Wine Ratings

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The incredible 1991 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate appears to be a natural born legend. It competes with the other-worldly 1987 in terms of pure richness and flavor. It possesses amazing depth, an impenetrably opaque purple color, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. The wine offers a fabulously ripe nose of black-raspberries, cassis, spices, and vanillin. This is the second vintage where the type of tannins achieved by Montelena are softer and sweeter. This is clearly a 20-30 year Cabernet.Robert Parker | 97 RPThe 1991 Chateau Montelena put the Pomerol in its place, incontrovertibly emerging as the star of the evening. The bouquet is utterly sublime, offering enticing scents of blackberries, iodine and a hint of cassis, opulent but beautifully controlled and defined. The palate does not disappoint, delivering plenty of fresh black fruit laced with raspberry preserve and cassis, all wrapped up in a seductive velvety texture that belies the structure underneath. Wonderful!Vinous Media | 95 VMSmooth, rich and intense without being overly tannic. The core of black cherry, anise, blackberry and currant flavors is well-focused, turning supple, with persistent flavors on the finish.--’81/’91 California Cabernet retrospective. Drink now through 2006. 12,000 cases made. — JLWine Spectator | 91 WS

As I reported last year, the 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard is a spectacular wine from a vintage that has consistently received unfavorable press (particularly from the Wine Spectator). It seems to me that if the 1993 vintage were taken out of the context of the historical succession of outstanding years in the nineties, and put in the eighties, qualitatively, 1993 would tower over the likes of 1987, 1985, or 1984. The Eisele Vineyard 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the half dozen or so candidates for wine of the vintage. I have tasted it three times out of bottle, once rating it as high as 98, but never less than 96. It is a mind-boggling Cabernet Sauvignon that is remarkably well-balanced for its size and intensity. The color is an opaque purple, and the nose offers up smoky, chocolatey, blackcurrant, licorice, and mineral scents. On the palate, the wine reveals fabulous density, concentration, sweetness of fruit as well as tannin, and a 30-40 second finish. Although there is a high percentage of new oak, this wine has completely soaked it up, a testament to its extract and concentration of fruit. While the wine displays a certain precociousness, unusual for a 1993, there is plenty of tannin lurking in the finish, but it is well-concealed by the wine's exceptional richness. This beauty is destined to age effortlessly for 20-25 years.The Eisele Vineyard has always produced concentrated Cabernet Sauvignons with blackcurrant/cassis personalities intermixed with a mineral component. What the Araujos have been able to achieve is to intensify the fruit character, as well as the wine's purity and definition. That, plus high quality French oak barrels and a natural approach to winemaking has resulted in a succession of extraordinary Cabernets that began in 1991, and shows no signs of abating.Robert Parker | 96 RPRemarkably youthful and vibrant, with spicy currant, plum, black cherry and anise flavors that pick up touches of earth, mocha and cigar box. Enormous complexity, depth and range of flavors. Has hit an ideal drinking plateau now, but could well last another decade. Decant.--1993 California Cabernet retrospective. Drink now through 2012. 1,285 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The saturated purple-colored 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard offers an attractive nose of black fruits intermixed with toast, minerals, subtle tar, and wood smoke. Full-bodied, with impressive purity, a multi-layered mid-palate and finish, it is an expressive, pure, powerful, and large-boned wine.Robert Parker | 94 RPSmooth and polished, with detailed flavors of ripe plum, black cherry, spice and light oak, this pedigreed red turns rich and elegant, with a long, complex aftertaste. Best from 2001 through 2008. 2,305 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDeep ruby color, darker for its age than the '97. Slightly roasted aromas of black fruits, toffee, leather, tobacco, mocha and dark chocolate; exhilarating suggestion of crystallized berries. Lush and velvety in the mouth; already displays wonderful sweetness and layered texture. Very strong back end features chewy, ripe tannins. A very successful '96, showing beautifully today.Vinous Media | 93 VM

A compelling example of this noble terroir in the northeastern sector of Napa Valley, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard still has a dense purple color and possesses a seamless personality with spectacular notes of licorice, incense, black raspberries, black currants, crushed rock, and spring flowers. Stunningly full-bodied, multi-layered, with great purity and expression, this fabulous wine is still youthful but very accessible, as the tannins are velvety and well-integrated. This wine will keep aging beautifully for a minimum of another quarter century. Bravo!Robert Parker | 99 RP(contains 4% cabernet franc) Ruby-red. Warm and inviting aromas of plum, mocha, tobacco, smoke and spices. Rich, silky and suave, with mellow, claret-like flavors of currant, plum, tobacco and mocha. Pure, layered and stylish wine, finishing with substantial but lush tannins and subtle persistence. One can see the hand of consulting enologist Michel Rolland in this wine.Vinous Media | 94 VMWonderful complexity, depth and finesse, with layers of mocha, espresso, currant, wild berry and vanilla bean flavors that are sharply focused, finishing with tight yet supple tannins and a long, rich aftertaste with layers of complexity. Best from 2005 through 2012. 1,600 cases made. Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Deep garnet colored, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate displays a very slowly evolving nose of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries, vanilla pod and smoked meats with touches of dried Provence herbs, cedar chest and cloves. Medium-bodied, plush, rich and generously fruited in the mouth, it has a wonderfully spicy character and long baking spice and black fruit-laced finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPBright ruby-red. Slightly jammy aromas of blackberry, cassis and cherry complemented by spice and cedar nuances. Wonderfully sweet and mouthfilling but not a bit weighty, with its dark berry, spice and tobacco flavors firmed by medicinal menthol and mint notes. This suave, fine-grained beauty can be enjoyed now owing to its superb balance but it also has the penetration and cut to go on for another 20 years. Winemaker Matt Crafton describes 2007 as "a Goldilocks vintage," with long, slow ripening, no weather extremes and full flavor development. Finishes very long, with wonderfully suave tannins and no shortage of structure. (14.3% alcohol)Vinous Media | 95 VMMontelena’s winemaker at the time of this vintage (Matt Crafton joined in 2008) described this as a Goldilocks vintage, where everything was just right. Nearly 20 years after it was made, this displays an impressive depth of red and dried fruits, soft milk chocolate roundness and ripe tannins, but also a firm structure behind. The well-worn phrase ’iron first in a velvet glove’ springs to mind. Still another decade of life ahead at least.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThis will be released next year. I am loving the intense currants, mint, eucalyptus, and blackberries in the nose. Reminds me of a Lynch Bages or Mouton. Full bodied and chewy, with lovely fruit and round velvety tannins. The finish is packed with some serious fruit, but this could still use some time. Give this until at least 2015. 14+23+22+33. Find the wineJames Suckling | 92 JSNot a wine for drinking now or anytime soon. It’s so hard in tannins, it basically locks down the palate, and the astringency seems to accentuate the acidity and dryness. However, there is a deep core of blackberry essence and, after all, this is Montelena. All indications are that it will be a terrific wine in another 8 or 10 years.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE