Tasted July 15, 2006 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Riedel Vinum Cabernet glass. Garnet color in the glass, slightly dusty throughout. Nose of red berries, red cherries, a little leather that blew off with time and some red currants that show up to take its’ place. Flavors of red berries, red cherries and raspberries. Medium acidity with integrated tannins. Medium bodied. Drank solid and held it’s own for over 2-1/2 hours. This is a solid wine. Can be drank now with maybe an hour in the decanter or held for years to come. No value recommendation. (94 pts.)
Joe ----- Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone.
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1999 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (6/17/2009) Wine #3 of the Birthday Week Wine Experience Decanted for 3 hours. I was really looking forward to this wine as I have had it in my cellar for nearly 9 years and it did not disappoint. In the glass it was deep purple edging toward black with some red hue toward the edge. Really beautiful to look at. Nosing the wine brought an intense and focused bouquet of ripe blackberries, plums, black cherry, cocoa powder, mint and vanilla. Full bodied with just a wonderful silky smooth mouthfeel of juicy blackberries, black cherry, chocolate, vanilla, mint with hints of cedar. The finish was long and extracted with more dark fruit, chocolate, vanilla and a hint of anise. Wow, really a long, elegant and supple finish. Tannins are really soft and well integrated and there is a bright and bursting acidity that keeps it all in tremendous balance. This is a stellar Cabernet in true Montelena style. Wish I had a case left! 50+5+14+18+8=(95 pts.)
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Posts: 129 | Location: Ohio (Now In Mid Michigan) | Registered: May 01, 2008
At a wine tasting, there were several wines tasted, it was a blind tasting. This was one of the 3 I immediately knew what it was. This was an all California tasting.
This wine was very closed in both the nose and on the palate, it is in a dumb stage to say the least. Absolutely no color loss, it is still a dark purple color. From the nose, I was able to pick up a lot of minerality, and slight bits of tobacco and cassis. On the palate, again, very minerally with slight hints of tobacco and blackberries.
What gave this wine away was the stucture and acid tannin balance. I've never had the this vintage of Montelena before, but I have had several Montelena wines before. Even though this wine is 10 years old, it is nowhere even near its peak. It needs quite a bit of cellaring time. This one has a very, very, very long life ahead of it.
I agree that this wine is showing very young. I had a bottle the other night, decanted 4 hours and it was really good after another 2 hours in the bottle. Should get better and go another 10 years at least.
Posts: 831 | Location: The OC | Registered: Oct 18, 2001
