Vinous has published an article dedicated to the history of Chateau Montelena, the impact of evolving winemaking and cellar improvements, and above all the history of the flagship Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Stephen Tanzer reports on a recently conducted Estate Cabernet Sauvignon vertical tasting stretching from the 1977 to 2010 vintages, which offers a detailed retrospective that traces the history of the wine back to the first Estate bottling. He states that the “earlier vintages are still, with very few exceptions, in remarkable form” but more importantly that “today’s wines are better than ever, showing more pristine, delineated fruit and mineral elements” thanks to significant harvesting and cellar developments as well as the addition of fruit from maturing vines planted in volcanic hillside vineyards. Read the full article here.
Related Wines
Chateau Montelena
Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Calistoga, Napa Valley, California
The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is Chateau Montelena’s flagship wine and a quality icon of Napa Valley. The winemaking team works obsessively and passionately with each vintage to capture the best expression of their historic terroir. This is a show-stopper that reveals the perfect blend of flavors, aromas and textures to reach the pinnacle of balance.
Related Producers
Chateau Montelena
Calistoga, Napa Valley, California
In 1976 Chateau Montelena put California at the forefront of the wine world. That year a who's-who of the French wine establishment gathered in Paris for a blind tasting of French and American wines. When the scores were tallied, the top-ranking white wine was Chateau Montelena's 1973 Chardonnay. Montelena today continues to be a quality benchmark in Napa Valley, producing some of the finest Cabernet and Chardonnay in California.
