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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.4 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 199 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by KSWinegeek on 4/19/2024 & rated 91 points: Dark ruby red color. Lots of sediment in the decanter. Tobacco and cedar prominent on nose with blackberry secondarily.. Black cherry, blackberry, still some tannins. (239 views) | | | Tasted by SoleModel23 on 3/23/2024: I feel like this bottle is currently in that middle stage of not knowing what it wants to be.... Upon opening, Big Bold & in your face, after 2 hours of decant, very muted, with small hints of Bordeaux like characteristics coming from the back end.... I feel as if this bottle needs another 5 years minimum to take on that older Napa style I believe it's made to resemble, but I will not think about touching my other bottles for a MINIMUM of 8-10 years. This bottle was great, but definitely let me down in terms of immediate enjoyment, but at the same time is talking to me on how amazing it will be with some patience. (561 views) | | | Tasted by rnjbond on 3/9/2024 & rated 94 points: Decanted and started drinking well right out of the bottle.
Evolved really nicely over two hours of air.
Notes of ripe dark cherry and earth, maybe mushroom.
Truly great wine, very delicious. Paired especially well with truffles.
94 points. (611 views) | | | Tasted by ciesel on 10/13/2023 & rated 94 points: Excellent. Beautifl wine after a 4 hour decant. Cassis and berry fruit, long finish, great acid and tannins. (1701 views) | | | Tasted by KSWinegeek on 7/4/2023 & rated 93 points: Once again a cork broke off on an older bottle of Montelena Estate. Ruby red in the glass. After three hours in the decanter, tobacco was the predominant nose. Blackberry flavors that persist on a lengthy finish. Good and approachable, but still tannins still present and has time. (1816 views) | | | Tasted by dsimmons on 6/17/2023 & rated 96 points: Quite a step up from a bottle drunk in 2021. concentrated fruit and secondary flavors. With grilled beef tenderloin. Give it 30 minutes of air. Drink or hold (1946 views) | | | Tasted by Tym4wine on 5/26/2023 & rated 92 points: Lovely floral aromas. Dark Burgundy in the glass. Flavors of dark fruit, blackberry and cassis. Integrated tannins with refreshing acidity. The wine is lively with a long finish. Wonderfully delicious. (1796 views) | | | Tasted by mflesh on 5/2/2023: Huh. Thought I had more of these but this apparently was my only one. Hmmm..... Well, this one after bottle decanting for 3 hours and then consumed over the next 2 hours, this wine is half awake. Unfortunately it means that it is also half asleep. The fruit is quite expressive without a doubt. This is quintessential Calistoga fruit right here in this glass. Blackberry, hint of truffle, toasted nuts, tar, pipe tobacco. Stiff oak tannin. Lots of it here but honestly the 1979 Monty Cab enjoyed two weeks prior was more integrated than this one was. Really insane how these wines are so structured, and this one without a doubt still has the dang scaffolding on the outside of the bottle! If you have these, you might want to pop one. But my suspicion is that you'll be pushing all the rest to the back of the cellar and coming back to them after 2030. (2081 views) | | | Tasted by enthusiastic_amateur on 3/27/2023 & rated 91 points: Needs more time, still a bit structured. Seems to be at an awkward stage in its life. Will let this vintage sit for 5-10 more years and come back to it then. (1467 views) | | | Tasted by Marius W on 12/2/2022 & rated 94 points: Dyp, mørk lilla opak farge med tendenser til brunt. Blåbær, bjørnebær, steinsopp, tre, jord og trøfler på nesen. Smak av mørke bær, tranebær, sjokolade, sopp og lakris. Fortsatt fin syre, delikate, smått modne tanniner, sitter lenge. Flott vin. Perfekt moden nå, men tåler sikkert flere år til i kjelleren. (1613 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 8/27/2022 & rated 93 points: 4th Saturday Brown Bagger (EBCC): Blind. Garnet color. Aromas of currant and red plum with earthy undertones. Full-bodied, with plum and red berry fruit, herb, forest floor and spice flavors. Balanced, with a lingering finish. Wine of the flight for many.
It wasn't until the end of the flight that I began to wonder if this was our bottle of Montelena. This had been decanted for nearly three hours. 93-94 pts. (2331 views) | | | Tasted by gharter on 6/17/2022 & rated 95 points: A year since my last bottle. Compared to other years, almost no sediment. 2 hour decant and it opened nicely. Aromas of red and black fruits, cassis, earth, leather, spice, tobacco and oak. The black fruits and spice are upfront with red fruit, earth, leather, cherry, plum, tobacco, cassis, and a hint of herbal flavor. Great balance with a long smooth finish. The tannins have softened nicely. Showing some secondary character. In its drinking window with years/decades to go. (2245 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 4/30/2022 & rated 93 points: Anniversary dinner (Fiora’s, Geneva): Double decanted nearly four hours before dinner and I should have given it a full three or four hour decant. Still quite youthful in appearance with a deep core. Aromas of red and black currants, cedar and black cherry with a beguiling floral perfume overtone. Tannins have softened slightly but are finely knit and not obtrusive. Plum and black cabernet fruit with subtle spice and licorice notes on the back end. An elegant vintage, and beginning to drink well- should have a long life.
I am very happy to have many more bottles, including large format, to follow over the next couple of decades. 93+ for me, 94-95 pts for my lovely bride. (2587 views) | | | Tasted by Youngkicker on 3/13/2022: April 2022 - drew up a glass (2386 views) | | | Tasted by lovemycab on 2/26/2022 & rated 92 points: Solid, but not specular wine. Decanted and drink over several hours. Some nice earthy tertiary notes coming thru now. Will see how this continues to age. (1963 views) | | | Tasted by Martyl9 on 12/12/2021 & rated 93 points: half bottle, needed about an hour for it come into it owns.
very nice glass of wine. dry with full fruit. should be good for another three years. drank with grilled rib steak. (2201 views) | | | Tasted by Nels+ on 12/11/2021 & rated 92 points: Very fruit-foward. Intense, complex and all abour balance nevertheless. Works with roasty dishes and sublime meaty dishes as well. Great wine, California Cab for the win! (1839 views) | | | Tasted by cab_fran on 9/10/2021 & rated 94 points: Long-aged purchase really delivered. The wine was silky smooth, feminine cab style really, but plenty of classic cabernet flavor. I'm glad we aged this one for so long -- drinking well for at least 3-5 more years. (1705 views) | | | Tasted by ciesel on 7/6/2021 & rated 93 points: Drinking well, but no reason to rush the remaining bottles. Decanted for about 1 hour. Had with steak and mushrooms. Improved during the 1 1/2 hours we drank. (2527 views) | | | Tasted by Rieslingfan on 6/19/2021: From half bottle this is still quite young, but with a two hour decant it’s drinking very well. There’s plenty of fruit, and the structure can support another decade or two of cellaring. It’s rich, yet retains a classic style. Admittedly I am not incredibly excited about this, but it’s definitely a good wine, just doesn’t have a spark to make it memorable. (2499 views) | | | Tasted by dsimmons on 6/18/2021 & rated 91 points: Very nice cab drank with grilled beef tenderloin. This wine was really good but not great as it should be for the price. Still a lot of acidity. Hopefully this will improve with more cellar time. (2359 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 5/29/2021 & rated 92 points: Decanted four hours and brought to a graduation party; commemorated year the high school graduates entered kindergarten. Dusty tannins dominated front-palate, offering a 20+2nd finish. Faint cherry fruit in the background. (1935 views) | | | Tasted by SeaSmoke on 5/7/2021 & rated 92 points: Decanted for 90 minutes. Dark ruby red in color. Black cherry, cassis, licorice, plum, and dark chocolate on the nose, and palate. Tannins are mild with a medium finish. This is drinking nicely. (2022 views) | | | Tasted by gharter on 5/5/2021 & rated 95 points: 2 hour decant. Beautiful nose with red and black fruits, cassis, earth, leather, spice, tobacco and oak on the nose. Flavors are similar with red and black fruits, spice, earth, leather, cherry, plum, tobacco, cassis, a hint of herbal. Great balance with a long smooth finish. The tannins have really softened. Showing some secondary character. In its drinking window with years/decades to go. (1622 views) | | | Tasted by Highlander65 on 3/10/2021 & rated 95 points: Aging really well. Classic Montelena estate Cabernet. Balanced, refined and not over the top. Fruit, spice, oak and tannins combine into great wine.
Blueberry, Currant, cinnamon, vanilla, leather, and soft, velvety tannins that coat the tongue and serve up a nice, medium-long finish. Wow! Have a worthy meal ready to pair with this beauty. (2061 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Chateau Montelena Cabernet Estate: 1977-2010 (May 2019) (5/1/2019)
(Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Montelena Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vintage Retrospective: The 2008 Napa Valley Cabernets (May 2018) (5/18/2018)
(Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (10/24/2012)
(Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (10/15/2012)
(Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, New Releases from Napa Valley (Dec 2011)
(Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2010, IWC Issue #150
(Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and WineAlign. (manage subscription channels) |
| Chateau Montelena Producer website
Very DETAILED history of the property
From winery:
What’s not to like about the weather in 2018? The late spring rains in March and April were very productive and the vines responded with plentiful growth into summer. Unusually low nighttime temperatures coupled with warm to hot days magnified the acidity in the fruit, creating elegant structure for extending aging, rather than overtly jammy flavor. Harvest was slow and methodical as subtle variations in soil and sun exposure magnified the typically nuanced differences in ripening and maturation.
NOSE PALATE FINISH
Fresh and lively, the wine opens effusively with raspberry, mint and plum sauce. The baking spices soon follow, leaning clove initially but with plenty of cedar and vanilla. Still subtle, the ripe fruit elements, mostly cassis and fig at this stage, lurk beneath the surface along with beautiful hints of graphite and toasted sage, awaiting additional time in glass.
HARVEST DATES
September 20 – October 25
ALCOHOL
14.2%
BLEND
98% Cabernet Sauvignon 1.5% Petit Verdot 0.5% Cabernet Franc
Still very tightly wound, it’s the texture and mouthfeel that drive the palate initially. The tannins in particular are somewhat coarse but not so angular to overshadow the abundant dark fruit. The dynamic tension on the midpalate serves to focus and magnify the layers of black cherry, cocoa powder, and black pepper, before turning slightly earthy and dusty. The structure is pronounced, but still harmonious and well defined.
Technical Information
BARREL AGING
22 months in 100% French oak, 40% new
BOTTLING DATE
August 2020
It’s in the transition to the finish that the acidity materializes in almost candy-like fashion, a beautiful contrast to the supple tannins. Here the wine’s density shines elegantly, well balanced between smoky, espresso bean and delicate, dried blackberry. It’s the latter that defines the finish at this moment, persistent in length and depth.
WINEMAKER
Matt Crafton
Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)CalistogaDiamond mountain |
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