Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley the Montelena Estate 2001

There are 10,200 cases of the remarkable 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. Opaque purple-colored with a dense, chewy, full-bodied personality, it displays abundant cassis, mineral, and earth notes. This brilliantly made, super-concentrated, pure, blockbuster possesses sweet tannin as well as a terrific finish. Having added additional weight since last year, this sumptuous, multilayered, profoundly concentrated Cabernet contains 14% alcohol. It is a candidate for 25-30 years of longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2030.

By the standards of Bo and Jim Barrett, the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (14.4% alcohol) is a relatively flamboyant effort. Its opaque purple color is followed by a gloriously pure nose of creme de cassis, licorice, earth, truffles, and flowers. Full-bodied, powerful, and rich, with high tannin as well as concentration, it is somewhat accessible, but will be even better after 4-6 years of bottle age. It should drink beautifully for 25-30 years.

Good deep medium ruby. Very complex nose combines cassis, black cherry, plum, smoked meat, dark chocolate, Cuban tobacco and a hint of menthol. Youthfully unevolved and primary yet broad and pliant; offers impressive texture and stuffing for a young Montelena cabernet. Superripe hints of smoked meat and leather. Finishes with very lush tannins and strong dark berry flavor. The pH here is higher than average, an indication of the thorough ripeness of the vintage. The yield in this generous year was a reasonable 3.1 tons per acre, which Barrett described as huge. Still, this appears to be an outstanding vintage for this classic Napa cabernet.

Notably ripe, plush and fleshy for the vintage, exhibiting ripe blackberry and plum flavors that are concentrated and well-focused, finishing with a nice burst of fruit flavors, with modest tannins. Drink now through 2010.

The impressive 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (8,600 cases) exhibits a dense ruby/purple color along with sweet aromas of black fruits intermixed with supple tannin, and broad, expansive flavors. The wine is full-bodied, sweet, and accessible. In spite of the troubles experienced in 2000, the Barretts were able to let their fruit hang on the vine until maturity was achieved. It is a seductive effort that will provide enjoyment between 2004-2018. The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon remains one of California's most remarkable Cabernets. I have been following it since the early seventies, and even the most difficult vintages are still drinking beautifully. The home vineyard is so consistent that even in vintages such as 1989 and 1998, this wine is far better than its competition.

The dense purple-colored 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc) reveals a sweet perfume of black currants, an expansive, full-bodied palate, surprising elegance as well as accessibility, excellent purity, and a long, layered finish. It is a successful 2000 Cabernet to drink now and over the next 12-15 years.

(Barrel tasting) Firm, intense and tough-edged, as Montelena often is early on, but with a solid core of spicy currant and blackberry fruit that's deep and concentrated. The finish keeps a tight focus.