Surprisingly youthful and needed several hours in the decanter to open up. Dark color and youthful aromas—you would never guess this was a nearly 20 year old wine. Plummy and well structured. It was very enjoyable but not the most complex wine.
Château Montelena Vertical: 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.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice nose and lingering taste. Very well balanced. Haven't had this an aged Montelena before. Don't know if it was better earlier, but I don'[t think it will get any better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig. Earthy, nice long finish. Lots of complex flavors
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.
12/5/2020 - cab blends wrote: 90 Points
Not blind. Tasted with the 2001 Montelena estate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2020 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 90 Points
Surprisingly youthful and needed several hours in the decanter to open up. Dark color and youthful aromas—you would never guess this was a nearly 20 year old wine. Plummy and well structured. It was very enjoyable but not the most complex wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
3/13/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 88 Points
Château Montelena Vertical: 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.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/31/2017 - dalemosier Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice nose and lingering taste. Very well balanced. Haven't had this an aged Montelena before. Don't know if it was better earlier, but I don'[t think it will get any better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2017 - Pinot1313 Likes this wine: 90 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig. Earthy, nice long finish. Lots of complex flavors
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment