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1998 Chateau Montelena, The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

G grapeapeMember
Reasoning that I was spending a little too much time recently with the more over the top, opulent CA wines, I opted to open the 98 Ch. Montelena Estate Cab last night for my wife’s birthday. The wine was out of a 58f cellar, brought to room temperature, then served out of bottle with no decanting.

Wine color was consistent with dark Ruby, approaching a beautiful hue of Violet. An expressive nose contained notes of charcoal, crushed dried blueberry, leather, and mild Provencal herbs. A nice, decadent red and black fruit salad with very mild sweetness featured prominently in the midpalate, including a fleeting note of tropical pineapple, which was there one second and gone the next. No big surprises in the 25 second finish other than a hint of cinnamon.

Tasted again this rainy afternoon with consistent results; very tasty and highly recommended. 94 points
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G grossieMember
Out of a very strange coincidence I had a bottle of this tonight. It was purchased at a wine store today ($70) and brought to dinner at a restaurant. I didn't take formal notes, but here's my impression:

It's a good wine, but not a great one. It's worthy of 90pts and shows nice fruit without any green, a little character and a pleasant finish. I didn't note any significant tannin and the acid was quite low. IMO it shows as well as it ever will right now and is nothing I would ever buy again, although it was perfectly acceptable and suitable for dinner tonight.
G grapeapeMember
quote:
Originally posted by louzarius:
quote:
Originally posted by Grape Ape:
The wine was out of a 58f cellar, brought to room temperature.


Just curious. Do you always bring your reds up to room temp before serving? Each palate is different, but from my experience I find the wines much better at cellar temps than room temp. Just wondering if you've tried both and your impressions.


That's a great question, and I agree with you 100%. I almost always pull bottles directly from my cellar, open, and pour immediately, then observe the wine's evolution in glass. In this one instance, I had to pick this particular bottle up from my off-site cellar and transport it home. As a result, it sat on the counter for three hours prior to being poured. The next day I poured the second half of the bottle at cellar temps, and it performed slightly better than it did the night before, so there you go.

I have one friend who always insists on bringing reds to room temperature. Otherwise, my friends typically pull and pour. Smile
L latour67Member
I enjoy the 1998 Montelena and agree with Parker's score of 93 points. Although 1998 is regarded as an "off vintage", you can really find some nice values, and Montelena was one I found for $49.95 Cool

As for the temperature....I prefer to drink red wines at 65-70 degrees. The wines are more muted if I drink it directly from my 55 degree cellar. Whereas, warming to 65-70 degrees permits the wines to open and the flavors intensify...However, I guess this is one of those personal choices which can vary from person to person.
G grapeapeMember
quote:
Originally posted by latour67:
I enjoy the 1998 Montelena and agree with Parker's score of 93 points. Although 1998 is regarded as an "off vintage", you can really find some nice values, and Montelena was one I found for $49.95 Cool

As for the temperature....I prefer to drink red wines at 65-70 degrees. The wines are more muted if I drink it directly from my 55 degree cellar. Whereas, warming to 65-70 degrees permits the wines to open and the flavors intensify...However, I guess this is one of those personal choices which can vary from person to person.


That's what I paid for this wine back in 2001 from Premier Cru. I would imagine, especially given the small 2-3 ounce pours I normally make into a Riedel Bordeaux stem kept at room temperature, that the wine quickly comes to 65-70F in glass, so I think we're on the same page temperature wise. SmileAgain, I am really surprised at how this wine has evolved since purchase. My new favorite Ca Cab. Big Grin

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