Chateau Montelena
The Montelena Estate Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a wide brick rim.
Beautiful nose of blueberries, black plums, cooked cherries, raisins, dried figs, vanilla, cedar, cola, spices, light must, milk chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.
Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with blueberries, plums, cherries, cedar, light vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, vegetables, earth and peppercorn.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. The label is gone, but the cork shows the name and vintage.
Showing great complexity with a soft mouthfeel. Elegant, fruit forward and rich.
So nice right out of the bottle, and after 15 minutes of airtime, tannins show up and bring good structure to the wine.
This 36 Year old is still drinking very nicely. Didn't last more than a couple of hours, but we didn't need more than that.
I've heard of bottle variation in this vintage. We got lucky this time.
A fantastic wine that I couldn't stop smelling. What a beautiful nose.
Such a great experience tasting this aged wine. Thank you John for sharing.
94 points.
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a wide brick rim.
Beautiful nose of blueberries, black plums, cooked cherries, raisins, dried figs, vanilla, cedar, cola, spices, light must, milk chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.
Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with blueberries, plums, cherries, cedar, light vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, vegetables, earth and peppercorn.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. The label is gone, but the cork shows the name and vintage.
Showing great complexity with a soft mouthfeel. Elegant, fruit forward and rich.
So nice right out of the bottle, and after 15 minutes of airtime, tannins show up and bring good structure to the wine.
This 36 Year old is still drinking very nicely. Didn't last more than a couple of hours, but we didn't need more than that.
I've heard of bottle variation in this vintage. We got lucky this time.
A fantastic wine that I couldn't stop smelling. What a beautiful nose.
Such a great experience tasting this aged wine. Thank you John for sharing.
94 points.
Gift from Mike DUNN … the wine not the girl
Gift from Mike DUNN … the wine not the girl
Jul 4th, 2022Cork pulled a couple hours in advance and allowed to slow-ox. The color is deep garnet with a near opaque core and perhaps some slight browning towards the rim but color looks great. There’s significant sediment now. Powerful aromas of black currants, dark cherries, tobacco, green pepper, and baking spices. On the palate, the structure is still pretty sturdy even though the tannins have integrated well. The fruit is ripe and quite delicious and taking on some secondary notes of leather, mushrooms and decomposed earth. The acid giving the wine the lift and energy necessary at 18 years old. A lovely wine that, while at peak, has quite a bit of good life left in it. Drink before 2029.
Cork pulled a couple hours in advance and allowed to slow-ox. The color is deep garnet with a near opaque core and perhaps some slight browning towards the rim but color looks great. There’s significant sediment now. Powerful aromas of black currants, dark cherries, tobacco, green pepper, and baking spices. On the palate, the structure is still pretty sturdy even though the tannins have integrated well. The fruit is ripe and quite delicious and taking on some secondary notes of leather, mushrooms and decomposed earth. The acid giving the wine the lift and energy necessary at 18 years old. A lovely wine that, while at peak, has quite a bit of good life left in it. Drink before 2029.
Apr 27th, 2022Nice balancing act of dark fruits, clove, and vanilla with plenty of life left
Nice balancing act of dark fruits, clove, and vanilla with plenty of life left
Apr 14th, 2022‘08 is just hitting its stride. Great sweet fruit, juicy acidity, lush but firm tannins.
‘08 is just hitting its stride. Great sweet fruit, juicy acidity, lush but firm tannins.
Nov 8th, 2020Still very lively and vibrant at 15. Restrained but well structured, with a great balance of fruit. Savory notes are starting to come out more. Very long finish.
Still very lively and vibrant at 15. Restrained but well structured, with a great balance of fruit. Savory notes are starting to come out more. Very long finish.
Sep 4th, 2020Bright, dark red with ruby tones. Captivating floral lift to the very primary aromas of black cherry, cassis, minerals and earth, plus subtle notes of coffee and mocha. Tactile and sharply delineated, delivering a wonderful balance of sweet fruit and salty mineral and soil elements. Still linear but not at all angular, this penetrating wine finishes firmly tannic, classically dry, subtle and very long, with echoing mineral complexity. Really complete Cabernet here--and stuffed with flavor. (the estate began using a new Delta destemmer as of 2001) (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, June 2020)
Bright, dark red with ruby tones. Captivating floral lift to the very primary aromas of black cherry, cassis, minerals and earth, plus subtle notes of coffee and mocha. Tactile and sharply delineated, delivering a wonderful balance of sweet fruit and salty mineral and soil elements. Still linear but not at all angular, this penetrating wine finishes firmly tannic, classically dry, subtle and very long, with echoing mineral complexity. Really complete Cabernet here--and stuffed with flavor. (the estate began using a new Delta destemmer as of 2001) (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, June 2020)