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Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley The Montelena Estate(2002)
- Winery:
- Chateau Montelena Winery
- Varietal:
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Region:
- USA > California > Napa
- Type:
- Red Wine
- User Tags:
- red grape, berry, cabernet sauvignon, fruit, color descriptors, black currant, resinous, spicy, closed, oak
Vintage Weather
Cool Variable. Rainfall was right at average for the season, but most came in November-December. A challenging vintage with a generally cool growing season, lack of spring rain and excessive heat at harvest. Vine stress and very small berry size led to a very low yield crop, especially in Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are concentrated with good flavor and balance.
Tasting Notes
This wine has a rich, dark color and a classic Cabernet aroma, with currants, red and black fruits, as well as the black tea and licorice notes typical in warmer vintages. The warm read more...
Cool Variable. Rainfall was right at average for the season, but most came in November-December. A challenging vintage with a generally cool growing season, lack of spring rain and excessive heat at harvest. Vine stress and very small berry size led to a very low yield crop, especially in Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are concentrated with good flavor and balance.
Tasting Notes
This wine has a rich, dark color and a classic Cabernet aroma, with currants, red and black fruits, as well as the black tea and licorice notes typical in warmer vintages. The warm read more...
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June 2007
- This wine has a rich, dark color and a classic Cabernet aroma, with currants, red and black fruits, as well as the black tea and licorice notes typical in warmer vintages. The warm cinnamon tone in the background is from the 20% new oak barrels used this year. The big, juicy palate is powered by the same fruits as the nose, layered with spicy notes from the oak. The vintage's slightly high acid levels give the wine brightness, showcased in a medium weight style with good density and grip. The 2002's mix of warm, ripe fruit and classic acid and tannin structure make it a delicious Cabernet now read more...
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June 2007
- The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, one of the most powerful Cabernets the Barretts have made, is reminiscent of the profound 1987. A blend of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc, it tips the scales at 14.3% alcohol. The wine has a sensational nose of sweet creme de cassis liqueur intermixed with notes of beef blood, licorice, and underbrush. Full-bodied and more flamboyant than the more structured, muscular 2001, the 2002 is fleshier with more glycerin and higher alcohol. This chewy effort should be ready for prime-time drinking a few years ahead of the more rigid 2001. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025. -Wine Advocate
- Stephen Tanzer
- International Wine Cellar
- Issue 120, May/June 2005
- 93/100
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July 2007
- (bottled in November of 2004) Good deep ruby-red. Highly aromatic nose combines musky redcurrant and tobacco. Plush, broad and fine-grained; atypically sexy and showy for this wine, in much the same way that Montelena's basic 2002 Napa cabernet is unusually pliant and rich. Finishes with big, dusty, but rather suave tannins. This offers early accessibility but has the material and structure for extended aging. The alcohol here is 14.3%, the highest since the 1978, which was 14.4%.
- The Wine Advocate
- 95/100
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June 2007
- Wine Advocate # 168
- Dec-06
- 95/100
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April 2008
