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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.4 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 51 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Cailles on 2/5/2023 & rated 94 points: 30x California 1978: So many wines from this great Californian vintage at the age of 45 certainly qualifies as a “once in a lifetime” event. A few observations: 1) The quality was very high (almost all my ratings above 90pts). And only four faulty wines (2x corked, 2x over the hill/flawed, sadly those two were the Ridge Monte Bello and the Phelps Insignia). 2) The wines are ready to drink, the tannins have melted but the tension and freshness remain high - across the board. 3) There is still lots of fruit left and I was surprised how most wines didn’t show lots of tertiary aromas (find me the Bdx 1982 without tertiary aromas!). IMO, more than a handful of the wines could continue to improve for a few years. 4) Style wise, these are obviously quite different from today’s Napa wines with much less ripeness and more mineral accents. But hardly any wine we had would be mistaken for a Bordeaux in a blind tasting (unlike 80s/90s Dominus). 5) Best reds: Inglenook Limited Cask, Beaulieu GDL Reserve, Stags Leap Cask 23 4.5l (all 96pts), Heitz Bella Oaks, Simi Reserve, Stag’s Leap Cask 23 0.75l (all 95pts). The best wine overall, however, was the magical Late Harvest Riesling from Phelps (98pts).
TN: Medium expressive nose with dark fruit but the bouquet is not as spectacular as the palate but still, quite inviting and pleasant. On the palate beautiful, expressive, fine. Fresh dark berries, herbs and earthy notes, hints of chocolate (!). A rather fine structural frame but still with tons of minerality, tons of tannins indicating that this wine could need a few more years in the cellar. I particularly like the cleanliness, the purity here. (2005 views) | | | Tasted by G_H on 1/28/2023 & rated 96 points: 1978 California Cabernet Horizontal: Incredibly dense and opulent, ripe, multi-layered, well together but still dense. The Montelena Estate just needs time. I hope in 10 years my 1987s will be like this (and maybe in 20 the '01s) (1351 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 1/28/2023 & rated 94 points: California 1978 (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich): Grand tasting of 1978 California wines, mostly from Napa. Main takeaways: i/ surprisingly high quality on average for wines that were not intended for such long-term aging with plenty of primary fruit left, ii/ but within the detail nonetheless a broad range with the worst few suffering from clear signs of fatigue while the best showed hardly age, iii/ top wines were Phelps Cab Sauv (97), Firestone Cab Sauv (95), and Beaulieu George de Latour Private Reserve (95). Full list sorted by score included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
This was one of the most concentrated wines in the line-up with ripe and extracted fruit of red cherry, darker berries of cassis. Also features of eucalyptus which transform into a medicinal touch after a while and licorice. An incredibly youthful palate with structure, depth and plenty of fruit. A long distance runner if ever there was one! (1600 views) | | | Tasted by cortoncharlie on 12/25/2020: corked (2966 views) | | | Tasted by Vinnut on 2/8/2020 & rated 96 points: Deep, dark ruby red in color with ever-so-slight bricking & clearing at the edges. Full, forward & wonderfully expansive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries & plums with multi-layered overtones of earthy/dusty notes, aged tobacco, mint, graphite, anise, leather, mushrooms, spices/herbs, minerals & a hint of cedar in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, well developed, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with spices, herbs, minerals, cocoa & cedar notes. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present but it is most likely at its pinnacle of development at 42 years of age & while I did not detect it heading towards decline, I doubt any further development would occur. I doubt many modern Napa Cabernets can match this wine's power, elegance & age ability. [Cork was fully intact; fill was in the lower portion of the neck.] (3492 views) | | | Tasted by SMWSLT on 7/13/2019 & rated 94 points: Tasted at a “Bordeaux versus Napa” dinner event, the Montelena was first rate and quite a surprise, holding it’s own against a variety of 1982, 1986, & 1989 Bordeaux. The Montelena was full bodied, powerful, complex, and still filled with plentiful black fruits. It was almost a hybrid of an aged Bordeaux from a ripe year and a rich, velvety Napa Cab. Many guessed it to be a 1982 Bordeaux. (2907 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 6/27/2019 & rated 95 points: A few favourites with coq au vin (Chicago, IL): The 1970s in Napa were a golden age of cabernet which is surpassed only by a few choice Bordeaux. This is a bottle that exemplifies that amazing period -- classic cabernet flavours with fruit more on the black side of the spectrum, some pyrazines, and a mild leather note as well. The palate's fruit is still out in full force, and there's no sign that this wine is in any danger of decline. There's still a lot of raw material here, and while this has indeed picked up some secondary notes, this feels much younger than it actually is. Like a recent 1978 Diamond Creek, this stuff is pinnacle cabernet. (3933 views) | | | Tasted by LiteItOnFire on 11/28/2018 & rated 92 points: Wine Dinner at Atlas. No notes. Amazing experience/education in Burgundy (and others). For the experience and age alone would rate this higher (but did not)- holding up very well for 40 year old Napa. (4225 views) | | | Tasted by Alex G. on 11/27/2018: Burgundy, Bordeaux, and California - Dujac, PYCM, Lafon, Carillon, Niellon, Lafite, Latour, Mayacamas, Montelena, Mondavi, and more: Served blind. A funky nose akin to a Cab Franc but different, smoothed out with air. Some menthol/eucalyptus and bell pepper aromas emerge. Good fruit on the palate, some heat on finish. (2637 views) | | | Tasted by mflesh on 10/26/2018 & rated 94 points: This bottle fell victim to experiment tonight. Had a lot of mushroom initially, some truffle, but then settled down into a very nice aged black fruit Cabernet with a hint of rather surprising black berry and black cherry. Truffle. It is incredible to see this one hanging out with a more youthful stance after 40 years. Just goes to show you the power and prestige of Napa fruit. I have one more of these left, which I am going to try to hold on to for at least another five years. Compared to a 1979 Spring Mountain Cab, this 1978 Chateau Montelena was kicking ass and taking names. (1983 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 9/29/2018 & rated 90 points: Dinner with Beth Novak Milliken, Spottswoode Estate (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Served blind amongst 13 mainly Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignons. Quite opaque but softened ruby, suggesting some age but not sure how much. This has a lovely lifted nose that immediately identifies itself as Cabernet Sauvignon with a lovely pencil lead character. Palate is very fresh but quite tannic even though clearly softened by some age. Heady and not too sophisticated on the finish.
The first wine of the dinner....and it turned out to be mine! Beth guessed it as one of hers from the early 1990s. Everyone was shocked that it was a 1970s wine. Most people's #2 of the flight. My last bottle but super company to share it with. (1894 views) | | | Tasted by Kemo Sabe on 4/8/2018 & rated 94 points: Awesome old Cali cab. Hints of red berries and cedar wood spices. A well integrated wine that has complexity and nuance and so much life left. A complete wine that delivers a ton of pleasure and excitement. Still has great color and clarity. In a great spot. (2316 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 9/30/2017 & rated 92 points: Just-intact cork. No decant. Stil almost completely opaque, slightly faded red velvet colour. Nose is immediately stunning...gorgeous compote red and black ripe juicy plums, lots of cedar shingles, warm Asian spices like cinnamon stick and cardomon, clean, fresh and well-cut. Palate is well-defined, almost machine cut, powerful blackcurrant pastilles, barbecueing steak smoke, rich, very well integrated and softened tannin and oak... really harmonious and yet still really fresh and vibrantly youthful. Good acidity. The concentration of the fruit really leaves a strong impression. Satisfyingly reverberant and mildly reverberant. This continues to drink 10-15 years younger than its age. Ready to drink but absolutely no need to hurry. Really beautiful old-school ‘Napa does Bordeaux’ at its near-best. Immensely satisfying. 92+ (2441 views) | | | Tasted by DBell65 on 9/19/2017 & rated 94 points: Once again, showing well, still has good nose with some dark fruit, and earthy. One neighbor reported it as "chewy," which I think was a good description. I have loved every bottle so far. Here's to the rest in my cellar wing just as good. Cheers! (2379 views) | | | Tasted by oldwines on 7/29/2017 & rated 95 points: Wow! What a nearly perfect bottle of wine... I will bet those who didn't have a great experience with this wine didn't let it breathe long enough. I opened this at 3pm and drank it from 6:30 to 8pm. It blossomed around 7 and was at its best at 7:30 and as we were drinking the last drops. Fully mature color with translucent medium garnet in the center and brick brown on the edge. The nose at its peak was glorious with leather, cedar, chocolate, earthy mushrooms and cherry. It was silky smooth on the palate but by no means flat. This can last a little longer but was just wonderful tonight. Flavors were complex and rich with cedar, tobacco, chocolate, cherry, blackberry and a long finish that lasted 60+ seconds. Sadly my last bottle of a purchase in the mid-1980's. (2749 views) | | | Tasted by Alex G. on 11/21/2015: Much fruitier than the '74 Montelena Sonoma, almost primary. Quite enjoyable, but didn't quite have the dirt and depth of the '74. I'd be in no rush to drink the '78, it's lovely, and with all that fruit plenty of years ahead of it. (4907 views) | | | Tasted by tinybubbles on 11/20/2015 & rated 91 points: A solid bottle of this wine displaying balanced and mature notes of black raspberry, dark savory spice, rich earth tones, beef consomme, and savory herbs. Mature but holding well. 91-92 (4019 views) | | | Tasted by DBell65 on 6/25/2015 & rated 92 points: Opened and strained out sediment. Light floral nose, smooth easy drinking with fruit still there, but not overly strong. For a wine this age, stored in less than perfect conditions I was very happy, as were the 3-4 people who shared this wine with me. Went very well with the cheese plate and slow cooked pulled pork dish! (4250 views) | | | Tasted by gharter on 11/17/2013 & rated 95 points: 78 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Very dark with the color not giving any hint to its age. By far the most complex nose of all of the wines tonight. Black cherry, currant, vanilla, sage, mint, leather, earth, cassis, anise aromas continued to change in the glass. There is till plenty of black fruit, red cherries, chocolate, earth, leather, cassis, anise, and a touch of dried herb on the palate. The tannins are still present, but very soft and velvety on the long finish. Absolutely wonderful now, with no signs of fading and might even improve with time. Glad I still have a few bottles left. (6529 views) | | | Tasted by allisonhathhorn on 6/16/2013 & rated 96 points: Beautiful ruby red color with no bricking at all which was surprising for a '78. Classic Montelena nose: dark fruit, pencil lead, soft new leather. Tannins were still vibrant and soft and a long finish. I was almost positive that we had a fake bottle at first. Drank alongside a '98 Monfortino and a '73 Rioja with some 9 month old dry aged rib eye at Carne Vino in Las Vegas. (7102 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 4/26/2013 & rated 96 points: Shane's Last Night Dinner (Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong): Dusky semi translucent ruby red. Nose is elegant, poised perfect "at point" claret..... fresh plum and fresh dates, vanilla pod in the background., velvety plush nose. Palate is gorgeous acidic poise and tertiary fruit of fresh dates, fresh prunes, fresh succulent figs.....absolutely gorgeous...deep almost candied black cherry , it still has a belly- filling richness of fruit. Huge wave of deep reverberant resonance and near-endless length. Almost liqueur richness. Succulent. Just lacks that Lafite precision to take it into my ultimate pantheon of, for example, a Grange 1971. Fantastic. This has years ahead of it...still so fresh. Didn't fade one inch. Not decanted.
I'm mid-way through 6 bottles and this bottle was a league better than the two previously drank between a year and two years ago. And they were better than the first I ever drank from a friend's case in 2009. Looks like an upward trajectory....... (5780 views) | | | Tasted by gutt22 on 8/18/2012: 14.3% alcohol. From magnum. Brilliant wine. Dark red color. This is just coasting, a beautiful mature Cabernet. Fragrant nose of black currant and berry fruit, with loads of graphite, herbs, tobacco, and cedar. In the mouth, impeccable, with sumptuous texture and a panoply of flavors that carry on and on to a beautiful finish. This is just so precise and so pure. A (6007 views) | | | Tasted by Matt Neel on 3/13/2012: Chateau Montelena Dinner (Beacon Restaurant, NYC): Beautiful, opaque, black bing cherry red; some bricking. The nose is a little muddled, a touch volatile (but not to the point of flaw); cedar, mushroom, kirsch, coffee grounds, and balsamic. Palate very chewy with tannins; oxidized cherry and stones; inelegant tannins. Full bodied, medium length of dusty cherry. Too tannic for my tastes, especially at this age. I think this bottle is a little suspect. A serious disappointment for me! (6376 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 1/20/2012 & rated 94 points: Pre-Chinese New Year Get-Together (Chez Patrick Restaurant, 26 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong): Opened but not decanted 3 hours before serving at cool room temperature. Light dusky rose petal red transparent colour. Nose is tar, sweet raspberries, leather and several other complex layers as it opened in the glass. Palate is sweet, alive vibrant fresh acidity then quickly moving into confit fig, fresh prunes, old leather furniture that's been lovingly polished, and other tertiary components....but all wrapped in a fresh acidic frame and with lovely dusty and powdery fully resolved tannins. Enormous resonance inside the head on the finale and good length. Near-profound...so close to profound at certain moments but the balance lost the battle with the prunes element with extended time from the bottle and in the glass. Gosh, this is good....... (5241 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 6/29/2011 & rated 94 points: Cold War Nuclear Escalation Wine Club Dinner (Hong Kong Wine Vaults, Aberdeen, Hong Kong): Another of several bottles I have drank with Daniel over the past year.....it really hit its height tonight destpite some incredible competition. Dark crimson colour, semi opaque and just lightening slightly at the meniscus......surely not annee 1978? Nose is assertively Bourdeaux finesse.....very linear graphite and pencil lead....pure...blackcurrant, very fresh indeed...fresh acidity....slightest hint of mushroom...real depth of nose. Palate is slightly sweet then segues into rolling, unctuous...Indian liquorice stick...touch of incense smoke. A bit too sweet for me to be "extraordinary" but very good. Great length and resonance.....just lacking one extra dimension to make it truly outstanding...but it's great....and not far behind the Ch. Mouton Rothschild 1959 on the night,.....amongst others. (5373 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Chateau Montelena Cabernet Estate: 1977-2010 (May 2019) (5/1/2019)
(Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Montelena Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2017, Issue #67, The Magnificent 1978 Vintage of California Cabernet Sauvignon
(Château Montelena “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Tasting of the Year, Part I (8/1/2012)
(Chateau Montlena Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2011, Issue #33, Recently Tasted California Wines The Search for Traditionalists Turns Up A Crowd
(Château Montelena “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Cali Cabs Then and Somewhat Now plus Top 100 Weekend Teaser (4/10/2005)
(Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon .Napa Valley) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Dom Perignon, 12 Angry Men, Auction Lunch and a Holiday Party (12/13/2004)
(Montelena.) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, July/August 1998, IWC Issue #79
(Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and View From the Cellar and Vintage Tastings. (manage subscription channels) |
| Chateau Montelena Producer website
Very DETAILED history of the property
From winery:
What’s not to like about the weather in 2018? The late spring rains in March and April were very productive and the vines responded with plentiful growth into summer. Unusually low nighttime temperatures coupled with warm to hot days magnified the acidity in the fruit, creating elegant structure for extending aging, rather than overtly jammy flavor. Harvest was slow and methodical as subtle variations in soil and sun exposure magnified the typically nuanced differences in ripening and maturation.
NOSE PALATE FINISH
Fresh and lively, the wine opens effusively with raspberry, mint and plum sauce. The baking spices soon follow, leaning clove initially but with plenty of cedar and vanilla. Still subtle, the ripe fruit elements, mostly cassis and fig at this stage, lurk beneath the surface along with beautiful hints of graphite and toasted sage, awaiting additional time in glass.
HARVEST DATES
September 20 – October 25
ALCOHOL
14.2%
BLEND
98% Cabernet Sauvignon 1.5% Petit Verdot 0.5% Cabernet Franc
Still very tightly wound, it’s the texture and mouthfeel that drive the palate initially. The tannins in particular are somewhat coarse but not so angular to overshadow the abundant dark fruit. The dynamic tension on the midpalate serves to focus and magnify the layers of black cherry, cocoa powder, and black pepper, before turning slightly earthy and dusty. The structure is pronounced, but still harmonious and well defined.
Technical Information
BARREL AGING
22 months in 100% French oak, 40% new
BOTTLING DATE
August 2020
It’s in the transition to the finish that the acidity materializes in almost candy-like fashion, a beautiful contrast to the supple tannins. Here the wine’s density shines elegantly, well balanced between smoky, espresso bean and delicate, dried blackberry. It’s the latter that defines the finish at this moment, persistent in length and depth.
WINEMAKER
Matt Crafton
Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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