1991 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate

Community Tasting Note

Luvwine1 Likes this wine:

93 Points

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 - Initially, the nose was concerning. It smelled of tea, the cork had split, and I thought perhaps it was flawed. Over time, the nose came around and if not pleasant, it was less objectionable with some fruit coming through. I tasted it and found lovely sweet fruit, medium body, good length, some eucalyptus and mushroom and, well, it was lovely and balanced as we drank it with some NY strip steaks. Good stuff. Wish I had more.

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4 comments have been posted

Comment posted by oldwines:

2/13/2024 6:05:00 PM - You state that over time this got better…I’m curious about timeframes…when I last tasted this it was best after 4 hours in the decanter. I suspect your timeframe was shorter? In my 40+ years of experience with Montelena Estate Cabs they always respond well to decanting, often long periods of 3-5 hours or even overnight. Cheers!
Comment posted by oldwines:

2/13/2024 6:05:00 PM - You state that over time this got better…I’m curious about timeframes…when I last tasted this it was best after 4 hours in the decanter. I suspect your timeframe was shorter? In my 40+ years of experience with Montelena Estate Cabs they always respond well to decanting, often long periods of 3-5 hours or even overnight. Cheers!
Comment posted by Luvwine1:

2/13/2024 6:39:00 PM - It was in the decanter or open in the glass a couple of hours before dinner then drunk over two or three hours. Tried the remains the next day and was not good but it was just on the decanter uncovered. It was the consensus favorite of three wines. The other two were 2000 Leoville Barton (which had the best nose) and a 2009 Opus One (biggest flavors on palate). The Montelena was the most balanced.
Comment posted by oldwines:

2/13/2024 6:48:00 PM - Thanks for the feedback, sorry for the dupe…not sure how that happened. Cheers!