Chateau Montelena
Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Distinct from the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Montelena’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon captures a broad expression of Napa Valley. Crafted to be more modern in style, this wineis fruit-forward, soft and approachable in its youth, while retaining the ability to age for 15 to 20 years.
Vintage Factsheets
The vast majority of the fruit for the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon program is grown at the Montelena Estate, while the remainder is grown in vineyards in eastern Calistoga and the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, further to the south. Their soils tend to be rich loams, high in organic matter that facilitates dry-farming, expressing suppleness and bright berry notes in the resulting fruit.
- Region
- California: Napa Valley
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- Sub-Appellation
- Calistoga
- Varietal Composition
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
- Aging
- Aged 16 months in French and Eastern European Oak, 30% new
- Alcohol
- 14.2%
Driven by dark fruit, predominantly blackberry and cassis, the aromas are rich and intense. They are closely followed by spicy clove and vanilla before yielding to pipe tobacco and a touch of caramel. On the palate, the tannins are quite supple and dance between elevating the subtle streak of minerality and foiling the acid that slices through the body of the wine with zest and freshness. Strawberry and cranberry sauce highlight the transition to the finish and apex as the breadth of the wine expands. Here the tannins are more sandy, but they are a fine contrast to the soft, sweet fruit, expressing now as cola, graphite and black cherry.
