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All tasting notes
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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.3 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 51 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by peternelson on 5/26/2023 & rated 90 points: In great shape, rich, slightly syrupy, deep somewhat faded ruby; lots of cherry syrup, very slight sweetness, ripe attack, lots of ripe black and red fruits, dusty herbs; decent structure, tannins, a bit of lift; walked and talked like a CdP, which most guessed. Monopole blind (455 views) | | | Tasted by Captain Bev on 8/22/2020 & rated 91 points: Very smooth, lots of flavor spice and pepper! (1151 views) | | | Tasted by vjalufka on 8/27/2017: Excellent Hurricane Harvey drinking! Bold and smooth! (2404 views) | | | Tasted by halfred on 12/31/2012 & rated 93 points: One of the highlights of the evening. A very delicate zin, fruits have shifted to perfume. (5675 views) | | | Tasted by eoinhharkins on 9/1/2012 & rated 90 points: Think this has peaked - showed some interesting notes on the nose when first opened but an hour later with dinner had basically died (5750 views) | | | Tasted by Tarun Patel on 6/20/2012 & rated 92 points: - Crimsom color with a medium finish. (5756 views) | | | Tasted by smcilhen on 4/20/2012 & rated 86 points: Pnp, figuring an older zinfandel would go downhill fairly quickly after opening. I was correct as well. First glass was decently integrated and what little fruit that remained shone through. After that, it was more dull fruit and oak notes. Past its prime.
86 points; purchased for $20 at HDH on 4/17/2012. (5544 views) | | | Tasted by Htama on 6/10/2011: Excellent
(5043 views) | | | Tasted by davidspieker on 9/27/2010 & rated 91 points: Nice garnet color with slight signs of age. Dark berry and oak aromas. Very fruit forward, but not goopy or over done. Black cherry flavors with pepper and smoke. Good structure with nice long lasting finish. (2960 views) | | | Tasted by postman on 8/25/2010 & rated 91 points: very nice flavors great aromas w some terrior an excellent zin (2875 views) | | | Tasted by emf on 4/26/2010: Good Zinfandel, not in your face, well balanced with berries and some spiciness. Some oak but a very good food wine. (3127 views) | | | Tasted by OregonWineGeeks on 2/15/2010 & rated 94 points: This well aged Napa Valley Zin has a excellent nose of fresh berry and oak. The color is a light garnet of a well aged red wine. The tasting reveals a fruit forward wine, with tart cranberry type structure to a firm tannin finish that is both long lasting and begs for red meat, fatty salami, lamb, sharp cheese. 94, Most things this good are illegal (3328 views) | | | Tasted by Haggis on 12/13/2009 & rated 91 points: Similar notes to those I posted on 4/5/08. Heady, full bore zin. Plum, leather, herbs (sage??), pepper. Really nice. (3473 views) | | | Tasted by crushzone on 12/4/2009 & rated 92 points: Great balance and color. Not overly jammy like some zins. Still young and should improve with some cellar time. (3418 views) | | | Tasted by winetennis on 11/26/2009: Color of dark ruby-red color. Aroma is quite huge, with spicy black cherry, with a nice sharp, peppery and smoke overtone. Taste is balanced, with a bit of pepper and dark fruit, loads of berry fruit and a refined texture. Release Date: Spring 2007, Time in Oak: 16 months. (3646 views) | | | Tasted by mjsherwin68 on 11/21/2009 & rated 89 points: Popped and Poured. The nose opened up to oak and plum. The middle fruit was plum and blackberry when first opened, but it faded as the wine got some air. The finished had licorce and glycerol. (3425 views) | | | Tasted by mouton45 on 8/2/2009 & rated 90 points: Nice wine! Stood up well to that Jack Daniels bbq sauce on the pork spareribs. Very approachable with no decant (3694 views) | | | Tasted by mouton45 on 11/29/2008 & rated 91 points: A couple of guys in the wine group thought it was a cab. No one nailed it as a zin. Very nice wine (3964 views) | | | Tasted by klutchman on 11/25/2008 & rated 87 points: good zinfandel...more spicy than I remember when first tasted at winery. The spice gave way to decent fruit as the bottle was allowed to breather more. (4044 views) | | | Tasted by tvmama on 11/22/2008 & rated 90 points: Birth day dinner with friends
Good Zin
Very smooth (3996 views) | | | Tasted by wineislife on 10/22/2008 & rated 88 points: Day one, pop and pour. Had a sweetness that surprised me and was quite enjoyable. Day two, lost the core fruit but showed a nice level of structure. Missing a bit on the bouquet and lacks any real complexity. That said, its a nice QPR in the mid $20's. (4098 views) | | | Tasted by emf on 9/5/2008 & rated 90 points: Much lusher zin than others we have had. Black cherries and chocolate, long finish, smooth. Can't wait to have more. (4109 views) | | | Tasted by whynblog on 8/29/2008 & rated 90 points: Very dark purple color. The nose has an interesting cinnamon overtone to the boysenberry aroma. The flavors are dominated by a very fruit forward and jammy black raspberry note with cedar and black pepper kicking in on the long finish. The tannins linger on the finish as well. (4058 views) | | | Tasted by eldiabloazul on 7/8/2008 & rated 91 points: GV nailed it. Will buy again. (4251 views) | | | Tasted by Matt T on 5/26/2008 & rated 93 points: Nice nose of cherries. A lush and smooth zinfandel. A good balance of spiciness and cherry, raspberry, and grape flavors. Lingers on the palate. (4397 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2006, IWC Issue #126
(Chateau Montelena Zinfandel Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |  By Gary Vaynerchuk
Wine Library TV, Highly Rated Zinfandel, Episode #316 (9/17/2007)
(CHATEAU MONTELENA ESTATE ZINFANDEL) #2; COLOR-dark; NOSE-beautiful; Grape/Strawberry Laffy Taffy; little burnt Pine Cone action; TASTE-this wine is juicy; explosive on the palate; a black raspberry component on the mid-palate; little hints of black pepper; massive structure; big wine; little heat; very integrated, impressed w/ the overall silkiness; long finish; plum wrapped in Prosciutto; New World, but not NW obnoxious; a very good effort; RP-90; GV-91+ 91+ points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and Wine Library TV. (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
Zinfandel ZAP: Zinfandel Advocates & Producers | Varietal character (Appellation America) | Wikipedia-ZinfandelUSAAmerican 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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