1984 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 90.5 points

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  12/31/2022 - AllRed wrote: 89 Points

  Purchased from the winery in 2019. Deep color. Tangerine, toffee and honey notes. Still very much alive on the palate with orchard fruit and caramel apple flavors. There's definitely enough fruit remaining to make this more than just an interesting novelty...it paired perfectly with a butternut squash soup course.

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  12/8/2022 - mflesh wrote:

  OK. Where do I begin? This wine was pulled with a tiny stain on the capsule. Thought 'Ok, this one shows signs of seepage, how good can it REALLY be?' Capsule removal showed a visibly wet cork. This was a bottle on an Ex-Chateau release, acquired probably 4 years ago directly from the winery. The cray-cray thing: This cork although slightly saturated had NO ISSUES being removed by a standard corkscrew (no Ah-So or Durand needed). The initial nose was FUN-KY. Mushroom, stewed fruits, straw and almost vegetal character. A little nasty. Uh-oh.....Dang it! The wine poured a slight amber color to the glass. BEAUTIFUL nose of butterscotch, mature peach nose. Palate showed a very ridiculous amount of acidic character on entry. Yellow Peach, brambly pear, honeysuckle, and just about zero signs of decline. Ridiculous. I'm quite amazed at the profile of this one, and really wonder if the current releases will be anything like these releases are at almost 40 yr post release. This was an INSANE bottle, and really quite amazed at the complexity of this wine at its age.

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  11/10/2019 - AllRed wrote:

  Second Sunday Group: 1999 Napa cabernets (Our house): First of two from a recent purchase from the winery's library and while not cheap, priced fairly enough that given the ideal provenance I felt it was worth a shot. Served double blind to the group. Deep golden yellow color. Cooked apple, a hint of oxidation- one immediately discerns that this is an older wines. A touch of something varnishy on the palate, though there are hints of mature/old fruit underneath. While not dead, it was more intertesting than good, but definitely drinkable. Knowing there are no great wines, only great bottles, perhaps we will get lucky with the second one when it comes time to open it.

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  8/30/2019 - mflesh wrote: 93 Points

  Past its prime for a traditional Chardonnay as far as the acidity and youthful character that these have. I egged on Martin until he opened one. Honeyed and candied notes abound. Tasted almost like a Sauternes without the Botrytis. Will definitely say very complex in the glass. Kind of a white pepper influence to the finish. Had its own unique character for sure. Lemon and lime are long gone. This would have paired fantastically well with sopapillas or coffee cake. Very nice.

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  9/5/1987 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 88 Points

  OPEN CHATEAU 1987 AT CHATEAU MONTELENA (CHATEAU MONTELENA): Nose of citrus, pineapple, and spring flowers, same on the palate, young, good acid, needs 3 years to peak. medium finish.

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