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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.3 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 79 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by La Cave d'Argent on 7/6/2023 & rated 93 points: Tasted from a well-cellared bottle that was popped and poured, this straw-colored Chardonnay exemplifies the Montelena style. By virtue of not allowing malolactic fermentation, Montelena's Chardonnays deliver a nice degree of freshness that give the wines lift from start to finish. The 2018 version is no exception. On the nose, it offers an intense aromatic profile of pit fruits, green apples, Bosq pears, wet stones and jasmine. The flavors mirror the nose, adding notes of citrus and allspice. The wine's oak and alcohol (13.9%) are well-woven and the mid-palate is nicely dense. Finishing with good length and energy, this is another terrific vintage of Montelena Chardonnay that should be at its best over the next five years. Drink now-2028. (2267 views) | | | Tasted by RichC82 on 6/6/2023 & rated 81 points: This Chardonnay had a medium plus acidity with tart fruity flavors. Not quite as acidic and tart as a Sauvignon Blanc, but more in that range than your typical Chardonnay. (1970 views) | | | Tasted by Bbrown82 on 3/4/2023 & rated 92 points: Always a pleasure to drink such an iconic wine and story. It never disappoints either bright tropical, citrus and slight oak. No MF so no butter bomb Cali chard. This is good now but in 5 years or so will be great (2598 views) | | | Tasted by Dave Dewar on 1/15/2023: P&P. Medium-dark gold. Intense aromas of burnt butter, ripe tropical fruit, honeysuckle, oak. Replays on palate plus a sweet apple. M-F body, M+ acid, XD, well-integrated 14.4% ABV. Long finish. Round, smooth, delicious. Excellent. With Rob Dykstra. (2969 views) | | | Tasted by KimandScott on 12/18/2022 & rated 92 points: Agree with other recent notes that this is starting to drink really nicely. Green apple in the nose along with . . . sandalwood? Has weight in the mouth. Complex and balanced, nice long finish. (3171 views) | | | Tasted by bin905 on 12/8/2022 & rated 92 points: Very Burgundian, focused, crisp citrus, green apple and mineral flavor. (2055 views) | | | Tasted by laralh on 11/17/2022 & rated 89 points: Sitron, eple, litt smør, grapefrukt og bitterhet. Lang og medium fylde. (2105 views) | | | Tasted by TWSA on 10/27/2022 & rated 90 points: Nose: pineapple, mango, tropical fruits
Notes: given its age the Montelena Chardonnay is full of freshness and tropical fruits. The nose is occupied with a lot of pineapple notes. The montelena certainly delivers value and I would say this is a good daily wine to have. It can be enjoyed now but I would think that it will improve in 3-4 years.
Drink: 2025+
Rating: 90 (1849 views) | | | Tasted by Odedis.Wine.reviews on 9/18/2022 & rated 90 points: This 4 year old Napa Chardonnay is starting to drink nicely, but not there yet. Needs at least 5 years in the bottle to mature properly.
Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.
Dry and fruity on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing lemons citrus, oak, vanilla, yellow and green apples, grapefruits, almonds, earth, minerals, and white pepper.
Good by itself and better with food.
A good wine to pair with seafood. A good quality wine.
13.9% alcohol by volume.
90 points. (1758 views) | | | Tasted by Carlos correa on 9/17/2022: Colour: clear straw
Nose: apple, bread, honey, petrol, caramel, blossom
Tart and ripe
Palate: tart and ripe
Body: full
Acidity: high
Alcohol: moderate plus
Finish: moderate
Selling notes:
Well balanced Chardonnay with beautiful bread notes surrounded by high acidity and a caramel apple finish
Quality: good (1372 views) | | | Tasted by cweiner on 9/13/2022 & rated 92 points: Unfortunately the end of the case. (1444 views) | | | Tasted by brouigu1 on 7/24/2022 & rated 93 points: Tasted this alongside the 2018 Ramey Rochioli and both wines are extremely well-made Chardonnay’s albeit from different regions of California. The Montelena suits my palate a little better as it has a nice blend of Oaked and non-oaked, where the Ramey had oak throughout its aging time. Beautiful flavors of citrus fruits, some caramel and a finish that really lingered.
A Chardonnay that has some complexity of layers yet so enjoyable by the casual sipper. This is a crowd pleaser as it highlights the oak flavors while not over doing it allowing the secondary and even tertiary flavors to come though. (1699 views) | | | Tasted by Dave Dewar on 5/21/2022: Decanted 1 hour. Drank alongside a 2017 Grgich Hills Chardonnay. Was everyone's favourite of the two. No formal notes but was very smooth and complex, with a killer finish. Oak was noticeable, but not at all overdone. Might not have the acidity to be a good food wine, but was a great sipper. With Rob (for his birthday), Barb, Karim, Maria. (2000 views) | | | Tasted by jan erik on 5/6/2022 & rated 92 points: - Yellow color - Gained some weight compared to 1 year ago. (1547 views) | | | Tasted by Tahlequahdave1972 on 5/2/2022 & rated 91 points: Much too young to get a sense of where this chardonnay will end up. Drank over two days with day 2 showing flavors of green apple, lemon peel, citrus and stone fruit. Nice acidity and dryness but far from finding balance and resolution. Will wait several years before opening this again. (1859 views) | | | Tasted by CHINACAT on 4/30/2022 & rated 89 points: Lemon and orange peel, a little dry, lively, with some lingering metallic notes. Still has some time ahead of it. (1722 views) | | | Tasted by tedcholl on 4/26/2022 & rated 92 points: Really well made and delicious to drink right now potential for improvement with additional age. Citrus, melon, pear, pineapple, baking spices and white flowers. Excellent Chardonnay! (1545 views) | | | Tasted by madrapper on 4/20/2022 & rated 93 points: 맛있다
미국 샤도 같지 않다
다음날이 더 맛있음 향도 좋아짐 꽃향기 시트러스
산미 좋다
다음에는 디켄팅해서 마셔야지~~~~ (1410 views) | | | Tasted by Discobiscuits42 on 4/18/2022 & rated 93 points: Decanted two hours, great acidity, mild butter feel. Pretty complex. On opening, there was an off burned popcorn flavor common with chard that blew off. Well balanced. A winner. (1288 views) | | | Tasted by Deegie on 4/17/2022 & rated 92 points: Based on previous reviews, I popped this in advance to let it air and warm up. Very complex fruit notes with lemon, lime, peach, pear, apricot, and a little apple. Crisp acidity and a little bit of minerality on the finish. I found it a touch overoaked for my palate although others in the group enjoyed it. (1007 views) | | | Tasted by oldwines on 4/9/2022 & rated 94 points: Tasted 2 bottles at a restaurant at which I insisted they decant it and let it warm from its much too cold serving temperature. It needed at least 90 minutes to come around but when it did it was really much better than most of the other reviews I have read on this. It was a bright but light to medium lemon yellow color. The nose had honeysuckle and citrus (lime/lemon zest). Palate has great texture I thought…not especially dense but vibrant and delicate without being lightweight with lots of finesse. Flavors included pear, lime, pineapple and white peach. Ever so slight hint of oak. Excellent acidity and a mineral backbone that hid the fruit initially. Long, pleasant, mouthwatering aftertaste. I think this needs more bottle cellar time and like many of the worlds best chards, more air time than most people likely give it. This was definitely unimpressive when first opened at a temperature well below cellar temperature and without time to breathe. It steadily improved over time in the decanter and glass. (1549 views) | | | Tasted by GuWin on 3/22/2022 & rated 90 points: BYO Litteraturhuset (Litteraturhuset i Oslo): Lys gul med grønnskjær. Svært aromatisk duft av smørmalt, fløtekarameller og et tydelig eikepreg. Åpen, fyldig og eikepreget smak som følger duft. Rik stil med god fylde men noe lav syre, svært ung p.t. og bør nok ligge noen år for å lagre av seg hvalpefettet. (1390 views) | | | Tasted by AWBryce on 2/5/2022: Complex, light fruit on the nose, oink starburst tropical fruits. Palate is balanced, nice acid, rounded finish. (1638 views) | | | Tasted by Ssccbb on 1/27/2022 & rated 91 points: Golden colour. Citrus, green fruits and oak on the nose. Good acidity and length. Great wine that might improve even more with age. (1716 views) | | | Tasted by whudock on 1/16/2022 & rated 92 points: consistent with previous notes. May be improving in depth with bottle age. (1738 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth (Jan 2020) (1/1/2020)
(Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa Valley White) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (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
Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican 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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