On 4/25/13 3:46 PM, Bi!! wrote:
> made venison meatloaf last night ( I took a 300lb buck this past fall
> and have a lot of ground venison) and opened a bottle of 1998 Chateau
> Montelena Estate from a case purchased on release. The wine was still
> a deep purple color with no sign of age. Aroma of rosted hazelnuts,
> blackberries and black coffee which I find in a lot of vintages of
> Montelena. Rich and smooth on the palate with lots of upfront cassis,
> blackberry, blueberry and sage. Not a highly hearlded vintage but the
> wine was tasty with the venison. "B+/A-"
>

I think that I had my last (2nd) bottle of this not too long ago. I
bought them at the winery, tasting them against the '99 and '00. Of the
three, I preferred the '98 for its more savory character. Good to hear
that yours is showing as well as it is, and congratulations on bagging
that buck!

Mark Lipton

p.s. My personal choice is Syrah with venison, but Midwestern Whitetail
is so non-gamey (for venison) that I can see it going with Cabernet.


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