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Wine Description
The Story
Jim Barrett’s dream of Chateau Montelena was that this wine, their flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, achieve the balance and complexity of flavors, aromas and textures to be considered among the great examples of Cabernet in the world. Almost since his first vintages in the 1970s, this wine has been a show-stopper that has everything in place, while revealing the majesty and distinctive character of the estate vineyard site in the northern Napa area that the Barretts led to recognition as its own appellation, Calistoga.
Today, the 50-year legacy of excellence in farming, crafting and blending powerful wines and continued innovation and attention to detail is what sets Chateau Montelena Winery apart.
This wine is 100% made with estate fruit. The diversity of soils and slopes where this is grown in Calistoga directly translates to layers of complexity and depth in the glass. The Estate vineyard is comprised of varied terrain, from flat to steep hillsides. The vineyard gently slopes downward towards its base, where a small patch of sedimentary soil was deposited by the settling of an ancient ocean or lake. Extending out from the Napa River is the alluvial soil, the most prevalent type on the property. In the back and outside areas of the vineyard are volcanic soils, formed by ancient lava flows caused by tectonic uplifting.
One of the historical attributes of the Montelena Estate Cabernet has always been its age-ability and longevity; often though, this meant that the wine really needed to be cellared before it would show its true beauty. Well, here at Montelena we’re all about the pursuit of excellence, and have been working to expand that window of drinkability through careful changes in how we farm, pick, and ferment the grapes from this magnificent property. By focusing on precision viticulture techniques, small fermentation lots, and earlier integration of more precisely chosen barrels – matched to the unique characters of each lot – we have been able to make the wine more approachable at a younger age, while retaining the core elements that ensure a long life in the cellar.
Wine Information
Some years Mother Nature throws you a curveball, but with years of practice and experience you can see that pitch coming and still connect for a home run. 2008 was one of those years where everything seemed to conspire to make life difficult here in the Napa Valley.The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a gorgeous, mid-weight wine laced with mint, cassis, sweet herbs and tobacco.
VINTAGE WEATHER
First, a cold and frosty spring caused a bit of damage and reduced the size of our crop. Then the heat and wind showed up right in time for bloom, which resulted in widespread shatter – again reducing the crop here on the Estate. The heart of the growing season was actually quite nice and normal, but then more heat showed up during the harvest; pushing some of the fruit to dehydration and serving up the final challenge of the season – there was a lot of movement on that ball. Despite all these challenges, 2008 produced an incredible, concentrated, and exceptional Estate Cabernet that is very representative of the vintage.
TASTING NOTES
Dense, rich ruby color in the glass, this Estate Cabernet Sauvignon shows complex aromas of dark cherry, dried fruits, earth, cedar, and vanilla cream along with hints of licorice and leather. The palate opens with big, chewy tannin - firm but not coarse - and builds even bigger into a mid-palate loaded with ripe red fruits and dried black fruits. There is a good, strong acid backbone completing the balance and structure. The barrel flavors are well-integrated throughout but are best evident in the warm and spicy finish. Still quite young and powerful, this dense compact wine will open beautifully with time in bottle (or glass).
| RELEASE PRICE | $142.50 |
|---|---|
| HARVEST DATE | September 7 to October 13 |
| BLEND | 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc |
| BARREL AGING | 22 months |
| BOTTLING DATE | December 2010 |
| RELEASE DATE | Spring 2012 |
| CASES PRODUCED | 5,940 |
| ALCOHOL | 13.9% |
