On Jun 10, 11:30*am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> On 6/10/11 10:40 AM, Bi!! wrote:
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> > I opened a double magnum last night of 1994 Chateau Montelena Estate
> > Cabernet. *We had a fairly large group of neighbors put together an ad
> > hoc get together of food and wine. *Lots of fun. *I started with a
> > glass of Nino Franco "Rustico" Prosecco NV. *Fairly golden in the
> > glass, nice nose of yeasty berries. *Nice fruity profile on the
> > palate.
>
> > I opened the 1994 Double Mag of Chateau Montelena Estate Napa Cabernet
> > about an hour before drilnking and decanted into three decanters. *The
> > wine was dark purple with a brickish cast to it certainly showing some
> > age. *FWIW, the cork was really quite short on one side as if it never
> > expanded on that dise when it was inserted however it was still tight
> > and intact. *The nose showed a lot of cedar and lead pencil with a
> > fair amount of cassis. *Still firm and rich on the palate reminding me
> > of Bordeaux. *Lots of blackberry, black currant, tobacco and leather
> > on the palate. "B+"
>
> Wow. *I expect that, especially in large format bottles, '94 Ch.
> Montelena is still a decade or two from complete readiness. *It sounds
> like your bottle was a bit closed down, Bill.
>
> Mark Lipton
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: *http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

It was a bit closed and a bit more mature than I expected. I think
the ripeness levels were a bit higher than normal for Montelena in
1994 and it was the beginning of the plush tannin and push towards
riper fleshier styles that began to overtake Napa in the 90's.