Community Tasting Notes 37

• williamc Likes this wine: 93 points

  December 5, 2022 - Purchased in a lot of wine of unknown provenance.
  
  Upon opening, I was immediately impressed by the aromas that wafted from the bottle. The wine presented as a orangish-yellow or an almost amber complexion. The immediate impression was of great pure orchard and stone fruit. Once the wine had settled in the glass it showed a beautiful bouquet of fruits, caramel apple, buttered popcorn, and Crème Brûlée. The palate showed remarkable freshness and clarity of fruit. A splendid, balanced wine.

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• oldwines Likes this wine: 95 points

  August 5, 2021 - My last bottle, opened for our 20th anniversary, with some trepidation but was pleasantly surprised. The wine was a bright dark lemon yellow with no obvious sign of oxidation. The nose has some hazelnut and almond along with light citrus and ripe peach. The palate is very bright with acidity, beautiful texture, some rich creaminess, slight vanilla, lemon curd, more of the ripe peach and a long minerally finish accented by the almond. The only slight detraction is an ever so slight bitter note at the very end of the finish. This was a thrilling wine for a 20 year old Cali Chard! It was best with about 20-30 minutes in the glass just under room temperature.

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• jdr20 Likes this wine: 90 points

  April 12, 2020 - Gold & clear. Apricot, dried peach, subtle honey notes on the nose. Medium body, nice acidity. Lemon-lime tartness subtle on the palate. Smooth, especially as it started to open up. Med+ alcohol. Med finish. A nice wine, not quite as good as the 1987.

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• oldwines Likes this wine: 92 points

  August 3, 2019 - Our anniversary vintage, decanted and tasted over a couple hours. Medium golden yellow color. Nose is slightly oxidized with buttered popcorn and hazelnuts. Acidity is reduced with time but much better with food than without. When tasted with a marinated eggplant tapenade it was quite delicious. It needed some time to breathe and then opened up beautifully. Much better than the 2004 bottle we tried earlier in the week.

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• davidandrose Likes this wine: 92 points

  May 27, 2017 - Balance of a previously coravin'd bottle. Faint straw coloring. The floral notes I remember from earlier bottles were faint, with crushed stone the dominant characteristic. While beyond its ideal drinking window, this was still a great wine and among the few aged Chards we've been able to enjoy.

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Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2001
• Type White
• Producer Chateau Montelena
• Varietal Chardonnay
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Napa Valley
• Appellation Napa Valley
• UPC Code 733555351227

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 1 (0%)
• In Cellars 157 (46%)
• Consumed 187 (54%)

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