| Search: (advanced) |
External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Intl. Wine Cellar
BurgHound
WineZap
Vinquire
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
| Home | All Cellars | Tasting Notes | Reports | Users | Help | Member Sign In |
| SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE NEW CELLARTRACKER! (click for more info...): Coming later in February... | |
2002 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate |
| Vintage | 2002 |  Label 1 of 33   | |
| Type | Red | ||
| Producer | Chateau Montelena (web) | ||
| Variety | Cabernet Sauvignon | ||
| Designation | The Montelena Estate | ||
| Vineyard | n/a | ||
| Country | USA | ||
| Region | California | ||
| SubRegion | Napa Valley | ||
| Appellation | Napa Valley |
| Community Tasting History |
Community Tasting Notes (average 92.7 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 80 notes) | |
| Tasted by Dirk Diggler on 1/30/2010 & rated 92 points: (283 views) | |
| Tasted by Rustyca on 12/30/2009 & rated 95 points: (448 views) | |
| Tasted by Rustyca on 12/26/2009 & rated 95 points: (430 views) | |
| Tasted by paulg936 on 11/28/2009 & rated 95 points: (900 views) | |
| Tasted by paulg936 on 11/28/2009 & rated 95 points: (874 views) | |
| Tasted by AllRed on 11/18/2009 & rated 92 points: Flickinger Wines Customer Appreciation Tasting (The Casino Club, Chicago, Illinois): Dark garnet color. Opens with a hint of dill, expanding with spicy oak, mint, earth and wood notes. Full-bodied, with chalky, slightly sweet tannins and flavors of blackberry, cassis and spice. This had been double decanted much earlier. Hold until 2012+. (1247 views) | |
| Tasted by chetlee on 11/9/2009 & rated 91 points: Cedar, cigar box and leather. Fruit was more subdued than I expected. (1653 views) | |
| Tasted by wineismylife on 10/29/2009: WIMLNR Tasted October 29, 2009. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about two hours. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Attractive nose of plums, currants, potpourri and a dash of balsamic. Palate is pretty much closed down right now giving way to perhaps some simple flavors of berrries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. I'd recommend holding. (1711 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 10/18/2009 & rated 92 points: Reticent nose, nice but not extravagent length. The mouth is large and round and well balanced and very nice, with some tannin and some (but a bit less) structure. Black cherry, graphite, earth; not particularly complex, but very nice. Some upside here, but probably not to the point of being spectacular. (1936 views) | |
| Tasted by gutt22 on 10/8/2009: 14.3% alcohol. Served blind. This is pure expression of Napa fruit. Beautiful nose of currant and dark berry, with terrific notes of earth and cigar box. In the mouth, brawny and youthful, but with excellent and concentrated fruit supported by plenty of complexity, adding some pencil shavings to the tobacco notes. Long finish that gets cut by substantial but ripe tannins. Laube missed the boat with this entirely. I have no idea what wine he drank. A- (1764 views) | |
| Tasted by Melli on 8/9/2009 & rated 93 points: (1625 views) | |
| Tasted by jbrad824 on 7/21/2009 & rated 80 points: Have been a fan of Montelena for years, but was sorely disappointed in the 2002. The nose was very nice - hints of blackberry and anise. But the alcohol overwhelmed the fruit and there was a blah finish. Not at all worth what I paid. Spectator panned this year - now I know why. (2649 views) | |
| Tasted by 6831 on 7/18/2009 & rated 92 points: Reticent nose of clove, forest and ash. Forward flavors of sharp currant, blackberry, licorice, herb and pepper glide through to a firm, fruit driven finish with some solid acidity. Hold. (2485 views) | |
| Tasted by wineismylife on 5/16/2009 & rated 90 points: DAWGS May 2009 - Burgers and Cabernets (Michael Byington's house in North Dallas): WIML90. Tasted at a large wine dinner so no notes. (3142 views) | |
| Tasted by joshwoodward on 3/25/2009 & rated 94 points: Chateau Montelena Vertical: Very Napa cab on the nose, with the only pencil lead of the night. Black currant. Beautiful medium+ body. Too tannic and acidic right now, but this is going to be a knockout in 5 years. No TCA. (3588 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 3/23/2009 & rated 90 points: Tasted at winery – nose of black fruits, peppermint, licorice and spice. Flavours of dark cherries, plum, cedar, blackberries and charred meats. This is a big wine; full body, high tannins and acidity with a long finish. Needs time. Excellent. 90+ (3570 views) | |
| Tasted by rdorman on 3/23/2009: Excellent wine. I've always loved Montelena and this wine reinforces that! BEAUTIFUL! (3613 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 3/7/2009 & rated 94 points: Surprisingly accessible for a young Montelena, this is a beautifully balanced cabernet drinking very well now. Decanted for 3 hours prior to drinking. With a wonderfully complex nose for a california cab, this wine has notes of blackberries, cassis, anise, herbs and cedar. Not an overblown, oaky fruit bomb at all, but a balanced, complex cali cab. (3651 views) | |
| Tasted by Ben Christiansen on 2/18/2009: Shwoing off the cabernet franc and smelling quite young. Vibrantly alive as a cabernet. Ok., I guess I have lost my Montelena focus over the years. This is quite good, elegant and stylish cabernet. While I am not sure I would be willing to pay $110 or so for it I can certainly understand others purchasing it. Coming around the bend right now beautifully. expressive, flowery (viognier?) again. Lively and intrguing. Well done. Still tight and young. They say that in the late 1990s and into the 2000s Montelena Cbaernet style changed slightly. They started to persue a less hard, tannic style and something that was (is) more approachable in its youth. (3802 views) | |
| Tasted by ToniJ on 2/18/2009: Purple fruit on the nose with nice shoe leather. Asian spice. Granite and dry cassis a bit of mint. Grippy for 7 year old wine. Oak regiments? 20 25 % new oak medium toast barrels 14 and 22 months with two years in the bottle. (3715 views) | |
| Tasted by ChillyWino on 2/14/2009 & rated 94 points: Opened and left the cork out about 3 hours before tasting. Great nose of dark fruits, tobacco, spice, cassis, and hints of earth. Rich and full-bodied wine that has a great feel and finish. Surprised at how open for business this was. (3783 views) | |
| Tasted by Siggy on 2/7/2009 & rated 90 points: Tasting Group Dinner - West Coast Cabernet (Dave McMahon's House, Minneapolis): Tasted side-by-side with the '01 Montelena Estate (see TN), the '02 was much riper on the nose. Deep, jammy dark fruit, spearmint, and minerals. Long, deep finish. This is a bigger wine than the '01, in addition to being a year more primary. Both are excellent; I slightly preferred the more classically styled '01. (4066 views) | |
| Tasted by Mattshank on 2/7/2009 & rated 92 points: Domestic Cab Tasting at the Dave M Condo: Nose: In stark contrast to the "01" Montelena this shows much darker fruit and a unique minty quality. Palate: Dark fruits, with less acid than "01" but still well balanced. More weighty mouthfeel than "01". Well made. (3839 views) | |
| Tasted by nzinkgraf on 2/2/2009: Initial nose - Deep rich color, expressive nose of blackberry and tabacco, mint and opulent fruit. Very lively dark cherry nose. zestiness of black pepper. after 45 minute decant. wonderful acidity makes this wine really sparkle. mouthcoating soft tanning with a lingering underbrushiness. not so burly whatsoever. after 1 hour, nose takes on big liquorice. deep red fruit is still tucked away. somewhere after it was open 4 hours did the fruit emerge here. huge. I'm glad i waited 6 hours to finish this one off. (3947 views) | |
| Tasted by davidandrose on 1/27/2009 & rated 93 points: Open for 45 mins but not decanted. Well after-the-fact so no detailed notes, but an excellent wine that's drinking just fine. (3809 views) | |
| Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles) |
| Producer website
About red wine Varietal character (Appellation America) [Requires a subscription payment for information.] WineAmerica (National Association of American Wineries) | Free the Grapes! California Wines (Wine Institute of California) California is one of the most diverse wine regions in the world, with almost 100 grape varieties grown in almost 10 viticultural areas, including dozens of different microclimates and soil types, as well as a very individualistic set of winemakers, many with international experience, which adds to and deepens that diversity. Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners) | Article in CellarTracker Napa Valley AVA |
© 2003-10 CellarTracker! LLC. All rights reserved. "CellarTracker!" is a trademark of CellarTracker! LLC. No part of this website may be used, reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission of CellarTracker! LLC. (CellarTracker! Terms and Conditions. Version 3.11.0) - Follow us on Twitter
