Too young. The red fruit is dominant with plenty of vanilla, but it lacks the needed balance. With breathing some tannin breaks through. The quality is there, but I think this wine needs more time to mature and integrate.
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Served at a Montelena wine dinner in Destin, Florida. Pop n Pour, which is too bad because it's too young to serve this way, especially by a winery rep. Acidic, tannic. Could maybe stand 20 years aging? Notes of black olives, fig, bay leaf.
Paired with elk loin, yam and potato salad, and butternut-infused espanol sauce.
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"PnP. Very smooth nose. Oak, dark fruit, fresh raspberries that are slightly candied. Palate is quite smooth. Very well integrated fruit, acid, smooth tannins. Finish is long and lasting. So young, needs to crack open. Don’t touch this. 92."
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Montelena's 2017 Estate Cabernet is an opaque crimson blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, aged for 22 months in French oak (40% new). Rich and inviting, it offers an aromatic profile of cassis, dark bramble fruits, blueberries, licorice and bittersweet chocolate. Full-bodied, fresh, seamlessly alcoholic (13.8%) and with plentiful fine-grained tannins, it delivers flavors similar to the aromas, laced with nutmeg and hints of blood orange. Dense on the mid-palate, it moves on to a lengthy finish that flashes some spicy oak. Although this will likely merit a higher score as the tannins and oak further integrate, it is eminently drinkable now and there is no need to wait if you have the hankering. Give it an hour or two of aeration. Drink now-2037.
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Family Winemakers Tasting 2021, Nose of black cherry, black berry, roasted coffee grounds, briar, and spring flowers, same on the palate, big body, very tasty, needs 5 years to peak, mouth filling, shows lots of promise for this vintage, lots of soft tannins on the long finish, $185 and probably worth it 10 years from now.
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Very easy drinking, lots of fruit more red in color. Still a youngster that is quite primary. Redder fruit notes in character. Good but wanted more from this class of wine.
Creative freedom lies at the core of Montelena. It’s pervasive, ubiquitous, but at the same time, subtle and ostensibly paradoxical to those who don’t know us. At first glance it would seem to conflict with our classic and historic legacy, when in reality, it propels our status year after year and more importantly, inspires us. In no place do we experience that more than in our Estate Cabernet. While certainly Le Gran Vin of the property, an extension of decades of heritage, tradition and recognition, it’s exceptionally situated as the nexus of the past and future.
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As my (generally) dry season rolls on, I received my delivery of my half dozen bottles of this last week, and my friends at CM brought me a 3 oz sample with my order which begged a dispensation, especially since I wasn't sure how the medicine bottle cap was going to stand up with the wine. Pretty much of a PnP, with about 5-10 minutes of vigorous swirling. This wine has as an intense an alluring nose as any in recent memory, led by wet earth, smoke, red and black cherries, cassis, leather with some coffee on the finish (my sis, with whom I shared the whopping 3 oz pour, got a lot of dark chocolate to an extent I didn't); the TNs were consistent, but I found it more backward than my sis, with the fruit somewhat behind the powerful, but not inhospitable, structure. Medium maroon-purple, medium+ bodied and legs. Medium++ tannins and acidity which slightly eclipsed the fruit for me but in no way make this wine less than immediately drinkable, subject to the below, no heat. VG++ complexity with medium+ intensity and persistence. I'm not formally rating this, since 1) the taste was too small, 2) no real decant or food matching, and 3) consumed in one shot (I recognize that I've rated some large single glasses I've had in one sitting, but that's rare). All that said, I note that the CM ER cabs have become progressively more drinkable closer to release (I note approvingly CM's delayed release of this bottling on a relative basis, compared to most its competitors releasing '19s; as my readers know, I'm barely into my '13 cabs at this point), but that doesn't mean it won't improve significantly over time (I wrote up the '05 of this botting about 8 months ago, which, despite the winery considering one of its more forward ER cabs, is early drinking window, IMO), but to me, it's already a 91++ based on this small taste and quite enjoyable, suspect that if the bottle was opened now and properly aired (> 2 hours, maybe much greater), likely 92+, and likely to go up a solid 2 points thereafter, whether in 5 years or 15+. It's not taking one for the team to drink one now now, especially if you have a half dozen, except on a relative basis, but this is certain to improve for the patient (more like the '13, '15 or '16 than the '12 and '14, which, based on tasting room tastes, are drinking closer to peaks, which they should hold for *years*). And while broad over-extrapolations are things I try to avoid, as my CT friends rend their hair, of which I momentarily have none to rend myself, about the '17 vintage, this tells me it at least won't be a *total* trainwreck, even if it doesn't match our magical '12-'16 run (who says you can't stop worrying and learn to love global warming--jk for my friends to my political right!).
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Just received my 6 bottle of futures this week! Very exciting. Beautiful packaging and presentation. Wine is clean and fresh, acidic but fruity without being jammy. Low sulfite taste. Blueberry and current notes. Super. We don’t generally love California wines, but my wife says this is the best she has ever tasted. The sherrif has spoken.
4/6/2024 - Wisco Mel Likes this wine:
Deep dark raspberry, dark chocolate, dried herbs. Amazing with Dijon Wagyu on the grill
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11/28/2023 - SAWilson wrote: 93 Points
Very good, fruit forward, but balanced.
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11/25/2023 - castle.rob@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep purple
Campfire, earth, and ripe plum on the nose
Lemon, lime blackberries flavors.
Nice balance, full-bodied and elegant. Very fresh as it decants, recommend at least 45 minutes decanting
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6/17/2023 - Robij wrote: 85 Points
Too young. The red fruit is dominant with plenty of vanilla, but it lacks the needed balance. With breathing some tannin breaks through. The quality is there, but I think this wine needs more time to mature and integrate.
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4/25/2023 - Ryan3719 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Needs more time, but will be an outstanding Montelena in about 6-8 years
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11/29/2022 - SWHighlander wrote:
Served at a Montelena wine dinner in Destin, Florida. Pop n Pour, which is too bad because it's too young to serve this way, especially by a winery rep. Acidic, tannic. Could maybe stand 20 years aging? Notes of black olives, fig, bay leaf.
Paired with elk loin, yam and potato salad, and butternut-infused espanol sauce.
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9/11/2022 - gannon.johnc wrote:
2022 Was recently at the tasting room in SF. Russell thinks 14 and 17 are starting to drink now. 18 is on the edge.
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3/4/2022 - Ceo wrote: 94 Points
First bottle of 17 is bright and full of flavors! Nice finish 🍷🍇🍷🍇
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1/18/2022 - Rbhan12 wrote: 92 Points
Soul-searching in Napa. Beta-Jasud, Roy Piper, Detert, Elyse, Diamond Creek, Favia, Opus, Gargiulo, among others!; 1/17/2022-1/22/2022: Tasted at Montelena as part of their Estate Tasting experience. Brief notes.
"PnP. Very smooth nose. Oak, dark fruit, fresh raspberries that are slightly candied. Palate is quite smooth. Very well integrated fruit, acid, smooth tannins. Finish is long and lasting. So young, needs to crack open. Don’t touch this. 92."
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11/25/2021 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 93 Points
Montelena's 2017 Estate Cabernet is an opaque crimson blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, aged for 22 months in French oak (40% new). Rich and inviting, it offers an aromatic profile of cassis, dark bramble fruits, blueberries, licorice and bittersweet chocolate. Full-bodied, fresh, seamlessly alcoholic (13.8%) and with plentiful fine-grained tannins, it delivers flavors similar to the aromas, laced with nutmeg and hints of blood orange. Dense on the mid-palate, it moves on to a lengthy finish that flashes some spicy oak. Although this will likely merit a higher score as the tannins and oak further integrate, it is eminently drinkable now and there is no need to wait if you have the hankering. Give it an hour or two of aeration. Drink now-2037.
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9/20/2021 - Carrie H wrote:
Smooth, not too much tannin. Very tasty but not complex.
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9/20/2021 - Carrie H Likes this wine: 85 Points
Tasted good. Not very tannicy. Smooth but not super complex
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8/22/2021 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Family Winemakers Tasting 2021, Nose of black cherry, black berry, roasted coffee grounds, briar, and spring flowers, same on the palate, big body, very tasty, needs 5 years to peak, mouth filling, shows lots of promise for this vintage, lots of soft tannins on the long finish, $185 and probably worth it 10 years from now.
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7/10/2021 - jimyeni wrote: 91 Points
Very easy drinking, lots of fruit more red in color. Still a youngster that is quite primary. Redder fruit notes in character. Good but wanted more from this class of wine.
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6/13/2021 - MDT- PV Likes this wine: 85 Points
Creative freedom lies at the core of Montelena. It’s pervasive, ubiquitous, but at the same time, subtle and ostensibly paradoxical to those who don’t know us. At first glance it would seem to conflict with our classic and historic legacy, when in reality, it propels our status year after year and more importantly, inspires us. In no place do we experience that more than in our Estate Cabernet. While certainly Le Gran Vin of the property, an extension of decades of heritage, tradition and recognition, it’s exceptionally situated as the nexus of the past and future.
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5/17/2021 - sfwinelover1 wrote:
As my (generally) dry season rolls on, I received my delivery of my half dozen bottles of this last week, and my friends at CM brought me a 3 oz sample with my order which begged a dispensation, especially since I wasn't sure how the medicine bottle cap was going to stand up with the wine. Pretty much of a PnP, with about 5-10 minutes of vigorous swirling. This wine has as an intense an alluring nose as any in recent memory, led by wet earth, smoke, red and black cherries, cassis, leather with some coffee on the finish (my sis, with whom I shared the whopping 3 oz pour, got a lot of dark chocolate to an extent I didn't); the TNs were consistent, but I found it more backward than my sis, with the fruit somewhat behind the powerful, but not inhospitable, structure. Medium maroon-purple, medium+ bodied and legs. Medium++ tannins and acidity which slightly eclipsed the fruit for me but in no way make this wine less than immediately drinkable, subject to the below, no heat. VG++ complexity with medium+ intensity and persistence. I'm not formally rating this, since 1) the taste was too small, 2) no real decant or food matching, and 3) consumed in one shot (I recognize that I've rated some large single glasses I've had in one sitting, but that's rare). All that said, I note that the CM ER cabs have become progressively more drinkable closer to release (I note approvingly CM's delayed release of this bottling on a relative basis, compared to most its competitors releasing '19s; as my readers know, I'm barely into my '13 cabs at this point), but that doesn't mean it won't improve significantly over time (I wrote up the '05 of this botting about 8 months ago, which, despite the winery considering one of its more forward ER cabs, is early drinking window, IMO), but to me, it's already a 91++ based on this small taste and quite enjoyable, suspect that if the bottle was opened now and properly aired (> 2 hours, maybe much greater), likely 92+, and likely to go up a solid 2 points thereafter, whether in 5 years or 15+. It's not taking one for the team to drink one now now, especially if you have a half dozen, except on a relative basis, but this is certain to improve for the patient (more like the '13, '15 or '16 than the '12 and '14, which, based on tasting room tastes, are drinking closer to peaks, which they should hold for *years*). And while broad over-extrapolations are things I try to avoid, as my CT friends rend their hair, of which I momentarily have none to rend myself, about the '17 vintage, this tells me it at least won't be a *total* trainwreck, even if it doesn't match our magical '12-'16 run (who says you can't stop worrying and learn to love global warming--jk for my friends to my political right!).
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3/22/2021 - enthusiastic_amateur Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich body. Good balance of black fruits, tannin, acidity, oak. Well structured for the long-haul.
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3/10/2021 - Eric Roger wrote:
Just received my 6 bottle of futures this week! Very exciting. Beautiful packaging and presentation. Wine is clean and fresh, acidic but fruity without being jammy. Low sulfite taste. Blueberry and current notes. Super. We don’t generally love California wines, but my wife says this is the best she has ever tasted. The sherrif has spoken.
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10/31/2019 - Pinkflash Likes this wine:
Acidic but lightly sweet on the finish.
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