar and blackberry on the nose. I have tasted this twice before, and my thoughts on the wine have been consistent. I keep waiting for this wine to fully reveal itself. It won't. The 1995 Monte Bello still needs at least two and a half hours to decant, at room temperature, at this stage in its evolution, and three plus hours would be preferable. Only then will its ripe red fruits emerge.
As Robert Parker Jr. guessed, this will age easily for "30+ years." Parker scored it 94-96 points, and compared it to "the great 1992 and 1991." There's little doubt this is a very good Monte Bello, constructed for a very long life, but in my estimation the 1995 lacks the density and concentration of the great Monte Bello's of the past decade, notably the 1996 and 2003. Better than the 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2002, the 1995 may be the least accessible modern Monte Bello, and the longest lived.
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