Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical 1999 through 2001
-
Robert
Parker
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Winemaker Notes
"Chateau Montelena over the last thirty years has been the most consistently fine producer of top-flight, world-class Napa Cabernet Sauvignon!"
-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
Packaged in a specially designed wooden case with current tasting notes from winemaker Bo Barrett for each vintage branded on the inside of the case cover. Each bottle is individually wrapped in tissue paper and marked by a sticker with the vintage.
Contains two bottles each (total of six bottles) of:
2001 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
95-Points Robert Parker
This wine has a deep, dark color revealing its concentration and extract. Its room-filling fragrance is the pure essence of Cabernet, with ripe cassis and black cherry fruit and the signature earthiness of The Montelena Estate's complex soils. On the palate the wine is full and warm with ripe fruit flavors and layer upon layer of complexity. A velvety-soft texture is framed by a stylish tannic grip, ensuring drinking pleasure now and for many years to come. Bo Barrett, Winemaker
2000 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
90-Points Robert Parker
We see a deep garnet red in the glass, nice dark claret. The nose is complex with ripe cassis and raspberry aromas, as well as hints of spice and earth. The cool vintage allows the signature terroir of the Montelena Estate vineyard to show much more than in a warmer vintage. The palate is rich but soft with great varietal flavors like warm cassis and red berries and with a very polished and supple tannin structure. Bo Barrett, Winemaker
1999 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
95-Points Robert Parker
The palate profile has very bright front and middle flavors with intense Montelena earthy berry fruit, classically balanced with good acid from the cool vintage, all flowing evenly to a smooth and elegant tannin structure. This is a perfect example of the rich fruit of the Montelena Estate vineyard tightly woven into a classic Cabernet Sauvignon with balance and elegance. Bo Barrett, Winemaker
Professional Ratings
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Chateau Montelena’s history is one of the deepest and most storied in the Napa Valley and California. Founded just north of Calistoga by a senator and San Francisco entrepreneur in 1882 at the turn of the century, it was one of the largest wineries in the state. Prohibition put an end to Montelena’s winemaking, and the next major era began in 1968, when Jim Barrett purchased the estate. Jim fell in love with this exceptional property, blessed with a complex mix of soils, slopes and biodiversity of wildlife and fauna. He had a dream of creating wine at the level of the great First Growths of Bordeaux, and set about replanting the vineyard, outfitting the winery with modern equipment, and studying the processes necessary for farming and winemaking at the highest quality level.
In 1976 Chateau Montelena put California at the forefront of the wine world. That year a who’s-who of the French wine and food establishment gathered for a grand tasting at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Paris. Four white Burgundies were tasted against six California Chardonnays. When the scores were tallied, the French Judges were convinced that the top-ranking white wine was one of their own. In fact, it was Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay, rated above all other wines. This seminal event has been memorialized in the book "The Judgment of Paris," by George Taber, as well as in the 2008 feature film Bottle Shock.
Today Chateau Montelena’s distinct 19th century stone structure stands as a quality icon in Napa Valley, consistently producing some of the finest wines in California. Master Winemaker Bo Barrett, Jim’s son, now runs the estate with the help of Winemaker Matt Crafton and Vineyard Manager Dave Vella.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.