Lots of plum fruit, a little over extracted. Plush but dark palate. Classic but straightforward. 2004, ‘03, ‘02, and ‘01 are more or less indistinguishable on first impression, and each come across tightly wound on the palate. Starts to get a little more interesting at 2000.
Lots of plum fruit, a little over extracted. Plush but dark palate. Classic but straightforward. 2004, ‘03, ‘02, and ‘01 are more or less indistinguishable on first impression, and each come across tightly wound on the palate. Starts to get a little more interesting at 2000.
Lots of plum fruit, a little over extracted. Plush but dark palate. Classic but straightforward. 2004, ‘03, ‘02, and ‘01 are more or less indistinguishable on first impression, and each come across tightly wound on the palate. Starts to get a little more interesting at 2000.
Lots of plum fruit, a little over extracted. Plush but dark palate. Classic but straightforward. 2004, ‘03, ‘02, and ‘01 are more or less indistinguishable on first impression, and each come across tightly wound on the palate. Starts to get a little more interesting at 2000.
This has a classic nose of blackberry and currant fruit with some earth tones coming through the dry wood, and good minerality. Still vibrant and youthful, but the first wine of the vertical showing more terroir character in addition to the plummy fruit. Palate has lush and syrupy blackberry tannin.
This is quite comparable to the ‘00 although less opulent as well as less harmonious. The black fruit on the nose has some rusticity. Although less fleshy and flashy as the ‘00 this does have a layer of earthy nuance that is more interesting. Palate is classic with some leathery development in the red fruit. Can imagine this going nicely with a NoMad burger.
This is a warm nose with great soil influence in the rustic red berry fruit. Mild brett, but mostly nice mineral soil. Underneath there is lush blackberry and currant fruit. On the palate this has delicious black and blue fruit with some pleasant sweetness and a pronounced texture. This is drinking like it is at its peak development and expression, and is terrific right now, but based on this bottle uncertain as to longevity from here.
This nose is good as well with nice red and black fruit, but doesn’t have much projection out of the glass and is lacking expression at the moment. Clearly endowed, just shut down currently. A little coaxing yields some perfume and nuance. Palate is tight and concentrated. Quite dry.
This nose has a lush black and blue berry perfume, ripe opulence but driven with serious stuffing. Some baking spice intricacies coming off of this too. Palate is round and soft on the edges with a wallop of blackberry and plummy fruit. This drinks like the wine of the flight that will last the longest and has yet to peak whereas the ‘97 is totally enjoyable and nicely developed right now. Probably technically superior to the '97 a few glasses back, but not showing fully yet.
This nose is quiet and brooding. Intricate but restrained. A dark floral perfume, raw tobaccos, also showing damp minerality. Stoney. Palate is much easier to get with a big punch of blackberry fruit. Robust but with textured development. This is good now but is only beginning to get interesting.
This nose is fairly austere with a herbaceous edge to the very dark fruit. Detailed and intricate though, plenty of herbs and spices to pick out. The palate has underripe blackberry and grippy tannin. Big acid drives a long but sharp finish. Coming back to this, there is a difficult and unpleasant vegetal greenness on the palate.
The nose here is unfortunately pruney and oxidized as well, although there is redeeming liquorice, fennel, and eucalyptus detail to dark berry fruit. Considerable volatile acidity. Palate is developed and approachable now with a more cherry character to the fruit.
This wine is in perfect condition where as the ‘86 and ‘85 we’re having some VA and oxidization issues. The nose has dark berry fruit but with some eucalyptus and menthol in the mix. Mild rosy sweetness. A dark sasperilla spice. The palate is dark and heavy with blackberry textured with soil. There is a lushness overall with a pleasant green pepper edge. This is intricate and one could spend a while picking out other nuances and aromas. Ex-Chateau bottle.
Intact with blackberry fruit, but the expression is dialled down relative to the ‘84 in the next glass which is really interesting tonight. There are still complex spice and fern notes. Palate is textured and delicious as well. Very good, but the '84 is comparatively outstanding.
[Magnum] This wine is different from every other in the vertical and is immediately indicative of Bordeaux. The nose here has the widest array of aromas that span smoky soil, damp coffee grounds, lush blackberry and soft strawberry, damp leather, cola spice, smoked meat and jerky, and bouldery minerality. Highly expressive. The palate is equally as impressive with lush blackberry and a soily asphalt character. Grippy tannin cost the flavours and textures to the mouth. This is great. Apparently the '76 was made from purchased fruit from Calistoga when the vines at Chateau Montelena were ripped up and being replanted, perhaps why this wine is showing dramatically different from each of the younger vintages tonight, even accounting for age and format.
2004 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Lots of plum fruit, a little over extracted. Plush but dark palate. Classic but straightforward. 2004, ‘03, ‘02, and ‘01 are more or less indistinguishable on first impression, and each come across tightly wound on the palate. Starts to get a little more interesting at 2000.
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2003 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Lots of plum fruit, a little over extracted. Plush but dark palate. Classic but straightforward. 2004, ‘03, ‘02, and ‘01 are more or less indistinguishable on first impression, and each come across tightly wound on the palate. Starts to get a little more interesting at 2000.
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2002 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Lots of plum fruit, a little over extracted. Plush but dark palate. Classic but straightforward. 2004, ‘03, ‘02, and ‘01 are more or less indistinguishable on first impression, and each come across tightly wound on the palate. Starts to get a little more interesting at 2000.
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2001 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Lots of plum fruit, a little over extracted. Plush but dark palate. Classic but straightforward. 2004, ‘03, ‘02, and ‘01 are more or less indistinguishable on first impression, and each come across tightly wound on the palate. Starts to get a little more interesting at 2000.
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2000 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This has a classic nose of blackberry and currant fruit with some earth tones coming through the dry wood, and good minerality. Still vibrant and youthful, but the first wine of the vertical showing more terroir character in addition to the plummy fruit. Palate has lush and syrupy blackberry tannin.
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1999 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This is quite comparable to the ‘00 although less opulent as well as less harmonious. The black fruit on the nose has some rusticity. Although less fleshy and flashy as the ‘00 this does have a layer of earthy nuance that is more interesting. Palate is classic with some leathery development in the red fruit. Can imagine this going nicely with a NoMad burger.
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1997 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This is a warm nose with great soil influence in the rustic red berry fruit. Mild brett, but mostly nice mineral soil. Underneath there is lush blackberry and currant fruit. On the palate this has delicious black and blue fruit with some pleasant sweetness and a pronounced texture. This is drinking like it is at its peak development and expression, and is terrific right now, but based on this bottle uncertain as to longevity from here.
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1995 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This nose is good as well with nice red and black fruit, but doesn’t have much projection out of the glass and is lacking expression at the moment. Clearly endowed, just shut down currently. A little coaxing yields some perfume and nuance. Palate is tight and concentrated. Quite dry.
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1994 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This nose has a lush black and blue berry perfume, ripe opulence but driven with serious stuffing. Some baking spice intricacies coming off of this too. Palate is round and soft on the edges with a wallop of blackberry and plummy fruit. This drinks like the wine of the flight that will last the longest and has yet to peak whereas the ‘97 is totally enjoyable and nicely developed right now. Probably technically superior to the '97 a few glasses back, but not showing fully yet.
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1992 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Flawed
USA, California, Napa Valley
Oxidized. Palate is passable, but this has unfortunately come unglued.
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1991 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This nose is quiet and brooding. Intricate but restrained. A dark floral perfume, raw tobaccos, also showing damp minerality. Stoney. Palate is much easier to get with a big punch of blackberry fruit. Robust but with textured development. This is good now but is only beginning to get interesting.
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1987 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This nose is fairly austere with a herbaceous edge to the very dark fruit. Detailed and intricate though, plenty of herbs and spices to pick out. The palate has underripe blackberry and grippy tannin. Big acid drives a long but sharp finish. Coming back to this, there is a difficult and unpleasant vegetal greenness on the palate.
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1986 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Flawed
USA, California, Napa Valley
Oxidized. Total prune show.
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1985 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
The nose here is unfortunately pruney and oxidized as well, although there is redeeming liquorice, fennel, and eucalyptus detail to dark berry fruit. Considerable volatile acidity. Palate is developed and approachable now with a more cherry character to the fruit.
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1984 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This wine is in perfect condition where as the ‘86 and ‘85 we’re having some VA and oxidization issues. The nose has dark berry fruit but with some eucalyptus and menthol in the mix. Mild rosy sweetness. A dark sasperilla spice. The palate is dark and heavy with blackberry textured with soil. There is a lushness overall with a pleasant green pepper edge. This is intricate and one could spend a while picking out other nuances and aromas. Ex-Chateau bottle.
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1983 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Intact with blackberry fruit, but the expression is dialled down relative to the ‘84 in the next glass which is really interesting tonight. There are still complex spice and fern notes. Palate is textured and delicious as well. Very good, but the '84 is comparatively outstanding.
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1976 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast 94 Points
USA, California, North Coast
[Magnum] This wine is different from every other in the vertical and is immediately indicative of Bordeaux. The nose here has the widest array of aromas that span smoky soil, damp coffee grounds, lush blackberry and soft strawberry, damp leather, cola spice, smoked meat and jerky, and bouldery minerality. Highly expressive. The palate is equally as impressive with lush blackberry and a soily asphalt character. Grippy tannin cost the flavours and textures to the mouth. This is great. Apparently the '76 was made from purchased fruit from Calistoga when the vines at Chateau Montelena were ripped up and being replanted, perhaps why this wine is showing dramatically different from each of the younger vintages tonight, even accounting for age and format.
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