Estate Bottled Napa Valley Chardonnay

Plush and plummy. Dark fruit. Rich and lucid with hints of iodine and dried herbs. Gorgeous stuff. Very pure

#AgedWineTuesday for lunch.

This is a wonderful Chardonnay from the very famous Chateau Montelena. Exactly 40 vintages later, I could see how it won the Judgment of Paris wine competition, with it's 1973 vintage.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity.

Showing lemons, apples, pears, melons, light tropical fruits, herbs, cedar, light vanilla, spices, light earth and black pepper.

Long finish with limes and light almonds.

This 9 year old still feels very young, with lots of complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years. Has potential to become a 95+ point wine.

Good right out of the bottle, and a great sipping wine. Showing great balance, so there is no need for food here.

Elegant and rich. Fruit forward, powerful and exciting.

I paired it with a Caesar salad with blackened Mahi. Great lunch.

Aged in (10% new) French Oak barrels for 10 months.

13.8% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$65.

Medium lemon color with aromas of ripe stone and citrus fruits and floral notes, no MLF. On the palate flavors of pear, apple and melon with notes of lemon citrus, honeysuckle and vanilla oak. Well balanced with acidity, long finish ending with fruit, toasty oak and slight mineral notes, consistent! A Fav!!

Lovely, crisp, delicious. Still plenty of time left on the ‘16.

Medium lemon color with aromas of ripe stone and citrus fruits and floral notes, no MLF. On the palate flavors of pear, apple and melon with notes of lemon citrus, honeysuckle, cinnamon and vanilla oak. Well balanced with acidity, long finish ending with fruit, toasty oak and slight mineral and pepper notes.

Good color . Harmoniously balanced fruit, mineral, light malolactic fermentation and clean-medium finish. Solid performance from this stellar producer.

Crisp and citrusy, the slightest hint of vanilla on the finish.

Sweet apricot, sweet lime, and yellow apple. Slightly salty. Good balance.

This rivals the 86 Mouton. Seriously. It’s like a hammer and I’d guess it has 40 years left easily.

Out of mag from Ch Montelena cellar. Stunning. I chose my two fave vintages for our dinner and the 91 did not fail to show off. If the 86 is Sean Connery as James Bond the 91 is Piece Brosnan. So much time ahead.