1985 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Some very ripe notes as well as a black tea coolness to the rather claret-like aromas of dark berries, licorice, menthol, tobacco and balsamic cedar. Perhaps the silkiest vintage to this point of the tasting and distinctly Bordeaux-like in its texture and complexity, delivering complex flavors of red and darker fruits, mocha, spices and flowers. (ST)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Consistently a low to mid-ninety point Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Montelena's 1985 remains frightfully backward at nearly ten years of age. The 1985, 1987, and 1991 have the potential to be three of the longest-lived Montelena Cabernets this fine winery has ever produced. In this tasting, the 1985 was unevolved and youthful, with an opaque ruby/purple color, and a closed but promising nose of cassis fruit, earth, minerals, and oak. Full-bodied, marvelously concentrated and pure, this highly extracted, muscular, blockbuster effort requires a minimum of 5-6 more years of cellaring. A candidate for 20-30 years of longevity, it should prove to be one of the great Montelena Cabernet Sauvignons, but patience is required.
About the producer
Chateau Montelena is a historic Napa Valley estate that rose to global fame after its 1973 Chardonnay won the 1976 Judgment of Paris. Renowned for both its Chardonnay and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, the winery continues to produce elegant, age-worthy wines with a legacy of excellence.