Notes from a vertical tasting dinner of Chateau Montelena:
I had always hit Montelena at the end of the day when I was down racing vintage sports cars at Laguna Seca – it is at the top of the valley and I’d usually get there after visiting a bunch of wineries along the way, pretty near to their closing time. I can recall showing up one year as they were closing the doors and apologizing for not being available, but when I said I was just there to buy wine, they opened again and did allow tasting for about half an hour extra during which I bought a case of wine.
These notes are from an excellent tasting dinner put on by a friend and I supplied some of the wines that had been in my cellar since purchase.
We started with some gougeres and smoked salmon and cream cheese on blinis with:
2012 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé – this was excellent – faint nut and citrus notes in the nose, and a long smooth finish.
2018 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay – served with an excellent scallop crudo, this showed a good nose of lemon and oak,as well as some apple that crept in after a bit of air. Very smooth on palate with good length. Tastiest chard I have sampled in recent memory. The fact that it doesn’t undergo malo-lactic fermentation results in a very clean refreshing impression.
The cabernets:
With rabbit and Dijon mustard terrine:
1992 – (this, along with the next two wines came from my cellar) - excellent dark(red) fruit nose with superb structure and length, it sums up why I like this producer. I opened a bottle of this earlier this year just to see how it was doing and whether my cellaring was appropriate – it was.
1993 – also quite dark, a bit less extracted, and a tad less forthcoming, it opened with time. This wine showed as more mature, but with a nice cedary and almost blackberry nose.
1995 – another dark one with more stuffing than the 93 showed, heavier weight and slightly over-ripe.
1996 – nose a bit reticent but when it opened up, it showed green pepper notes along with some earthy hints, with a nice long finish and good sweet fruit levels.
We then went on to the main course, a sublime beef tenderloin with porcini demiglace.
But first, we tasted a wine that one attendee had brought ad we tasted it blind:
1977 – colour was paler, and the acidity was very slightly high, there was still a fair bit of sweet berry fruit and much more mint in the nose than the others had shown. It had stood up quite well to its 47 years of life.
1997 – another dark wine with dark fruit (cherry?) in the nose plus some spice and cedar and it picked up hints of menthol with time. It drank very well, showing dark fruit and excellent balance.
2000 – although also a dark wine, the nose was reticent on this one and when it opened up a bit it was lighter and more delicate than the preceding vintages, but also very tasty. Some mushroom/forest floor crept into the nose with time. Good length.
2003 – some cigar box and cassis notes in the nose, the usual dark colour, and on palate, it showed slightly peppery dark fruit and a long finish.
2004 – the usual expected dark colour, and very little happening in the nose at first but when it opened up it showed impressive black current notes in the nose and a smooth long well integrated impression on palate. Likely needs time.
With a cheese plate:
1986 Ch. Climens Sauternes – this Barsac showed really well, but bear in mind that I am a pushover for a decent sticky. A darkening amber colour, the usual sweet nose of peachy/apricot/citrus and with time some coconut, and the impression of sipping honey, but really tasty honey. Excellent length. I have cases of sauternes and barsac yet rarely drink it except to finish a wine dinner – ditto for Port, Must rethink that program.
For the photo of the line-up, see
https://www.wineberserkers.com/uploads/db0731/optimized/4X/8/f/b/8fbed456b6b14b966da86176bf094beb793c7dd4_2_690x359.jpeg
