Chateau Montelena "Past, Present, and Future"

Chateau Montelena's tasting tour stopped by the Metropolitan Club, on the outskirts of Minneapolis. We had the opportunity to taste four vintages each of the Napa Valley Chardonnay, Napa Valley Cabernet, and Estate Cabernet, along with one pre-release Zinfandel. Within each flight, the bottles were bagged and the wines served blind, with light appetizers. I was tasting each of these vintages for the first time. Overall, I came away somewhat underwhelmed by the Chardonnay and impressed with the Estate Cab. I expect these events to help reassure people in light of the recent TCA issues at the winery.

Some tasters liked the 1997 and 1998 best, but I found them overly acidic and lacking in fruit. I think this wine needs to be drunk young, like most California Chardonnays.

• 1997 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa Valley 86 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Lemon and butterscotch notes, with modest fruit and loads of citrus. Sharp acid; tasted like a Sauvignon Blanc.

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• 1998 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa Valley 86 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Light to medium bodied, with green/grassy flavors, lemon, and a lot of acid.

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• 2002 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa Valley 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Pear, minerals, and butterscotah; full bodied; toasty oak notes on the finish. WOTF.

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• 2003 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa Valley 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Lighter bodied style, with some watermelon and tropical fruit flavors.

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Montelena's Napa Cabs were very consistent, and generally good, but not great. The 1993 showed well and was the most interesting of the flight; overall, these wines were soft, approachable, and well made, but not overly complex or concentrated.

• 1993 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Calistoga Cuvée 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Deep brick red with moderate amber. Definitely a mature wine. Cassis, tobacco, leather, and black raspberries. Light to medium bodied, with a long, slightly lemony/acidic finish. Fully resolved tannins. Interesting!

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• 1999 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Calistoga Cuvée 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Ruby/purple, showing slight amber at the rim. Medium bodied, with cloves and blueberries. Tart acidity on the finish; not much tannin.

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• 2001 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Deep ruby to the rim. Fragrant nose, with caramel and cherries. Weighter body than the 1993 and 1999, with good structure and silky tannins on the finish. WOTF.

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• 2002 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Softer and more approachable than the 2001. Fat fruity midpalate, good underlying structure, with tart acidity and chunky tannins on the finish.

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Montelena's flagship wine, the Estate Cab showed very well. My WOTN was the 2001, followed closely by the 2002. It was amazing how plump and fruity the 2002 and 2003 were -- interesting to catch a glimpse of this wine before it shuts down.

• 1998 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Perhaps this was in a closed phase? Tannic, with reticent fruit. Lots of tobacco, juniper, and cedar; excellent structure. With some air the fruit began to emerge.

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• 2001 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Deep purple to the rim. Weighty mouthfeel, with deep cassis fruit, great balance and structure, and a long finish. Fine-grained tannins. No signs of TCA whatsoever. WOTN for me.

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• 2002 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Black core, deep ruby to the rim. Cassis and dried leaves. Quite tannic and youthful.

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• 2003 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga

  Black core; purple at the rim. Plump and youthful, showing cassis fruit, tobacco, and a hefty tannic finish.

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I enjoyed this a lot -- it sounds like it will be $25-30 upon release and therefore a good value.

• 2003 Chateau Montelena Zinfandel Estate 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Wow, this was a pleasant surprise. Super-ripe jammy blueberry fruit, nice balance, soft tannins.

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