Downgrading a bit from my last review. Definitely new world in style with ripe tropical fruits and new french oak. The palate was medium bodied and the acid was much less than I remembered, some malo character on the palate as well. Good length and decent complexity at this stage. Not quite the departure from cali chardonnay I had thought it was, but not overdone. Still a bit overpriced.
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Enjoyed another bottle and this is a go-to Chardonnay. Nice acids make it food friendly while being balanced. Fresh tropical fruits with some mineral and vanilla on the finish. This will be the middle ground crowd pleaser for those who love oak and for those who don’t. Paired with Sea Bass and a lemon caper sauce, very good!
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Blind tasting! Chardonnay of the world. 4 Chards from 4 different countries. Argentina, USA, France and New Zealand. All tasted blind. The order that they were drank in was: Argentina White Bones, USA Montelena, France William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros and New Zealand Kumeu River Maté's Vineyard.
Here are the notes for the Montelena: A tad more golden than the other wines here. Candied pineapple on the nose, vanilla, funky tropical notes. Probably has the best nose here. Palate was warm and again with a lot of tropical notes but the palate died down in the glass after an hour. I had pretty much made my mind that this was the lowest quality wine of the tasting but then I refilled my glass and wow, everything from the nose was also in the palate now and i pushed it up to second place behind #4. Really good Chardonnay with a rich history.
Winner of the evening was #4, then #2 and then a tie between 1 and 3.
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Inviting tropical notes of pineapple, limes, lemon oil, and a wisp of vanilla. Shows tremendous energy and freshness, with pinpoint focus, and a sappy but crisp, palate cleansing acidity that gives the wine lift and crunchiness. Mouthwatering finish. Delicious.
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Judgement of Paris Tasting and Dinner (V. Mertz - Omaha, NE): I suppose there is no better place to start than with a fresh example of the wine that changed the game forever. This remains a very classic example of Napa Chardonnay in the most complimentary of ways. Ample fruit that lean on the more tropical (pineapple) side but falls short of being squishy. Lemon and lime citrus too. The oak is prominent for sure but it’s not a buttery mess. There’s good acid that gives plenty of lift and it finishes long. A very balanced wine that will probably benefit from 5+ years in the cellar.
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Was a bit discouraged reading the notes but was impressed nonetheless. Complex nose of lemon-lime tart, underripe banana, vanilla cream. Palate was appropriately concentrated, with great length and most importantly a laser beam of acidity that persists through the midpalate into the finish giving the palate life. A really classy new world chard and I do believe it lives up to its legend and can compete with a lot of white burg above its price range. Some of my favorite cali chard and would easily buy at 50-60 dollars. This will last 5 more years easy. Well done.
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Practice Blind Papers with MW Students - Paper 1: (tasted blind): A light yellow hue and lively bubbles. The nose carries notes of oak and crayon, toast, baked apple and pineapple creating a lovely complexity. It carries a little more oak than fruit pushing it to California as its place of origin. The palate is relatively ripe with good intensity and a lovely flow in the mid-palate. The finish is clear and crystal with gentle spices and a forceful, linear acidity that gives the wine a higher contrast/saturation and brightness. The overall impression is of an oakier style of wine with a baked apple and pineapple note and toasty edges. This is a smart, old-school wine with an oatmeal finish.
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A nice, balanced chardonnay, classic Californian-style nicely oaked. Aromatic floral bouquet that jumps out of the glass. Bright and crisp on the palate, with pear, peach, and a bit of butterscotch (?). Very easy to drink.
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This bottle showed better than the last. It wasn’t as disjointed, but still had a bit more oak influence than I felt was necessary, and not enough acidity. For me, this vintage was a miss. We’ll have to see what the 2020 bottling is like once I finish these off.
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apple and peach, maybe a little pineapple on the nose the palate was .bright and fresh.. old school Napa chard.. some butter and oak but not over the top.. Chabli-ish with a touch of warmth. this should be a staple in my cellar..
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Drank over two days with little change. A more reserved style with lemon, honeysuckle and green apple flavors supported by sublime oak. Balanced and crisp with a soft, elegant finish. So enjoyable.
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color: bright golden hay, fading around the rims. tears seem quite sticky, indicating a high alcohol nose: buttery entry, some crisp citrus. notes of brioche, cheese, melon. also alcohol stands out a bit at the end. palette: bold and complex, smooth mouthfeel. high acidity. less dominated by oak compared to the nose. some minerality and stone fruit, more tropical fruit is also present.
Overall, solid and interesting but I sadly felt that it doesn't meet its fame, or at least not my style of chardonnay.
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strong pear and apple fruit, good acidity, a touch of oak and butter to round it out with a hint of hazelnut to make it nuanced. quite temperature sensitive (drink at cellar temperature or a bit higher)
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Nice, but doesn't hold a candle to my favorite recent vintage: 2014. The wine has plenty of citrus, but too much oak for my taste. It's pleasantly acidic, but very round and soft instead of crisp; that crispness being my favorite aspect of the 2014. It seems to be lacking a little joie de vivre.
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Drinking well out of the bottle already but could use some more age. Fresh citrus-y acidity with some nice oak influence that will integrate well over time. A lot of fruit on the nose and palate, with sweeter ones like pear balancing with more acidic ones like green apple.
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Epic Napa Trip - Day 1: Tasted at Chateau Montelena - this This wine was quite acidic and showed plenty of green stone fruit and some saline, as well as some oak. While this wine definitely needs more time to integrate, it seemed more structured to me. I actually enjoyed this more than the 2014 served next to it. 93 with a good chance of improvement.
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1/31/2024 - Acove Likes this wine: 91 Points
Downgrading a bit from my last review. Definitely new world in style with ripe tropical fruits and new french oak. The palate was medium bodied and the acid was much less than I remembered, some malo character on the palate as well. Good length and decent complexity at this stage. Not quite the departure from cali chardonnay I had thought it was, but not overdone. Still a bit overpriced.
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1/26/2024 - brouigu1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Enjoyed another bottle and this is a go-to Chardonnay. Nice acids make it food friendly while being balanced. Fresh tropical fruits with some mineral and vanilla on the finish. This will be the middle ground crowd pleaser for those who love oak and for those who don’t. Paired with Sea Bass and a lemon caper sauce, very good!
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11/23/2023 - denniswdern@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
I really liked this Chardonnay. Light, crisp, with only a slight hint of oaky/buttery notes. More on the lean side, which I prefer.
Since I was drinking this after Thanksgiving, I don't have critical tasting notes.
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11/6/2023 - DevenStephens Likes this wine: 94 Points
Blind tasting! Chardonnay of the world. 4 Chards from 4 different countries. Argentina, USA, France and New Zealand. All tasted blind. The order that they were drank in was: Argentina White Bones, USA Montelena, France William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros and New Zealand Kumeu River Maté's Vineyard.
Here are the notes for the Montelena:
A tad more golden than the other wines here. Candied pineapple on the nose, vanilla, funky tropical notes. Probably has the best nose here. Palate was warm and again with a lot of tropical notes but the palate died down in the glass after an hour. I had pretty much made my mind that this was the lowest quality wine of the tasting but then I refilled my glass and wow, everything from the nose was also in the palate now and i pushed it up to second place behind #4. Really good Chardonnay with a rich history.
Winner of the evening was #4, then #2 and then a tie between 1 and 3.
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10/24/2023 - CHINACAT wrote: 91 Points
Ripe lemon and orchard fruit, a silky texture, but minerally and lively. Very good for this level.
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10/8/2023 - Turtlerider Likes this wine:
No notes taken. Had with family Thanksgiving 2023... (Canadian Thanksgiving). Everyone enjoyed
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6/27/2023 - Baron Slick wrote: 93 Points
Inviting tropical notes of pineapple, limes, lemon oil, and a wisp of vanilla. Shows tremendous energy and freshness, with pinpoint focus, and a sappy but crisp, palate cleansing acidity that gives the wine lift and crunchiness. Mouthwatering finish. Delicious.
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5/24/2023 - thesternowl wrote: 91 Points
Judgement of Paris Tasting and Dinner (V. Mertz - Omaha, NE): I suppose there is no better place to start than with a fresh example of the wine that changed the game forever. This remains a very classic example of Napa Chardonnay in the most complimentary of ways. Ample fruit that lean on the more tropical (pineapple) side but falls short of being squishy. Lemon and lime citrus too. The oak is prominent for sure but it’s not a buttery mess. There’s good acid that gives plenty of lift and it finishes long. A very balanced wine that will probably benefit from 5+ years in the cellar.
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4/19/2023 - Acove Likes this wine: 93 Points
Was a bit discouraged reading the notes but was impressed nonetheless. Complex nose of lemon-lime tart, underripe banana, vanilla cream. Palate was appropriately concentrated, with great length and most importantly a laser beam of acidity that persists through the midpalate into the finish giving the palate life. A really classy new world chard and I do believe it lives up to its legend and can compete with a lot of white burg above its price range. Some of my favorite cali chard and would easily buy at 50-60 dollars. This will last 5 more years easy. Well done.
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3/23/2023 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 92 Points
Practice Blind Papers with MW Students - Paper 1: (tasted blind): A light yellow hue and lively bubbles. The nose carries notes of oak and crayon, toast, baked apple and pineapple creating a lovely complexity. It carries a little more oak than fruit pushing it to California as its place of origin. The palate is relatively ripe with good intensity and a lovely flow in the mid-palate. The finish is clear and crystal with gentle spices and a forceful, linear acidity that gives the wine a higher contrast/saturation and brightness. The overall impression is of an oakier style of wine with a baked apple and pineapple note and toasty edges. This is a smart, old-school wine with an oatmeal finish.
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3/11/2023 - LaughingTurtle Likes this wine: 92 Points
A nice, balanced chardonnay, classic Californian-style nicely oaked. Aromatic floral bouquet that jumps out of the glass. Bright and crisp on the palate, with pear, peach, and a bit of butterscotch (?). Very easy to drink.
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2/18/2023 - cshouston Likes this wine: 90 Points
This bottle showed better than the last. It wasn’t as disjointed, but still had a bit more oak influence than I felt was necessary, and not enough acidity. For me, this vintage was a miss. We’ll have to see what the 2020 bottling is like once I finish these off.
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1/24/2023 - jsebiri wrote:
Excellent , all that it should be at this point in life.
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1/20/2023 - Dad300 Likes this wine: 92 Points
apple and peach, maybe a little pineapple on the nose the palate was .bright and fresh.. old school Napa chard.. some butter and oak but not over the top.. Chabli-ish with a touch of warmth. this should be a staple in my cellar..
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1/17/2023 - Tahlequahdave1972 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank over two days with little change. A more reserved style with lemon, honeysuckle and green apple flavors supported by sublime oak. Balanced and crisp with a soft, elegant finish. So enjoyable.
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1/17/2023 - cristalmania0813 Likes this wine: 90 Points
노즈는 버터리 기름진데 팔렛은 그린애플 청포도
향과 맛이 기가 막힌다.
향만 맡으면 느끼할까 걱정이 되는데 입안에선 상쾌함이 터진다.
이름값 제대로
천천히 마시면 더 좋음
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1/10/2023 - LordVoldemort wrote: 90 Points
color: bright golden hay, fading around the rims. tears seem quite sticky, indicating a high alcohol
nose: buttery entry, some crisp citrus. notes of brioche, cheese, melon. also alcohol stands out a bit at the end.
palette: bold and complex, smooth mouthfeel. high acidity. less dominated by oak compared to the nose. some minerality and stone fruit, more tropical fruit is also present.
Overall, solid and interesting but I sadly felt that it doesn't meet its fame, or at least not my style of chardonnay.
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12/9/2022 - yurcek Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pear, full flavored. Solid chardonnay
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11/29/2022 - SWHighlander Likes this wine: 96 Points
Loved this wine. Won of my all-time favorites from the New World. Most are too oaky and buttery for me. I would have picked this for a ripe Burgundy.
Served at a Montelena wine dinner in Destin, Florida. Paired with a jumbo blue crab cake, charred blue corn salsa and vanilla bean purée.
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11/11/2022 - PamMc Likes this wine:
We like this wine and shared it with Tommy, Trina and Jessica. Really good
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11/6/2022 - whudock Likes this wine: 92 Points
lots of pear and some apple fruit, a bit of almond and macadamia nut
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11/1/2022 - Irish_Wine wrote: 91 Points
A Chardonnay that doesn't go through malolactic fermentation. Aged for 10 months in French oak but low % new.
Pale gold colour.
Medium intensity on the nose with melon, pear, apricot, lemon and some toast.
Medium intensity on the palate. Medium plus acidity, medium body, long finish.
Great balance, persistent length, great intensity and complexity.
Very enjoyable wine in an elegant and precise style.
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10/23/2022 - whudock Likes this wine: 92 Points
strong pear and apple fruit, good acidity, a touch of oak and butter to round it out with a hint of hazelnut to make it nuanced. quite temperature sensitive (drink at cellar temperature or a bit higher)
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10/19/2022 - cshouston Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice, but doesn't hold a candle to my favorite recent vintage: 2014. The wine has plenty of citrus, but too much oak for my taste. It's pleasantly acidic, but very round and soft instead of crisp; that crispness being my favorite aspect of the 2014. It seems to be lacking a little joie de vivre.
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10/18/2022 - Andrew Vaughan wrote: 90 Points
Larger oak presence than I prefer and not as much fruit or other enjoyable character.
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10/9/2022 - cristalmania0813 Likes this wine: 89 Points
적당한 유질감
첫시음때의 심심함은 사라지고 발란스 굿
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10/2/2022 - brouigu1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solid Chardonnay. Good acidity, citrus and with some tropical fruits. Not over the top with oak. Had with a seafood clam bake, quite nice.
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5/14/2022 - cristalmania0813 Does not like this wine: 85 Points
bold dry
not oily
dirrent with other napa chardonnay
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5/6/2022 - SH Wu wrote: 88 Points
Drinking well out of the bottle already but could use some more age. Fresh citrus-y acidity with some nice oak influence that will integrate well over time. A lot of fruit on the nose and palate, with sweeter ones like pear balancing with more acidic ones like green apple.
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12/5/2021 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Epic Napa Trip - Day 1: Tasted at Chateau Montelena - this This wine was quite acidic and showed plenty of green stone fruit and some saline, as well as some oak. While this wine definitely needs more time to integrate, it seemed more structured to me. I actually enjoyed this more than the 2014 served next to it. 93 with a good chance of improvement.
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12/5/2021 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Napa trip day 1: Drank a small glass over 1 hour at the winery. Nice but not well integrated. The oak and fruit need to meet each other.
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