2016 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
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| Type of Wine | |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Region | |
| Appellation | |
| Winery | |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Grape | |
| Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (14%) |
| Drink window | 2022 - 2041 |
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The 2016 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship of one of Napa Valley's most iconic wineries. This wine embodies the classic style for which Chateau Montelena has been known for decades: refinement over power, elegance over excess, and an exceptional ability to age beautifully. The 2016 vintage ranks among the best of the past decade, yielding a Cabernet Sauvignon with impressive depth, vibrant freshness, and tremendous future potential.
Chateau Montelena: an icon of Napa Valley
Chateau Montelena is one of the absolute pioneers of the Californian wine world. The historic estate from Calistoga gained worldwide fame during the famous Judgment of Paris in 1976, when the house's Chardonnay beat the greatest white Burgundies. Since then, Montelena has been regarded as one of the producers that consistently opts for elegance, terroir expression, and a classic approach to winemaking.
Under the leadership of owner Bo Barrett and winemaker Matt Crafton, the estate remains true to that philosophy. The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is produced exclusively from grapes from the estate's own vineyards surrounding the château and has been the house's calling card for decades.
For more information about Chateau Montelena, please refer to the Winery tab.
The exceptional 2016 vintage
2016 is widely regarded as one of the greatest Napa Valley vintages of the past few decades. Early bud development was followed by a moderate growing season with warm days, cool nights, and a long, even ripening. This allowed the grapes to ripen optimally without loss of freshness, resulting in a Cabernet Sauvignon with a perfect balance of concentration, finesse, and structure.
The harvest took place between September 9 and October 2. The final blend consists of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc . After fermentation, the wine aged for 22 months in French oak , 40% of which were new barrels . The alcohol content is 14.1%, with which Montelena remains true to its classic style.
Scent, taste and character
The 2016 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a particularly refined and complex nose. Ripe Bing cherries and raspberries form the heart, supported by aromas of cocoa, hazelnut, Earl Grey tea, black pepper, and cedarwood. The floral elegance immediately gives the wine a distinctive character.
On the palate, the wine reveals itself to be powerful, yet at the same time remarkably refined. Velvety tannins are beautifully balanced by lively acidity, ensuring that the wine never feels heavy despite its concentration. Flavors of blackberry sorbet, plum sauce, strawberry jam, fresh figs, and marzipan provide great depth and texture.
The long finish builds on notes of baking spices, coffee beans, star anise, fresh blueberries, and a subtle caramel flair that is beautifully interwoven with the fruit. The wine lingers for an exceptionally long time and combines richness with remarkable freshness.
A classic Napa Cabernet
While many modern Napa Cabernets emphasize maximum ripeness and extraction, Chateau Montelena has opted for a more classic approach for years. The Estate Cabernet revolves around elegance, tension, and terroir expression. As a result, the wine develops beautifully in the bottle and is one of California's most beloved Cabernets for aging.
The 2016 perfectly showcases that style. The wine is already impressively accessible thanks to its refined tannins, but at the same time possesses the structure and freshness to develop further over the next twenty years.
Drinking window and food and wine pairings
Although the wine already offers great drinking pleasure, it will clearly deepen with further bottle aging. The drinking window runs from 2022 to approximately 2041.
Preferably serve this wine at 16 to 18°C and decant it for an hour if young.
The 2016 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is an ideal accompaniment to grilled ribs, sirloin, côte de boeuf, venison, rack of lamb, slow-cooked short ribs, and game dishes. Its depth also comes beautifully to the fore with aged hard cheeses or dishes featuring truffle, mushrooms, or a rich red wine sauce.
| Block Bundle Options | No |
|---|---|
| Type of Wine | Red |
| Country | USA |
| Region | Californie |
| Appellation | Napa Valley |
| Winery | Chateau Montelena |
| Grape | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Drinking as of | 2022 |
| Drinking till | 2041 |
| Alcohol % | 14 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| Vinous rating | 95 |
| Tasting Profiles | Bloemig, Complex, Donker fruit, Houtgerijpt, Rood fruit, Tannines |
| Drink moments | Iets te vieren, Indruk maken, Lekker luxe |
| Sommy Pairing Beschrijving | Deze 2016 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon toont geconcentreerd rood en zwart fruit zoals kers en braam, aangevuld met ceder, vanille, cacao, florale tonen en stevige maar verfijnde tannines met frisse zuurstructuur. Door die combinatie van rijp fruit, pittige eik en stevige tannines snijdt hij uitstekend door vette en krachtige smaken van rund, lam en wild en vult hij de umami van gerijpte kazen en stoofschotels aan. Geef hem bij gegrild of krachtig aangebraden vlees, langzaam gegaarde short ribs of wildstoof op lage temperatuur en kies bij lam of biefstuk voor een rozemarijn- of rodewijnsaus; paddenstoelen of een vleugje truffel tillen de harmonie nog verder omhoog. |
Vinous
94+
Drinking Window
2022 - 2041
From: Napa Valley’s Extraordinary 2016 Cabernets (Dec 2018)
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is dark, ample and totally seductive. Black cherry, mocha, plum, spice, new leather and tobacco all meld together. Pliant and supple, the 2016 is already incredibly delicious. This is an especially mid-weight wine and style. Accordingly, the 2016 Estate will drink well with minimal cellaring. The Estate was bottled just two months before this tasting. I imagine it will put on some weight with further time in bottle. All the elements appear to be in the right place for that to happen.
- By Antonio Galloni on October 2018
Readers who enjoy classically built wines will find much to admire in these new releases from Chateau Montelena. Proprietor Bo Barrett and winemaker Matt Crafton turned out a gorgeous Chardonnay in 2017, while the bottled 2016 Cabernets are terrific. In particular, the straight Napa Valley Cabernet is a superb wine for the money. I also tasted the 2017 Estate Cabernet from barrel. It is a minor miracle that Barrett and Crafton were able to make such a promising wine given the severity of the fires that fall.
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For more than four decades, the Barrett family has been making wine at Chateau Montelena, with credit for wines that combine intensity and power with a luscious, rich texture - wines that express the unique characteristics of the land they come from, rather than techniques. From the basement.
The rise of Chateau Montelena mainly came after Steven Spurrier staged a blind wine tasting in 1976. The best French whites from Burgundy and reds from Bordeaux were compared to the best the US had to offer at the time in Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. And guess what: the Nappa Valley houses from the USA won in both categories. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars with red and with white, Montelena. You will understand that the wine world shook to its foundations, and American (read: Napa Valley) winemakers were really on the map for the first time. The most amusing way to get to know the whole story – if you haven't already – is to watch the movie Bottle Shock (starring the brilliant and very early deceased Alan Rickman as Steven Spurrier).
Speaking of history, Chateau Montelena Winery was initially called A.L. Tubbs winery, after the founder. This successful businessman and senator from San Francisco dreamed of making world-class California wines in Napa Valley. He found the ideal spot a few miles north of Calistoga, at the foot of Mount Saint Helena. The chateau – indeed, without the accent on the a, because American – dates from 1888. Unlike other wineries built during this period, the construction was not made of wood but stone. The style of an English castle has thick walls to keep out the heat and cold. Also – unique for that time – built into a hill to better control temperature changes. Important for quality wine.
However, Tubbs himself didn't get that far. After Prohibition, his grandson Chapin got things going again. He harvested the vineyards, made some wine, and sold grapes to other wineries and hobby winemakers. In 1940, he christened the winery Chateau Montelena Winery, a contraction of Mount St. Helena. Things came to a standstill after his death in 1947. For decades the chateau lay abandoned. The Tubbs family sold their chateau in 1958 to Yort Wing Frank, a Hong Kong electrical engineer, and his wife Jeanie, looking for a place to enjoy their retirement. The area inspired Yort to dig a lake and create a beautiful Chinese garden. Today, Jade Lake is still one of the most beautiful nature reserves in Napa Valley, with a wealth of flora and fauna. And the wine?
The Rebellion only took on a severe face again with the arrival of Jim Barrett in the early 1970s. Under his leadership, vineyards were cleared and replanted, and the winery was equipped with a modern installation. He put together a team to oversee vineyards and winery well and did not rest until he had the best grapes in Napa. The wine was made here for the first time in 1972. The rest of the story is known
However, Montelena, with son Bo Barret at the helm, is still a celebrated family wine company that continues to persevere in quality and taste. The wines of Montelena are all unique. By Napa Valley standards, intense yet elegant wines gain in character and refinement with age. You will find the usual USA suspects: cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, and petite syrah, but also cabernet franc for red. In white, of course, the legendary chardonnay, but also sauvignon blanc (late harvest and dry) and a surprising riesling.
These award-winning and iconic bottles may not be cheap, but they are well worth the splurge. Guaranteed.
For more information about Chateau Montelena, please visit www.montelena.com.
Deze 2016 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon toont geconcentreerd rood en zwart fruit zoals kers en braam, aangevuld met ceder, vanille, cacao, florale tonen en stevige maar verfijnde tannines met frisse zuurstructuur. Door die combinatie van rijp fruit, pittige eik en stevige tannines snijdt hij uitstekend door vette en krachtige smaken van rund, lam en wild en vult hij de umami van gerijpte kazen en stoofschotels aan. Geef hem bij gegrild of krachtig aangebraden vlees, langzaam gegaarde short ribs of wildstoof op lage temperatuur en kies bij lam of biefstuk voor een rozemarijn- of rodewijnsaus; paddenstoelen of een vleugje truffel tillen de harmonie nog verder omhoog.
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