2016 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Community Tasting Notes (36) Avg Score: 91.2 points

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  4/23/2024 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points

  Double decanted off its sediment (very little) and poured about an hour later with dinner. Plenty of dark berry fruit, plum, vanilla and chocolate. Subtle herb and leather undertones. Full-bodied with medium tannins and flavors of plum, black cherry, vanilla and sage, finishing with good length and balance. 92-93 pts.

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  5/14/2023 - richshoes Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Solid, grassy, dark plum-softer open medium bodied structure (could be the Riedels given that Monetelenas always taste too tight and young for me).
  
  More French than US in many ways, which is great.

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  5/13/2023 - forceberry wrote: 88 Points

  A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (86%), Merlot (13%) and Cabernet Franc (1%) harvested between September 10th and October 7th. Aged in French and Eastern European oak barrels (65% used, 35% new) for 16 months. Bottled in April 2017. 14,2% alcohol.
  
  Youthful, luminous and moderately translucent dark garnet color with a faint purplish hue. The nose feels somewhat sweet-toned and slightly oak-driven with aromas of vanilla, cloves and mulled wine along with fruitier notes of ripe blackcurrants and juicy black cherries, some strawberry tones, a little bit of toasty mocha oak, light marshmallow nuances and a hint of tomato stalk. The wine is ripe, juicy and somewhat mellow on the palate with a full body and quite lush flavors of ripe dark plums and strawberries, some vanilla oak, a little bit of strawberry marshmallow, light toasty notes of chocolatey mocha oak, a hint of red licorice and a touch of clove. The structure relies mostly on the medium-to-moderately high acidity as the ripe, supple tannins contribute mainly to the rich texture of the wine, not to the structure. The finish is rich, soft and juicy with flavors of strawberries, some red licorice tones, light oaky notes of vanilla and cloves, a little bit of juicy dark plum, a hint of ripe blackcurrant and a faint herbaceous touch of blackcurrant leaf.
  
  I was expecting something more impressive and serious. This turned out to be a soft, fruity and somewhat banal crowdpleaser with a rather heavy emphasis on sweetly-spiced oak aromatics. After two very serious Cabs from Australia and Chile, this Napa take on the variety turned out to be much softer and sweeter-toned with less acidity and almost imperceptible tannins. I guess the wine could continue to evolve and improve with age, seeing how youthful it is now, at the age of 6½ years. However, I doubt this will turn into anything particularly thrilling with age, no matter how long it is cellared. Can't say I was particularly impressed. Not a particularly good purchase at 38,79€.

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  10/16/2022 - jonahfactor Likes this wine:

  No formal notes. Benchmark California meets Bordeaux. Elegant, beautifully integrated and food friendly, tonight with grilled filets. Drink now to 2027. Worth Seeking Out.

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  4/11/2022 - Grenik Likes this wine: 90 Points

  A benchmark 90 point Napa Cab. Rich cherry and vanilla nose. Cherry, smoke, pine, and vanilla palate. Well integrated and a solid wine. Well priced for Napa.

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