30x California 1978: So many wines from this great Californian vintage at the age of 45 certainly qualifies as a “once in a lifetime” event. A few observations: 1) The quality was very high (almost all my ratings above 90pts). And only four faulty wines (2x corked, 2x over the hill/flawed, sadly those two were the Ridge Monte Bello and the Phelps Insignia). 2) The wines are ready to drink, the tannins have melted but the tension and freshness remain high - across the board. 3) There is still lots of fruit left and I was surprised how most wines didn’t show lots of tertiary aromas (find me the Bdx 1982 without tertiary aromas!). IMO, more than a handful of the wines could continue to improve for a few years. 4) Style wise, these are obviously quite different from today’s Napa wines with much less ripeness and more mineral accents. But hardly any wine we had would be mistaken for a Bordeaux in a blind tasting (unlike 80s/90s Dominus). 5) Best reds: Inglenook Limited Cask, Beaulieu GDL Reserve, Stags Leap Cask 23 4.5l (all 96pts), Heitz Bella Oaks, Simi Reserve, Stag’s Leap Cask 23 0.75l (all 95pts). The best wine overall, however, was the magical Late Harvest Riesling from Phelps (98pts).
TN: Medium expressive nose with dark fruit but the bouquet is not as spectacular as the palate but still, quite inviting and pleasant. On the palate beautiful, expressive, fine. Fresh dark berries, herbs and earthy notes, hints of chocolate (!). A rather fine structural frame but still with tons of minerality, tons of tannins indicating that this wine could need a few more years in the cellar. I particularly like the cleanliness, the purity here.
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1978 California Cabernet Horizontal: Incredibly dense and opulent, ripe, multi-layered, well together but still dense. The Montelena Estate just needs time. I hope in 10 years my 1987s will be like this (and maybe in 20 the '01s)
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California 1978 (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich): Grand tasting of 1978 California wines, mostly from Napa. Main takeaways: i/ surprisingly high quality on average for wines that were not intended for such long-term aging with plenty of primary fruit left, ii/ but within the detail nonetheless a broad range with the worst few suffering from clear signs of fatigue while the best showed hardly age, iii/ top wines were Phelps Cab Sauv (97), Firestone Cab Sauv (95), and Beaulieu George de Latour Private Reserve (95). Full list sorted by score included in the tasting story.
Tasting note: This was one of the most concentrated wines in the line-up with ripe and extracted fruit of red cherry, darker berries of cassis. Also features of eucalyptus which transform into a medicinal touch after a while and licorice. An incredibly youthful palate with structure, depth and plenty of fruit. A long distance runner if ever there was one!
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Deep, dark ruby red in color with ever-so-slight bricking & clearing at the edges. Full, forward & wonderfully expansive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries & plums with multi-layered overtones of earthy/dusty notes, aged tobacco, mint, graphite, anise, leather, mushrooms, spices/herbs, minerals & a hint of cedar in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, well developed, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with spices, herbs, minerals, cocoa & cedar notes. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present but it is most likely at its pinnacle of development at 42 years of age & while I did not detect it heading towards decline, I doubt any further development would occur. I doubt many modern Napa Cabernets can match this wine's power, elegance & age ability. [Cork was fully intact; fill was in the lower portion of the neck.]
Tasted at a “Bordeaux versus Napa” dinner event, the Montelena was first rate and quite a surprise, holding it’s own against a variety of 1982, 1986, & 1989 Bordeaux. The Montelena was full bodied, powerful, complex, and still filled with plentiful black fruits. It was almost a hybrid of an aged Bordeaux from a ripe year and a rich, velvety Napa Cab. Many guessed it to be a 1982 Bordeaux.
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A few favourites with coq au vin (Chicago, IL): The 1970s in Napa were a golden age of cabernet which is surpassed only by a few choice Bordeaux. This is a bottle that exemplifies that amazing period -- classic cabernet flavours with fruit more on the black side of the spectrum, some pyrazines, and a mild leather note as well. The palate's fruit is still out in full force, and there's no sign that this wine is in any danger of decline. There's still a lot of raw material here, and while this has indeed picked up some secondary notes, this feels much younger than it actually is. Like a recent 1978 Diamond Creek, this stuff is pinnacle cabernet.
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Wine Dinner at Atlas. No notes. Amazing experience/education in Burgundy (and others). For the experience and age alone would rate this higher (but did not)- holding up very well for 40 year old Napa.
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This bottle fell victim to experiment tonight. Had a lot of mushroom initially, some truffle, but then settled down into a very nice aged black fruit Cabernet with a hint of rather surprising black berry and black cherry. Truffle. It is incredible to see this one hanging out with a more youthful stance after 40 years. Just goes to show you the power and prestige of Napa fruit. I have one more of these left, which I am going to try to hold on to for at least another five years. Compared to a 1979 Spring Mountain Cab, this 1978 Chateau Montelena was kicking ass and taking names.
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Dinner with Beth Novak Milliken, Spottswoode Estate (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Served blind amongst 13 mainly Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignons. Quite opaque but softened ruby, suggesting some age but not sure how much. This has a lovely lifted nose that immediately identifies itself as Cabernet Sauvignon with a lovely pencil lead character. Palate is very fresh but quite tannic even though clearly softened by some age. Heady and not too sophisticated on the finish.
The first wine of the dinner....and it turned out to be mine! Beth guessed it as one of hers from the early 1990s. Everyone was shocked that it was a 1970s wine. Most people's #2 of the flight. My last bottle but super company to share it with.
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Awesome old Cali cab. Hints of red berries and cedar wood spices. A well integrated wine that has complexity and nuance and so much life left. A complete wine that delivers a ton of pleasure and excitement. Still has great color and clarity. In a great spot.
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Just-intact cork. No decant. Stil almost completely opaque, slightly faded red velvet colour. Nose is immediately stunning...gorgeous compote red and black ripe juicy plums, lots of cedar shingles, warm Asian spices like cinnamon stick and cardomon, clean, fresh and well-cut. Palate is well-defined, almost machine cut, powerful blackcurrant pastilles, barbecueing steak smoke, rich, very well integrated and softened tannin and oak... really harmonious and yet still really fresh and vibrantly youthful. Good acidity. The concentration of the fruit really leaves a strong impression. Satisfyingly reverberant and mildly reverberant. This continues to drink 10-15 years younger than its age. Ready to drink but absolutely no need to hurry. Really beautiful old-school ‘Napa does Bordeaux’ at its near-best. Immensely satisfying. 92+
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Once again, showing well, still has good nose with some dark fruit, and earthy. One neighbor reported it as "chewy," which I think was a good description. I have loved every bottle so far. Here's to the rest in my cellar wing just as good. Cheers!
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Wow! What a nearly perfect bottle of wine... I will bet those who didn't have a great experience with this wine didn't let it breathe long enough. I opened this at 3pm and drank it from 6:30 to 8pm. It blossomed around 7 and was at its best at 7:30 and as we were drinking the last drops. Fully mature color with translucent medium garnet in the center and brick brown on the edge. The nose at its peak was glorious with leather, cedar, chocolate, earthy mushrooms and cherry. It was silky smooth on the palate but by no means flat. This can last a little longer but was just wonderful tonight. Flavors were complex and rich with cedar, tobacco, chocolate, cherry, blackberry and a long finish that lasted 60+ seconds. Sadly my last bottle of a purchase in the mid-1980's.
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Much fruitier than the '74 Montelena Sonoma, almost primary. Quite enjoyable, but didn't quite have the dirt and depth of the '74. I'd be in no rush to drink the '78, it's lovely, and with all that fruit plenty of years ahead of it.
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A solid bottle of this wine displaying balanced and mature notes of black raspberry, dark savory spice, rich earth tones, beef consomme, and savory herbs. Mature but holding well. 91-92
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Opened and strained out sediment. Light floral nose, smooth easy drinking with fruit still there, but not overly strong. For a wine this age, stored in less than perfect conditions I was very happy, as were the 3-4 people who shared this wine with me. Went very well with the cheese plate and slow cooked pulled pork dish!
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78 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Very dark with the color not giving any hint to its age. By far the most complex nose of all of the wines tonight. Black cherry, currant, vanilla, sage, mint, leather, earth, cassis, anise aromas continued to change in the glass. There is till plenty of black fruit, red cherries, chocolate, earth, leather, cassis, anise, and a touch of dried herb on the palate. The tannins are still present, but very soft and velvety on the long finish. Absolutely wonderful now, with no signs of fading and might even improve with time. Glad I still have a few bottles left.
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Beautiful ruby red color with no bricking at all which was surprising for a '78. Classic Montelena nose: dark fruit, pencil lead, soft new leather. Tannins were still vibrant and soft and a long finish. I was almost positive that we had a fake bottle at first. Drank alongside a '98 Monfortino and a '73 Rioja with some 9 month old dry aged rib eye at Carne Vino in Las Vegas.
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Shane's Last Night Dinner (Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong): Dusky semi translucent ruby red. Nose is elegant, poised perfect "at point" claret..... fresh plum and fresh dates, vanilla pod in the background., velvety plush nose. Palate is gorgeous acidic poise and tertiary fruit of fresh dates, fresh prunes, fresh succulent figs.....absolutely gorgeous...deep almost candied black cherry , it still has a belly- filling richness of fruit. Huge wave of deep reverberant resonance and near-endless length. Almost liqueur richness. Succulent. Just lacks that Lafite precision to take it into my ultimate pantheon of, for example, a Grange 1971. Fantastic. This has years ahead of it...still so fresh. Didn't fade one inch. Not decanted.
I'm mid-way through 6 bottles and this bottle was a league better than the two previously drank between a year and two years ago. And they were better than the first I ever drank from a friend's case in 2009. Looks like an upward trajectory.......
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14.3% alcohol. From magnum. Brilliant wine. Dark red color. This is just coasting, a beautiful mature Cabernet. Fragrant nose of black currant and berry fruit, with loads of graphite, herbs, tobacco, and cedar. In the mouth, impeccable, with sumptuous texture and a panoply of flavors that carry on and on to a beautiful finish. This is just so precise and so pure. A
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Chateau Montelena Dinner (Beacon Restaurant, NYC): Beautiful, opaque, black bing cherry red; some bricking. The nose is a little muddled, a touch volatile (but not to the point of flaw); cedar, mushroom, kirsch, coffee grounds, and balsamic. Palate very chewy with tannins; oxidized cherry and stones; inelegant tannins. Full bodied, medium length of dusty cherry. Too tannic for my tastes, especially at this age. I think this bottle is a little suspect. A serious disappointment for me!
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Pre-Chinese New Year Get-Together (Chez Patrick Restaurant, 26 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong): Opened but not decanted 3 hours before serving at cool room temperature. Light dusky rose petal red transparent colour. Nose is tar, sweet raspberries, leather and several other complex layers as it opened in the glass. Palate is sweet, alive vibrant fresh acidity then quickly moving into confit fig, fresh prunes, old leather furniture that's been lovingly polished, and other tertiary components....but all wrapped in a fresh acidic frame and with lovely dusty and powdery fully resolved tannins. Enormous resonance inside the head on the finale and good length. Near-profound...so close to profound at certain moments but the balance lost the battle with the prunes element with extended time from the bottle and in the glass. Gosh, this is good.......
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Cold War Nuclear Escalation Wine Club Dinner (Hong Kong Wine Vaults, Aberdeen, Hong Kong): Another of several bottles I have drank with Daniel over the past year.....it really hit its height tonight destpite some incredible competition. Dark crimson colour, semi opaque and just lightening slightly at the meniscus......surely not annee 1978? Nose is assertively Bourdeaux finesse.....very linear graphite and pencil lead....pure...blackcurrant, very fresh indeed...fresh acidity....slightest hint of mushroom...real depth of nose. Palate is slightly sweet then segues into rolling, unctuous...Indian liquorice stick...touch of incense smoke. A bit too sweet for me to be "extraordinary" but very good. Great length and resonance.....just lacking one extra dimension to make it truly outstanding...but it's great....and not far behind the Ch. Mouton Rothschild 1959 on the night,.....amongst others.
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Dinner with JP and friends: I thought this was a revelation. Fresh, dense and pure and quite high pitched on the nose with some mint/menthol. A bit of a bite but not overly alcoholic. The wood was there but not intrusive. Lovely fruit without coming across as over-extracted. The type of wine that put Napa on the wine-making map. Too bad they don't make them like this any more. Can see myself rating this higher if wasn't served alongside the 59 Mouton and 82 Trot.
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Back, Back in the USofA (StrEat Restaurant, Austin, Texas): Still vibrant and well-integrated, with some harsh tannins on the finish. Fruit seemed faded to tasters who’ve had this vintage before.... Aromas of dust, dried herbs, milk chocolate and leather. Tops in one tasting group, second in another.
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The OC Blind Crew (Kimera--Irvine, CA): When I smelled this wine, it was clearly older bones. Then tasting the wine, the freshness and berry fruit reminded me of Zin. I came to the conclusion that the wine was al old Ridge Zinfandel, but with the blind format, of course I was humbled! Cedar and spice box on the nose, with a palate of good flavor, still fresh with berry and cherry. This wine has life still ahead.
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White Truffle dinner at Chez Patrick Sun Street (Chez Patrick Restaurant Sun Street. Hong Kong): It was quite different on the nose than the other wine of the dinner, but probably also because by then we had been pairing with stronger dishes and then the Cheeses of course. On the palate, being so mature and smooth, I am quite sure that it could be easily mistaken with old world's best Bordeaux. I guess served on its own a couple of months ago, it was really the smoother wine of the night and by far the older while this time, coming after a COS 66 and a Pommerol 82 the reference was quite different. It did show some very nice cedar wood and spice aromas, and was probably more on the black fruits, like the Blackberry. Paired very well with the cheeses, next time I will probably serve this earlier in the meal, and not next to too many other red wine
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Dark crimson color. Lovely nose of black currants, cassis, leather, cedar, and allspice. Rich but not heavy, powerful cabernet profile, black currants, plum, licorice, and spice. Some sharp tannin shows up at times, as does some bitter notes toward the back end. A pleasant, lingering finish. This is an amazing, classic cabernet that is certainly mature, but could easily last many more years. Montelena's first estate vintage.
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Ch. Montelena 1978,1985 & 1994 (Chez Patrick, Peel Street, Hong Kong): Surprisingly deep red transparent colour. No bricking. Nice brambly nose of briarberries and dry cassis and fresh pomegranate. Lovely sharp acidity, drying tannins, well structured palate of dried prunes, dried rose leaves, very dry pure cocoa chocolate. Heady and still high alcohol. Good dry raisins and prunes finish. Good length and a bit of high-toned resonance in the head on the finish. Over an extended time in the glass it matured and got a lovely rich coffee creamy nutty tone. Lovely and got better and better. Gorgeous. Deep rich coffee the more it stays in the glass. Super.
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Drank at the French Laundry for wife's birthday (same vintage) adn loved it. Still has a bit more time left. Even the Somm wanted to taste...It really heightened the night and stood up to the 2005 Alban Grenache we ordered! Dusty soft tannin, rich exotic red and blue fruit, finish stops off around 20 seconds but leaves you wanting more. I have a lot of experience with older wines and find this to be in the top 5 1978 Napa Cabs I have tasted of the 30 I have done. Good time to open if you have any. I will drink the other i have next to a 78 Barolo next year. 93 points
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Blind tasting of four 1978 Cabernet Sauvignons. Second place. Lovely, rich, fragrant nose of old black cherry fruit, more of the same on the palate. long finish, tasty and elegant for a Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Beautiful wine in perfect condition. Mature structure and good fruit--tannins and acidity were very much present, but gentle. Cedar, vanilla, currants. Stately and regal, powerful without being bold.
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From magnum. Deep and dark classic Napa cabernet notes. Some earthy influence but overall still a young, fruit-driven, well-structured wine. Great balance. Really good.
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This was the wine that changed my view of wine for all time. I fell in love with this wine and have been very fortunate to have had this 3 times in the past two years. Last night's was from a mag. Classic Montelena with still a good bit of fruit left with big dark fruit and cedar. Another mind blowing experience.
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From 1.5L. Now we're talking. Classic Napa all the way with red and black fruits and cedar elements. Full bodied, well structured, and still very youthful - easily good for another 20+ years from this format. Just delicious. Too bad so few make them like this anymore.
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(1st growth tasting). Deep red with hints of garnet at the edges. Clean aromas of spicy red fruit and dried herbs. Slight madierized on the nose. Full red fruit with chocolate nuance. Polished. Nice. Tasted again a bit later and lowered the score substantially. Good fruit coming out, but didn't hold up at all. Drink up ! Picked out easily as cali ringer.
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4 Decades, 21 Bottles, 1 Producer- Chateau Montelena (Daniel's Broiler, Bellevue , WA): This was the first Estate Cab made by Montelena. It was a lovely wine. The nose showed some horse, briar, spicy oak, and pomegrante. The palate was far softer than the 73 with much more fruit. I also found vanilla and like the 73 plenty of structure. These most have been very tannic wines in their youth. While this wine had more fruit than the 73, it did not show the same level of complexity.
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Chateau Montelena vertical (1973-2002) (Bellevue, WA): This is the first release of the Montelena Estate Cabernet. The nose shows iron and mint and with air some cedar and high-pitched notes come out. Wow, the palate is absolutely rich, clearly mature, round, voluptuous, absolutely mature Cabernet at peak. The finish is very long and somewhat delicate, almost feminine with some sneaky tannins. Group average 94.0 pts.
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Tasting four Cabernet Sauvignons, second place, beautiful rich, old style cabernet nose, with berry fruit, hints of tea, chocolate, and coffee, drinking very well, medium/big body, medium/long finish.
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9 Cabernet Suvignons from the 1970s (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nice old Cabernet nose but started to fade immediately, nice, rich fruit, lovely taste, medium/ big body, medium amount of soft tannins present, medium/long finish with dark, dusty fruit. My #6 of 9.
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Tasting of 10 Cabernets 1978-1982. Has a great cabernet nose, rich, ripe, simple fruit in the mouth, just past its peak, nice finish. my #3 and Group #6.
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2/5/2023 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
30x California 1978: So many wines from this great Californian vintage at the age of 45 certainly qualifies as a “once in a lifetime” event. A few observations: 1) The quality was very high (almost all my ratings above 90pts). And only four faulty wines (2x corked, 2x over the hill/flawed, sadly those two were the Ridge Monte Bello and the Phelps Insignia). 2) The wines are ready to drink, the tannins have melted but the tension and freshness remain high - across the board. 3) There is still lots of fruit left and I was surprised how most wines didn’t show lots of tertiary aromas (find me the Bdx 1982 without tertiary aromas!). IMO, more than a handful of the wines could continue to improve for a few years. 4) Style wise, these are obviously quite different from today’s Napa wines with much less ripeness and more mineral accents. But hardly any wine we had would be mistaken for a Bordeaux in a blind tasting (unlike 80s/90s Dominus). 5) Best reds: Inglenook Limited Cask, Beaulieu GDL Reserve, Stags Leap Cask 23 4.5l (all 96pts), Heitz Bella Oaks, Simi Reserve, Stag’s Leap Cask 23 0.75l (all 95pts). The best wine overall, however, was the magical Late Harvest Riesling from Phelps (98pts).
TN: Medium expressive nose with dark fruit but the bouquet is not as spectacular as the palate but still, quite inviting and pleasant. On the palate beautiful, expressive, fine. Fresh dark berries, herbs and earthy notes, hints of chocolate (!). A rather fine structural frame but still with tons of minerality, tons of tannins indicating that this wine could need a few more years in the cellar. I particularly like the cleanliness, the purity here.
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1/28/2023 - G_H wrote: 96 Points
1978 California Cabernet Horizontal: Incredibly dense and opulent, ripe, multi-layered, well together but still dense. The Montelena Estate just needs time. I hope in 10 years my 1987s will be like this (and maybe in 20 the '01s)
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1/28/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
California 1978 (Zunfthaus zur Waag, Zurich): Grand tasting of 1978 California wines, mostly from Napa. Main takeaways: i/ surprisingly high quality on average for wines that were not intended for such long-term aging with plenty of primary fruit left, ii/ but within the detail nonetheless a broad range with the worst few suffering from clear signs of fatigue while the best showed hardly age, iii/ top wines were Phelps Cab Sauv (97), Firestone Cab Sauv (95), and Beaulieu George de Latour Private Reserve (95). Full list sorted by score included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
This was one of the most concentrated wines in the line-up with ripe and extracted fruit of red cherry, darker berries of cassis. Also features of eucalyptus which transform into a medicinal touch after a while and licorice. An incredibly youthful palate with structure, depth and plenty of fruit. A long distance runner if ever there was one!
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12/25/2020 - cortoncharlie wrote:
corked
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2/8/2020 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep, dark ruby red in color with ever-so-slight bricking & clearing at the edges. Full, forward & wonderfully expansive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries & plums with multi-layered overtones of earthy/dusty notes, aged tobacco, mint, graphite, anise, leather, mushrooms, spices/herbs, minerals & a hint of cedar in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, well developed, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with spices, herbs, minerals, cocoa & cedar notes. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present but it is most likely at its pinnacle of development at 42 years of age & while I did not detect it heading towards decline, I doubt any further development would occur. I doubt many modern Napa Cabernets can match this wine's power, elegance & age ability. [Cork was fully intact; fill was in the lower portion of the neck.]
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7/13/2019 - SMWSLT Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted at a “Bordeaux versus Napa” dinner event, the Montelena was first rate and quite a surprise, holding it’s own against a variety of 1982, 1986, & 1989 Bordeaux. The Montelena was full bodied, powerful, complex, and still filled with plentiful black fruits. It was almost a hybrid of an aged Bordeaux from a ripe year and a rich, velvety Napa Cab. Many guessed it to be a 1982 Bordeaux.
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6/27/2019 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
A few favourites with coq au vin (Chicago, IL): The 1970s in Napa were a golden age of cabernet which is surpassed only by a few choice Bordeaux. This is a bottle that exemplifies that amazing period -- classic cabernet flavours with fruit more on the black side of the spectrum, some pyrazines, and a mild leather note as well. The palate's fruit is still out in full force, and there's no sign that this wine is in any danger of decline. There's still a lot of raw material here, and while this has indeed picked up some secondary notes, this feels much younger than it actually is. Like a recent 1978 Diamond Creek, this stuff is pinnacle cabernet.
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11/28/2018 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wine Dinner at Atlas. No notes. Amazing experience/education in Burgundy (and others). For the experience and age alone would rate this higher (but did not)- holding up very well for 40 year old Napa.
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11/27/2018 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Burgundy, Bordeaux, and California - Dujac, PYCM, Lafon, Carillon, Niellon, Lafite, Latour, Mayacamas, Montelena, Mondavi, and more: Served blind. A funky nose akin to a Cab Franc but different, smoothed out with air. Some menthol/eucalyptus and bell pepper aromas emerge. Good fruit on the palate, some heat on finish.
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10/26/2018 - mflesh wrote: 94 Points
This bottle fell victim to experiment tonight. Had a lot of mushroom initially, some truffle, but then settled down into a very nice aged black fruit Cabernet with a hint of rather surprising black berry and black cherry. Truffle. It is incredible to see this one hanging out with a more youthful stance after 40 years. Just goes to show you the power and prestige of Napa fruit. I have one more of these left, which I am going to try to hold on to for at least another five years. Compared to a 1979 Spring Mountain Cab, this 1978 Chateau Montelena was kicking ass and taking names.
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9/29/2018 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dinner with Beth Novak Milliken, Spottswoode Estate (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Served blind amongst 13 mainly Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignons. Quite opaque but softened ruby, suggesting some age but not sure how much. This has a lovely lifted nose that immediately identifies itself as Cabernet Sauvignon with a lovely pencil lead character. Palate is very fresh but quite tannic even though clearly softened by some age. Heady and not too sophisticated on the finish.
The first wine of the dinner....and it turned out to be mine! Beth guessed it as one of hers from the early 1990s. Everyone was shocked that it was a 1970s wine. Most people's #2 of the flight. My last bottle but super company to share it with.
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4/8/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Awesome old Cali cab. Hints of red berries and cedar wood spices. A well integrated wine that has complexity and nuance and so much life left. A complete wine that delivers a ton of pleasure and excitement. Still has great color and clarity. In a great spot.
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9/30/2017 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
Just-intact cork. No decant. Stil almost completely opaque, slightly faded red velvet colour. Nose is immediately stunning...gorgeous compote red and black ripe juicy plums, lots of cedar shingles, warm Asian spices like cinnamon stick and cardomon, clean, fresh and well-cut. Palate is well-defined, almost machine cut, powerful blackcurrant pastilles, barbecueing steak smoke, rich, very well integrated and softened tannin and oak... really harmonious and yet still really fresh and vibrantly youthful. Good acidity. The concentration of the fruit really leaves a strong impression. Satisfyingly reverberant and mildly reverberant. This continues to drink 10-15 years younger than its age. Ready to drink but absolutely no need to hurry. Really beautiful old-school ‘Napa does Bordeaux’ at its near-best. Immensely satisfying. 92+
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9/19/2017 - DBell65 wrote: 94 Points
Once again, showing well, still has good nose with some dark fruit, and earthy. One neighbor reported it as "chewy," which I think was a good description. I have loved every bottle so far. Here's to the rest in my cellar wing just as good. Cheers!
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7/29/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow! What a nearly perfect bottle of wine... I will bet those who didn't have a great experience with this wine didn't let it breathe long enough. I opened this at 3pm and drank it from 6:30 to 8pm. It blossomed around 7 and was at its best at 7:30 and as we were drinking the last drops. Fully mature color with translucent medium garnet in the center and brick brown on the edge. The nose at its peak was glorious with leather, cedar, chocolate, earthy mushrooms and cherry. It was silky smooth on the palate but by no means flat. This can last a little longer but was just wonderful tonight. Flavors were complex and rich with cedar, tobacco, chocolate, cherry, blackberry and a long finish that lasted 60+ seconds. Sadly my last bottle of a purchase in the mid-1980's.
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11/21/2015 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Much fruitier than the '74 Montelena Sonoma, almost primary. Quite enjoyable, but didn't quite have the dirt and depth of the '74. I'd be in no rush to drink the '78, it's lovely, and with all that fruit plenty of years ahead of it.
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11/20/2015 - tinybubbles wrote: 91 Points
A solid bottle of this wine displaying balanced and mature notes of black raspberry, dark savory spice, rich earth tones, beef consomme, and savory herbs. Mature but holding well. 91-92
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6/25/2015 - DBell65 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened and strained out sediment. Light floral nose, smooth easy drinking with fruit still there, but not overly strong. For a wine this age, stored in less than perfect conditions I was very happy, as were the 3-4 people who shared this wine with me. Went very well with the cheese plate and slow cooked pulled pork dish!
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11/17/2013 - gharter Likes this wine: 95 Points
78 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Very dark with the color not giving any hint to its age. By far the most complex nose of all of the wines tonight. Black cherry, currant, vanilla, sage, mint, leather, earth, cassis, anise aromas continued to change in the glass. There is till plenty of black fruit, red cherries, chocolate, earth, leather, cassis, anise, and a touch of dried herb on the palate. The tannins are still present, but very soft and velvety on the long finish. Absolutely wonderful now, with no signs of fading and might even improve with time. Glad I still have a few bottles left.
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6/16/2013 - allisonhathhorn Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful ruby red color with no bricking at all which was surprising for a '78. Classic Montelena nose: dark fruit, pencil lead, soft new leather. Tannins were still vibrant and soft and a long finish. I was almost positive that we had a fake bottle at first. Drank alongside a '98 Monfortino and a '73 Rioja with some 9 month old dry aged rib eye at Carne Vino in Las Vegas.
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4/26/2013 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 96 Points
Shane's Last Night Dinner (Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong): Dusky semi translucent ruby red. Nose is elegant, poised perfect "at point" claret..... fresh plum and fresh dates, vanilla pod in the background., velvety plush nose. Palate is gorgeous acidic poise and tertiary fruit of fresh dates, fresh prunes, fresh succulent figs.....absolutely gorgeous...deep almost candied black cherry , it still has a belly- filling richness of fruit. Huge wave of deep reverberant resonance and near-endless length. Almost liqueur richness. Succulent. Just lacks that Lafite precision to take it into my ultimate pantheon of, for example, a Grange 1971. Fantastic. This has years ahead of it...still so fresh. Didn't fade one inch. Not decanted.
I'm mid-way through 6 bottles and this bottle was a league better than the two previously drank between a year and two years ago. And they were better than the first I ever drank from a friend's case in 2009. Looks like an upward trajectory.......
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8/18/2012 - gutt22 wrote:
14.3% alcohol. From magnum. Brilliant wine. Dark red color. This is just coasting, a beautiful mature Cabernet. Fragrant nose of black currant and berry fruit, with loads of graphite, herbs, tobacco, and cedar. In the mouth, impeccable, with sumptuous texture and a panoply of flavors that carry on and on to a beautiful finish. This is just so precise and so pure. A
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3/13/2012 - Matt Neel wrote:
Chateau Montelena Dinner (Beacon Restaurant, NYC): Beautiful, opaque, black bing cherry red; some bricking. The nose is a little muddled, a touch volatile (but not to the point of flaw); cedar, mushroom, kirsch, coffee grounds, and balsamic. Palate very chewy with tannins; oxidized cherry and stones; inelegant tannins. Full bodied, medium length of dusty cherry. Too tannic for my tastes, especially at this age. I think this bottle is a little suspect. A serious disappointment for me!
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1/20/2012 - Goldstone wrote: 94 Points
Pre-Chinese New Year Get-Together (Chez Patrick Restaurant, 26 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong): Opened but not decanted 3 hours before serving at cool room temperature. Light dusky rose petal red transparent colour. Nose is tar, sweet raspberries, leather and several other complex layers as it opened in the glass. Palate is sweet, alive vibrant fresh acidity then quickly moving into confit fig, fresh prunes, old leather furniture that's been lovingly polished, and other tertiary components....but all wrapped in a fresh acidic frame and with lovely dusty and powdery fully resolved tannins. Enormous resonance inside the head on the finale and good length. Near-profound...so close to profound at certain moments but the balance lost the battle with the prunes element with extended time from the bottle and in the glass. Gosh, this is good.......
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6/29/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 94 Points
Cold War Nuclear Escalation Wine Club Dinner (Hong Kong Wine Vaults, Aberdeen, Hong Kong): Another of several bottles I have drank with Daniel over the past year.....it really hit its height tonight destpite some incredible competition. Dark crimson colour, semi opaque and just lightening slightly at the meniscus......surely not annee 1978? Nose is assertively Bourdeaux finesse.....very linear graphite and pencil lead....pure...blackcurrant, very fresh indeed...fresh acidity....slightest hint of mushroom...real depth of nose. Palate is slightly sweet then segues into rolling, unctuous...Indian liquorice stick...touch of incense smoke. A bit too sweet for me to be "extraordinary" but very good. Great length and resonance.....just lacking one extra dimension to make it truly outstanding...but it's great....and not far behind the Ch. Mouton Rothschild 1959 on the night,.....amongst others.
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6/29/2011 - cortoncharlie wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with JP and friends: I thought this was a revelation. Fresh, dense and pure and quite high pitched on the nose with some mint/menthol. A bit of a bite but not overly alcoholic. The wood was there but not intrusive. Lovely fruit without coming across as over-extracted. The type of wine that put Napa on the wine-making map. Too bad they don't make them like this any more. Can see myself rating this higher if wasn't served alongside the 59 Mouton and 82 Trot.
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6/11/2011 - austinwinesalon wrote:
Back, Back in the USofA (StrEat Restaurant, Austin, Texas): Still vibrant and well-integrated, with some harsh tannins on the finish. Fruit seemed faded to tasters who’ve had this vintage before.... Aromas of dust, dried herbs, milk chocolate and leather. Tops in one tasting group, second in another.
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5/28/2010 - davetong wrote:
Crappy Old Wines (Nazca Peruvian Restaurant, San Jose): Very nice nose - Roasted meat and smoke. Plenty of sweet fruit, balanced with good acidity.
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3/19/2010 - Frank Murray III wrote:
The OC Blind Crew (Kimera--Irvine, CA): When I smelled this wine, it was clearly older bones. Then tasting the wine, the freshness and berry fruit reminded me of Zin. I came to the conclusion that the wine was al old Ridge Zinfandel, but with the blind format, of course I was humbled! Cedar and spice box on the nose, with a palate of good flavor, still fresh with berry and cherry. This wine has life still ahead.
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11/21/2009 - dschneersohn wrote: 90 Points
White Truffle dinner at Chez Patrick Sun Street (Chez Patrick Restaurant Sun Street. Hong Kong): It was quite different on the nose than the other wine of the dinner, but probably also because by then we had been pairing with stronger dishes and then the Cheeses of course. On the palate, being so mature and smooth, I am quite sure that it could be easily mistaken with old world's best Bordeaux. I guess served on its own a couple of months ago, it was really the smoother wine of the night and by far the older while this time, coming after a COS 66 and a Pommerol 82 the reference was quite different. It did show some very nice cedar wood and spice aromas, and was probably more on the black fruits, like the Blackberry. Paired very well with the cheeses, next time I will probably serve this earlier in the meal, and not next to too many other red wine
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11/1/2009 - davergny wrote: 95 Points
Dark crimson color. Lovely nose of black currants, cassis, leather, cedar, and allspice. Rich but not heavy, powerful cabernet profile, black currants, plum, licorice, and spice. Some sharp tannin shows up at times, as does some bitter notes toward the back end. A pleasant, lingering finish. This is an amazing, classic cabernet that is certainly mature, but could easily last many more years. Montelena's first estate vintage.
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10/10/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
Ch. Montelena 1978,1985 & 1994 (Chez Patrick, Peel Street, Hong Kong): Surprisingly deep red transparent colour. No bricking. Nice brambly nose of briarberries and dry cassis and fresh pomegranate. Lovely sharp acidity, drying tannins, well structured palate of dried prunes, dried rose leaves, very dry pure cocoa chocolate. Heady and still high alcohol. Good dry raisins and prunes finish. Good length and a bit of high-toned resonance in the head on the finish. Over an extended time in the glass it matured and got a lovely rich coffee creamy nutty tone. Lovely and got better and better. Gorgeous. Deep rich coffee the more it stays in the glass. Super.
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2/25/2009 - sluttywine wrote: 93 Points
Drank at the French Laundry for wife's birthday (same vintage) adn loved it. Still has a bit more time left. Even the Somm wanted to taste...It really heightened the night and stood up to the 2005 Alban Grenache we ordered! Dusty soft tannin, rich exotic red and blue fruit, finish stops off around 20 seconds but leaves you wanting more. I have a lot of experience with older wines and find this to be in the top 5 1978 Napa Cabs I have tasted of the 30 I have done. Good time to open if you have any. I will drink the other i have next to a 78 Barolo next year. 93 points
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2/5/2009 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Blind tasting of four 1978 Cabernet Sauvignons. Second place. Lovely, rich, fragrant nose of old black cherry fruit, more of the same on the palate. long finish, tasty and elegant for a Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon.
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3/23/2008 - conform wrote:
Beautiful wine in perfect condition. Mature structure and good fruit--tannins and acidity were very much present, but gentle. Cedar, vanilla, currants. Stately and regal, powerful without being bold.
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8/11/2007 - psmith wrote:
From magnum. Deep and dark classic Napa cabernet notes. Some earthy influence but overall still a young, fruit-driven, well-structured wine. Great balance. Really good.
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3/31/2007 - zimmy07 wrote: 97 Points
This was the wine that changed my view of wine for all time. I fell in love with this wine and have been very fortunate to have had this 3 times in the past two years. Last night's was from a mag. Classic Montelena with still a good bit of fruit left with big dark fruit and cedar. Another mind blowing experience.
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3/30/2007 - psmith wrote:
From 1.5L. Now we're talking. Classic Napa all the way with red and black fruits and cedar elements. Full bodied, well structured, and still very youthful - easily good for another 20+ years from this format. Just delicious. Too bad so few make them like this anymore.
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10/10/2006 - winefool wrote: 90 Points
(1st growth tasting). Deep red with hints of garnet at the edges. Clean aromas of spicy red fruit and dried herbs. Slight madierized on the nose. Full red fruit with chocolate nuance. Polished. Nice. Tasted again a bit later and lowered the score substantially. Good fruit coming out, but didn't hold up at all. Drink up ! Picked out easily as cali ringer.
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5/14/2005 - Jason wrote: 92 Points
4 Decades, 21 Bottles, 1 Producer- Chateau Montelena (Daniel's Broiler, Bellevue , WA): This was the first Estate Cab made by Montelena. It was a lovely wine. The nose showed some horse, briar, spicy oak, and pomegrante. The palate was far softer than the 73 with much more fruit. I also found vanilla and like the 73 plenty of structure. These most have been very tannic wines in their youth. While this wine had more fruit than the 73, it did not show the same level of complexity.
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5/14/2005 - Eric wrote: 95 Points
Chateau Montelena vertical (1973-2002) (Bellevue, WA): This is the first release of the Montelena Estate Cabernet. The nose shows iron and mint and with air some cedar and high-pitched notes come out. Wow, the palate is absolutely rich, clearly mature, round, voluptuous, absolutely mature Cabernet at peak. The finish is very long and somewhat delicate, almost feminine with some sneaky tannins. Group average 94.0 pts.
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11/21/2002 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasting four Cabernet Sauvignons, second place, beautiful rich, old style cabernet nose, with berry fruit, hints of tea, chocolate, and coffee, drinking very well, medium/big body, medium/long finish.
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5/25/2000 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 81 Points
9 Cabernet Suvignons from the 1970s (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nice old Cabernet nose but started to fade immediately, nice, rich fruit, lovely taste, medium/ big body, medium amount of soft tannins present, medium/long finish with dark, dusty fruit. My #6 of 9.
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12/31/1999 - buckeye76 wrote: 91 Points
STILL SHOWING NICE BERRY FRUIT AND COMPLEXITY IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR, THOUGH DID NOT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.
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9/25/1991 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasting of 10 Cabernets 1978-1982. Has a great cabernet nose, rich, ripe, simple fruit in the mouth, just past its peak, nice finish. my #3 and Group #6.
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