Chez Garard older Zinfandels and Cali Cabs: Deep color. Initial palate taste was a bit watery. Then the density came in and the wine sang. However, I rated it early #5 and grp #1.
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4th Saturday Brown Bagger (M&R's): Blind. Aromas of boysenberry, spice, black cherry, wild strawberry and rhubarb. Medium bodied. Abundant red and black fruit on the palate with hints of white pepper and spice carrying through the finish. A bit deeper and more complex than the 2011 in the first flight. This was our last bottle and I’m sad to see it go as there’s plenty of life left in this.
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Double decanted off its sediment and enjoyed during the couples 9 & wine scramble at the club. Older light color but still very much alive and kicking, in fact, this is where I enjoy the Montelena zins most. Red berry fruit and floral elements with subtle spice overtones. Soft and elegant. Lovely in all respects.
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Decanted off its fine sediment an hour before tonight's Zoom event with the Montelena team. Shows plenty of fruit at ten years of age- mostly raspberry and red berries but the's blue fruit tones as well. Brambly spice ovetones. On the light side of medium-bodied. Red raspberry and blue fruit flavors. A slight hint of candied vanilla in the finish. Plenty of life left in this, but it's drinking so well now that I doubt our final two bottles will survive the summer. 91-92 pts.
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Drinking very well. Had been awhile since we opened up a Zinfandel, and this did not disappoint. Tannins were smoothed out. Was ready to drink upon opening, with minimal or no change over the next hour or so. Had some sediment.
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4th Saturday Group: Old vs Young (T&L's): Double decanted of its sediment 90 minutes before the flight was poured. Light color. Notes of raspberry coulis and red berry fruit, with white pepper and spice undertones. Flavors of cherry, rose and raspberry.
Always a more elegant style of zin that many might struggle to identify as zin when tasting double blind, though once you find out what's in your glass you see the varietal signature. Montelena's is a style of zin I enjoy very much. I think many were surprised by the age as well.
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Calif. Zinfandels evolve with age. 2010 Chateau Montelena Zinfandel The Montelena Estate (purchased in a bundle of older wines at a charity auction, about $35). Mid-brick, amber edges; red fruit, raspberry, wood nose; mid-body; balanced; good Zinfandel fruit and flavor; long berry-wood finish (2007 tasted at the same time; similar scores). 16-16.5 UC Davis scale; 90-91 other scales.
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On the nose- Dark fruits, dark cherries, blackberries, blueberries, black pepper, mountain spices, red flowers, mint
On the palate- Dark fruits and dark cherries, blackberries and blueberries, black pepper and mountain spices, red flowers and a hint of mint, the finish is super smooth in integrated and is at its peak I would not age this wine much longer
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This vintage of the Montelena Zin received only a sell killing 89 points in both the Wine Spectator and Tanzer. Most merchants showed only the wording in the reviews without any numeric score. Having tasted this 8 year old wine along side 15 other Zinfandels in a Zinfest at the Best Cellar store, I can report that the critics radically underscored the Montelena, primarily failing to anticipate how great this wine would become with aging. All of us at the table for tasting the Zins concurred that it was a strong contender for Wine of the Night, myself included. What distinguished this wine included great structure from powerful tannin and high acidity, rich and concentrated flavors of fruits and spices, a lush and caressing texture, layers of complexity, and seamless integration. Also noteworthy was the absence of any detached sweetness, alcoholic burn, heaviness, and domineering raisin taste. 5 other Zins stood out as good enough to be in the running for the best wine of the night. But when I resipped the Montelena I kept in another glass, none of the others matched its completeness and fullness.
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A tasty but light zinfandel. Aromas and flavors of chocolate, cranberry, and spice. Smooth and easy drinking. Not the best QPR, but it succeeds in its style.
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red, purple, in color. anise, blueberry, plum, on the nose. dark chocolate, blackberry, blueberry, spice, earth, burnt wood, on the palate. medium acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
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I expected more from this Zin. Average dark fruit aromas. Smooth soft flavors of plum, blackberry, and a light earthiness. Soft tannins and medium body. Average finish.
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A very nice Zinfandel, yet a very typical Zinfandel. Seamless or a bit dull, the fruit component is more restrained than in most Zinfandels. Still the wine is quite nice and has a forward acidity which makes it a lovely food companion.
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Bright garnet color. Jammy but not in ripe sense, with black raspberry, boysenberry and red fruit aromas and underlying hints of spice and pepper. Medium-bodied, lush and balanced, with raspberry and mulberry flavors and spice notes on the finish.
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Hi, This is Francois from Lille / France. I bought the bottle in the estate in July this year and drank it this week. The wine is really OK, of course not as good as the Cabernet Sauvignon which I tried in the estate, but it is a very nice wine, which is worth 90 if I am judging by M. Parker's notes on French wines. Overall Chateau Montelena was one of my best findings in my Napa summer tour.
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Decanted 20 mins and drunk. Great dark purple color. Vanilla, little bit of black pepper, hints of Christmas spice nose. Ripe plum nose. Light acid, medium weight. Under ripe cherries flavors. Nice pepper and Christmas spices on the palette. A bit oakie, but not too much. Hints of tobacco. Sugar plum taste. Quite jammie for a zinf.
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Good, not great. A little bretty nose which concerned me, but then blew off. Plenty of fruit, but tart on the finish with a little bite. Not bad with food - will likely cellar fine for several more years. GOOD.
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We had this a few months ago and were impressed, but were somewhat disappointed tonight. Easy drinking, but just didn't show much on the nose, mid palate. or finish.
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A light zin, in keeping with previous vintages. Light pepper. Still too young and grippy. Needs a year or two more years in the bottle or several hours of decanting to open up.
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Tasted at a party; informal note. After the disappointing Siduri, this is more like it. Notes of red and dark fruit, blueberry and spice. Ripe and luscious, but not overly so. Balanced, ending with a nice burst of peppery fruit. Montelena's style of Zinfandel is right in my wheelhouse.
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Primitivo + Zinandel clone. Dak berry, pepper and sage equally balanced on the nose with red, black and purple plum fruit. Flavors on the palate of blue and purple berry and plum. Hints of red fruit as well. Blackberry, pepper, underbrush, sage, cedar. Nicely balanced with good acidity. Layered and nice complexity in its flavors.
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This wine was a very fruit forward zin with a medium body, cherry flavor with a bit of tartness, and really no tannins to speak of. To be honest, I was a little disappointed in the "just okayness" of this wine, especially from a fine winery such as Chateau Montelena. This is a $35-40 bottle of wine - there are many many better zins out there for that price or lower (Ridge comes to mind). While I love their cabs, I don't know if I would buy this again, but have 5 more bottles in my cellar, so we'll see how it progresses. GOOD.
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Purple but medium bodied with modest transparency. The nose is peppery with vanilla and blueberry notes. Palate is consistent with hints of sour cherries. Finish and tannins are already quite smooth. 5+12+16+7=90
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ZAP 2013 (San Francisco, CA): red, maroon in color. black fruit, earth, floral, on the nose. black pepper, blackberry, oak, vanilla, floral, toast, on the palate. medium acid and tannins on the finish.
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3/25/2023 - blinkingdog Likes this wine: 89 Points
Liked this a lot. But perhaps towards the end of current drinking phase. Fruits were there but a bit muted. Overall, though, really good.
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8/20/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 84 Points
Mid-Aged Zinfandel and Cali Cab Dinner (Casa Garard - Northfield IL): Single blind in aged Zinfandel flight. My least favorite of the flight, group's #1. Fully mature black fruit that thins out quickly.
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8/20/2022 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 92 Points
Chez Garard older Zinfandels and Cali Cabs: Deep color. Initial palate taste was a bit watery. Then the density came in and the wine sang. However, I rated it early #5 and grp #1.
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3/26/2022 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
4th Saturday Brown Bagger (M&R's): Blind. Aromas of boysenberry, spice, black cherry, wild strawberry and rhubarb. Medium bodied. Abundant red and black fruit on the palate with hints of white pepper and spice carrying through the finish. A bit deeper and more complex than the 2011 in the first flight. This was our last bottle and I’m sad to see it go as there’s plenty of life left in this.
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5/7/2021 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Double decanted off its sediment and enjoyed during the couples 9 & wine scramble at the club. Older light color but still very much alive and kicking, in fact, this is where I enjoy the Montelena zins most. Red berry fruit and floral elements with subtle spice overtones. Soft and elegant. Lovely in all respects.
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6/12/2020 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Decanted off its fine sediment an hour before tonight's Zoom event with the Montelena team. Shows plenty of fruit at ten years of age- mostly raspberry and red berries but the's blue fruit tones as well. Brambly spice ovetones. On the light side of medium-bodied. Red raspberry and blue fruit flavors. A slight hint of candied vanilla in the finish. Plenty of life left in this, but it's drinking so well now that I doubt our final two bottles will survive the summer. 91-92 pts.
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5/31/2020 - jzebrack Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking very well.
Had been awhile since we opened up a Zinfandel, and this did not disappoint.
Tannins were smoothed out.
Was ready to drink upon opening, with minimal or no change over the next hour or so.
Had some sediment.
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2/22/2020 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
4th Saturday Group: Old vs Young (T&L's): Double decanted of its sediment 90 minutes before the flight was poured. Light color. Notes of raspberry coulis and red berry fruit, with white pepper and spice undertones. Flavors of cherry, rose and raspberry.
Always a more elegant style of zin that many might struggle to identify as zin when tasting double blind, though once you find out what's in your glass you see the varietal signature. Montelena's is a style of zin I enjoy very much. I think many were surprised by the age as well.
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2/15/2020 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 90 Points
Calif. Zinfandels evolve with age. 2010 Chateau Montelena Zinfandel The Montelena Estate (purchased in a bundle of older wines at a charity auction, about $35). Mid-brick, amber edges; red fruit, raspberry, wood nose; mid-body; balanced; good Zinfandel fruit and flavor; long berry-wood finish (2007 tasted at the same time; similar scores). 16-16.5 UC Davis scale; 90-91 other scales.
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2/1/2020 - WineGeek1989 Likes this wine: 90 Points
On the nose- Dark fruits, dark cherries, blackberries, blueberries, black pepper, mountain spices, red flowers, mint
On the palate- Dark fruits and dark cherries, blackberries and blueberries, black pepper and mountain spices, red flowers and a hint of mint, the finish is super smooth in integrated and is at its peak I would not age this wine much longer
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11/11/2018 - Mossrose wrote: 94 Points
This vintage of the Montelena Zin received only a sell killing 89 points in both the Wine Spectator and Tanzer. Most merchants showed only the wording in the reviews without any numeric score. Having tasted this 8 year old wine along side 15 other Zinfandels in a Zinfest at the Best Cellar store, I can report that the critics radically underscored the Montelena, primarily failing to anticipate how great this wine would become with aging. All of us at the table for tasting the Zins concurred that it was a strong contender for Wine of the Night, myself included. What distinguished this wine included great structure from powerful tannin and high acidity, rich and concentrated flavors of fruits and spices, a lush and caressing texture, layers of complexity, and seamless integration. Also noteworthy was the absence of any detached sweetness, alcoholic burn, heaviness, and domineering raisin taste. 5 other Zins stood out as good enough to be in the running for the best wine of the night. But when I resipped the Montelena I kept in another glass, none of the others matched its completeness and fullness.
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1/31/2018 - Craigbilodeau Likes this wine: 89 Points
Loved this zin. Age has smoothed out the edges and made this a beautiful, luscious wine with a nice spice left on the finish.
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5/22/2016 - slapsht007 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice straight-forward Zin. A bit of raisin. Maybe little dark chocolate. Medium lite acidity and tannins. Easy to drink and pair with BBQ.
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7/15/2015 - kit36 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Smooth and full of ripe berry.
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4/26/2015 - BigTex22 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good Zin, drank with friends. GOOD.
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1/6/2015 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 89 Points
A tasty but light zinfandel.
Aromas and flavors of chocolate, cranberry, and spice. Smooth and easy drinking. Not the best QPR, but it succeeds in its style.
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1/22/2014 - affordableCollector wrote: 88 Points
red, purple, in color. anise, blueberry, plum, on the nose. dark chocolate, blackberry, blueberry, spice, earth, burnt wood, on the palate. medium acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
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1/14/2014 - JG13 wrote: 88 Points
I expected more from this Zin. Average dark fruit aromas. Smooth soft flavors of plum, blackberry, and a light earthiness. Soft tannins and medium body. Average finish.
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1/4/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 89 Points
A very nice Zinfandel, yet a very typical Zinfandel. Seamless or a bit dull, the fruit component is more restrained than in most Zinfandels. Still the wine is quite nice and has a forward acidity which makes it a lovely food companion.
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12/19/2013 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Bright garnet color. Jammy but not in ripe sense, with black raspberry, boysenberry and red fruit aromas and underlying hints of spice and pepper. Medium-bodied, lush and balanced, with raspberry and mulberry flavors and spice notes on the finish.
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11/28/2013 - fran.so Likes this wine: 90 Points
Hi,
This is Francois from Lille / France.
I bought the bottle in the estate in July this year and drank it this week.
The wine is really OK, of course not as good as the Cabernet Sauvignon which I tried in the estate, but it is a very nice wine, which is worth 90 if I am judging by M. Parker's notes on French wines.
Overall Chateau Montelena was one of my best findings in my Napa summer tour.
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10/26/2013 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 87 Points
Decanted 20 mins and drunk. Great dark purple color. Vanilla, little bit of black pepper, hints of Christmas spice nose. Ripe plum nose. Light acid, medium weight. Under ripe cherries flavors. Nice pepper and Christmas spices on the palette. A bit oakie, but not too much. Hints of tobacco. Sugar plum taste. Quite jammie for a zinf.
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10/12/2013 - capno wrote: 89 Points
Excellent zinfandel although not as spicy as some. Possible my taste buds weren't up to snuff due to a pending cold. Still very enjoyable.
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9/29/2013 - BigTex22 wrote: 87 Points
Good, not great. A little bretty nose which concerned me, but then blew off. Plenty of fruit, but tart on the finish with a little bite. Not bad with food - will likely cellar fine for several more years. GOOD.
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9/27/2013 - branspra wrote: 94 Points
Really good and smooth!
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9/24/2013 - KSWinegeek wrote: 87 Points
We had this a few months ago and were impressed, but were somewhat disappointed tonight. Easy drinking, but just didn't show much on the nose, mid palate. or finish.
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9/23/2013 - lumpyelbow wrote:
This was a far better bottle. No notes. Dustin's Birthday
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8/6/2013 - WaldoSPE wrote:
Sitting by a fire with friends. Nothing could have been better.
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8/2/2013 - crushzone wrote: 87 Points
A light zin, in keeping with previous vintages. Light pepper. Still too young and grippy. Needs a year or two more years in the bottle or several hours of decanting to open up.
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6/15/2013 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at a party; informal note. After the disappointing Siduri, this is more like it. Notes of red and dark fruit, blueberry and spice. Ripe and luscious, but not overly so. Balanced, ending with a nice burst of peppery fruit. Montelena's style of Zinfandel is right in my wheelhouse.
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6/15/2013 - thelostverse wrote: 91 Points
Opened by Allred at April's grad party. Beautiful nose of berries, pepper and spice. Excellent mouthfeel with nice balance. A lovely zin.
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6/2/2013 - lumpyelbow wrote:
A bit of a mess at the moment and behind the '09. Have 3 more - wait a year and see if it can sort itself out. Currently unfocused and hot.
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5/9/2013 - vegasoenophile Likes this wine: 88 Points
Primitivo + Zinandel clone. Dak berry, pepper and sage equally balanced on the nose with red, black and purple plum fruit. Flavors on the palate of blue and purple berry and plum. Hints of red fruit as well. Blackberry, pepper, underbrush, sage, cedar. Nicely balanced with good acidity. Layered and nice complexity in its flavors.
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4/10/2013 - SonnyChiba wrote: 90 Points
Liked this much more than I was expecting to. Good fruit and spice, great tannins - tad bit of heat on the finish, but overall an enjoyable Zin.
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3/31/2013 - BigTex22 wrote: 85 Points
This wine was a very fruit forward zin with a medium body, cherry flavor with a bit of tartness, and really no tannins to speak of. To be honest, I was a little disappointed in the "just okayness" of this wine, especially from a fine winery such as Chateau Montelena. This is a $35-40 bottle of wine - there are many many better zins out there for that price or lower (Ridge comes to mind). While I love their cabs, I don't know if I would buy this again, but have 5 more bottles in my cellar, so we'll see how it progresses. GOOD.
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3/2/2013 - Delli Likes this wine: 90 Points
Purple but medium bodied with modest transparency. The nose is peppery with vanilla and blueberry notes. Palate is consistent with hints of sour cherries. Finish and tannins are already quite smooth. 5+12+16+7=90
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2/5/2013 - vespasian Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great nose with complex herbal berried fruit; smooth, creamy ripe palate.
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2/2/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 89 Points
ZAP 2013 (San Francisco, CA): red, maroon in color. black fruit, earth, floral, on the nose. black pepper, blackberry, oak, vanilla, floral, toast, on the palate. medium acid and tannins on the finish.
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