No Specific Tasting Note

The 1981 Monte Bello is also fully mature, and it's a pretty wine, though it won't go down in the history books as one of the benchmark vintages. Offering up notes of dried currant fruit, orange rind, medicine cabinet, cedar and spice, its aromas are subtly informed by the signatures of Brettanomyces. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, bright and chalky, with tangy acids and an evolved but sweet core of fruit. While it was overshadowed by greater years at this tasting, enjoyed on its own the 1981 is a complex wine with plenty of Monte Bello character. But now is definitely the time to drink it. It's a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot that attained a mere 12% alcohol.