Vinous features a retrospective on Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Vinous has published an article dedicated to the history of Chateau Montelena, the impact of evolving winemaking and cellar improvements, and above all the history of the flagship Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Stephen Tanzer reports on a recently conducted Estate Cabernet Sauvignon vertical tasting stretching from the 1977 to 2010 vintages, which offers a detailed retrospective that traces the history of the wine back to the first Estate bottling. He states that the “earlier vintages are still, with very few exceptions, in remarkable form” but more importantly that “today’s wines are better than ever, showing more pristine, delineated fruit and mineral elements” thanks to significant harvesting and cellar developments as well as the addition of fruit from maturing vines planted in volcanic hillside vineyards. Read the full article here.