The Montelena Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

VTS bottle. Dark purple tawny. Opaque. Fragrant nose. Notes of black cherries, forest floor, walnuts, some pepper and a touch of black licorice. With air some menthol develops. Still big and bold in the mouth. Showed well tonight.

Scarlet tawny. Mostly opaque. Strong nose. Notes of black cherry, balsa wood, a bit of smoke, some menthol, pepper and a little anise. Silky and rich in the mouth. Still not showing any sense of decline. Another great showing.

Dark purple with tawny rims. Opaque. Great old Cab nose with notes of black cherry, saddle leather, tobacco leaf, earth and some cassis. Big mouth feel and long finish. This wine continues to sit on a great plateau of drinking window.

Very dark reddish tawny color. Brooding in the glass. Warm, seductive fruit forward nose. Notes of black cherry, leather, plums, currants, earth and a little anise that comes with air time. Velvet glove in the mouth. Coats the palate. Long finish. Edged out the 85 Lynch Bages at the finish line. Remains at peak performance, as it has for many years now.

What a color! I’ve been fortunate to have an ‘87 and ‘88 (a bottle from my cellar three months ago) and both were knockouts. Color here could be confused for a 10-12yr old wine. Incredibly dark and pure in the glass! Licorice, cassis, and some tobacco on the nose. As it opened, more tobacco leaf type notes came through. No signs of decline after 1hr+ of being open. Reinforced my thought of only enjoying Montelena Wines after 15+yrs. What a pull by @Mark Flesher !

Nice young ruby color. Almost opaque. Great nose, notes of tobacco leaf, black cherry, walnuts, blue fruit, white pepper and dried brush. Lots going on in the mouth. Great balance of fruit, structure and emotion. Great bottle of wine.

Amazing color and fruit for a 30-year-old Napa Cabernet.

This Montelena was on fire. Fully melted tannins, fully integrated wine with lovely secondaries. Surprisingly little bricking. The Volnay and Cab Franc were decent too.