May 15, 2021 - A friend brought this over with take out. He mentioned not sure exactly how this wine had been stored. Cork fell apart upon removal so I poured bottle through a fine filter and into a splash decanter. Much to our surprise the wine was still in decent shape. Stewed mushrooms, earth and tobacco with very faint fruit. Color was cloudy crimson/brown. 13.5% abv
I think if this was stored in a cellar it might have had a little more fruit left. This was a fun one to have with the other plush Rutherford wines from 2014.
July 18, 2019 - A classic wine. Stored impeccably, notes of eucalyptus, red currant, herb and leather on the nose. Medium bodied, with loads of fruit left and plenty of tannin remaining. Drink now w a short decant or hold.
November 21, 2014 - Dark fruit (blackberry, cassis), slight leather. Slight spice. Lingering finish. Nice acidity. Really enjoyable.
October 23, 2014 - red body, orange rim, in the color. dark fruit, plum, earth, lemon, tea, on the nose. citrus, plum, mint, blackberry, on the palate. medium acid, on the finish.
January 1, 2013 - Excellent wine. Drank great. nice fruit, smooth, nice finish. Only one left in the cellar.
September 5, 2012 - Fully mature. rich, round . Tasted like a high quality mature CDP.
April 14, 2010 - Red licorice, tar, violets, and leather (almost mature barolo-like) jump out of the glass on the nose. The taste continues to show off the red licorice and tar with some refined tannins. The finish is spicy, floral, blood-textured, almost chewy, but thin at the same time. This is a great wine that kind of reminds me of a French Bordeaux/Italian Barolo hybrid. Well-done, and not your typical overdone Napa cab.
November 19, 2008 - Might have rated 90+ a few months ago, but might be losing a bit of its luster. That being said, the first sip was classic Montelena, dark berry, coffee, tobacco and earth flavors, smooth texture and nice finish. Later glasses faded a little, though, indicating it might be a tad long in the tooth. Still very good.
October 13, 2007 - fruit starting to fade, but still a nice food wine
July 10, 2007 - I was quite happy that this Cuvee still has a lot of fruit, tannins have dissolved leaving a nicely balanced and integrated wine good for another couple of years but I don't see it improving any more.