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BerkeleyBoy
114 Tasting Notes
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Member #595,979 signed up 7/4/2018
114 Tasting Notes
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1975 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa & Alexander Valleys
7/30/2020 - winenut919 Likes this wine: 98 Points
This is the first of a 3 bottle lot I bought via K&L (about $144 each). The bottles are all pristine, with little color showing the green bottles. This bottle had a fill about 1/2" below the foil. Cork broke up in getting it out, but I got all of it. Amazing color...like an 8-10 year old Montelena (med-light gold)....only this wine is almost 45 years old. Rich and opulent on the nose. NO OXIDATION. Sweet and intricate. Mouth coating. Started shy, but filled out quickly...and generously. Fat and soft, but with great acid backbone. Long, and luscious. But it does show it's age. No Montelena Chardonnay I've had (and I've tasted and drunk every vintage of the Napa or Alexander Chardonnays going back to 1975...including a recent Magnum of the 1981) had been THIS WELL KNIT...so perfectly ready to drink. Just slides right down. Usually there is some edge or aspect that still needs to come together. Not with this wine. It's there, at absolute peak. For me, this is the absolute best Chardonnay or White Burgundy I've ever had (and I've had 1000's of them. But I didn't stop there, I left some for last night...and it was a bit more closed and tight...but still showing everything (without degradation) that I'd seen the night before. Just cork in the bottle at room temp on the floor. And there's more for tonight. Plus the other 2 bottles appear in even better shape. But no hurry on those.
Turns out this was NOT the Napa & Alexander Valleys Chardonnay...it was Straight Napa bottling. Until today when I heard back from the winery, I didn't know for sure it existed. But it does...and my review reflected the Napa bottling.
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1981 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay
10/5/2019 - winenut919 Likes this wine: 96 Points
I had many bottles of this wine up through age 20...at which point I felt it had at least another 10 years (or more) of life and development. But last year I was able to get a couple of well-stored Magnums (from Wally's). And recently I opened the first one...and was literally amazed at the condition. Deep, bright, vivid gold (from a 38 year old Chardonnay). Not a bit of decay, but deep oppulent bouquet and flavors. Mostly orchard fruits. Very concentrated. I did not decant, as I intended to stretch it out over at least 5 days (which I did). So each glass required a bit of swirling. All too often old wines don't tolerate aeration well. This one did, and absolutely required it. But the depth and concentration absolutely amazed me. Wow. Finish lasted for several minutes. And over the 5 days it only improved and only got better and better...right to the end. You don't need to like Old Chardonnays to love this wine. Because it doesn't taste old. Served to me blind I would have guessed (without knowing the producer) that was perhaps 10 years old...which for a Chardonnay capable of long aging is still fairly young. At least for me. The 2006 version is now 13 years old, and still too young (to waste). Even the 1998 is just now reaching a good point. It will live and develop (at least some) over the next 5 years (and perhaps more).
Their Chardonnays from 2000 thru 2005 were not the quality of 1999 and before. That's because they had to switch to a new (and much younger) vineyard source (with some going into the 1999). But starting in 2006 their Chardonnays have progressively improved and are now approaching the quality and depth of wines of the 80s and 90s...with 1981 being my all-time favorite (even before this Magnum). I never have tasted the 1973 (or 1974), but have tasted (and usually bought) every one of their Chardonnays from 1975 onward...including the brief forray into an Alexander Valley Chardonnay in the early 80's.
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1983 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace
7/3/2018 - winenut919 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Recently obtained via auction from K&L and allowed to rest 1 month. Lower neck fill with a good quality cork (removed via Ah So)...moist only at the end. Medium brickish ruby tailing off noticeably toward the rim. Not bad for it's age. Nose of old cedar & oak with some tobacco, old cherries, plums, and red currants along with quite bit of tannin (which is perceived as the residue of Black Tea...the tannic acid). Amazingly good right of of the bottle into the glass, as I would NEVER decant an older wine like this. A bit light (12% alcohol), but wonderfully intricate nose and flavors, which progressively opened and expanded over a 3+ hour period of time...and got progressively more tannic. Lots of sediment, but not annoyingly so. Sediment indicates life, and you DON'T want to strain it out until you're halfway into the bottle...or you'll strip out some of the wonderful flavors that the sediment contains (and which it releases with oxygen). The fruit became denser and riper as time went on. Such a wonderfully complex nose at this age, and that's reflected in the wine. Long, complex finish (despite the tannins). Quite nice...though not as nice at the 83 Volcanic Hill or 83 Gravely Meadow would be (which I've not had for quite some year).
Like a nice La Mission Haut Brion from a good (but not great) vintage (say 81?) at this age. Definitely what you get from Jerry Luper and Diamond Creek.
Despite what you may be thinking, I fully expect the remains will be quite drinkable (if not delectable) tonight (2nd day). But I will strain out the excess sediment...now that it's had a chance to oxidize and infuse the flavors into the wine.
Is this thankfully NOT a 4-year old Screaming Eagle...as I've never been fond of Prunes. But do I love old wines and for a little over $70, this turned out to be a wonderful drink. I have 5 more bottles.
I won't list my cellar, but I currently have about 1000 bottles, and have been collecting and drinking the MOST BALANCED & Age Worthy wines I can get for over 38 years...which I figure means over 4000 bottles of wine.
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