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OCTOBER 16, 2006
By Robert Parker The Family That Put Napa On The Map Chateau Montelena was little more than a ghost winery when lawyer Jim Barrett acquired the Napa Valley property in 1972. Just four years later, his chardonnay trumped his French competitors in the now famous wine tasting -- known as "the Judgment of Paris" -- that showed Californians could compete with the French. Since then, Montelena's cabernet sauvignon has been world-class, aging like a fine Bordeaux. Its zinfandel and riesling are excellent, too. 
Indeed, there is no better winemaker than Jim's charismatic and down-to-earth son, Bo. Jim, supposedly retired, is always around the winery whenever I visit. 2004 Potter Valley Riesling 89 points. The medium-bodied Johannisberg riesling, which is essentially dry (less than 1% residual sugar), reveals pleasant notes of nectarines mixed with apple skin and a hint of orange rind. It is a fresh, food-friendly white to drink over the next three to four years, perhaps longer. $18 2002 Montelena Estate Zinfandel 91 points. This zin is blended with 1.5% syrah, 1% petit syrah, and 0.9% Viognier. It displays an exuberant, ostentatious nose of red and black fruits blended with flowers, frying lard, and a hint of peaches. Lush, ripe, heady, and rich, this hedonistic effort will provide delicious drinking over the next five to seven years. $28 2003 Montelena Estate Zinfandel 90 points. From dry-farmed, head-pruned vineyards planted in Calistoga, Calif., this estate zin's dark ruby-hued wine offers a big, briary, cherry, pepper, loamy soil, and earth-scented bouquet. Enjoy this spicy, rich, full-bodied effort over the next three to four years. $28 2004 Napa Valley Chardonnay 90 points. The wine reveals tropical fruit and lemon-butter characteristics, but perhaps not the length and precision of the 2003. Nevertheless, it is a tasty, steely chardonnay displaying little oak influence. $38 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 90 points. This cab exhibits a dense ruby/purple color in addition to copious quantities of herb-tinged cassis fruit, full-bodied and ripe tannin, and a soft, plump personality. It will be accessible young, yet will be able to age for 10 to 15 years. $40 2002 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 95+ points. With 14.4% alcohol, this is a relatively flamboyant effort. Its opaque purple color is followed by a gloriously pure nose of crème de cassis, licorice, earth, truffles, and flowers. Full-bodied, powerful, and rich, with high tannin as well as concentration, it is somewhat accessible now, but it will be even better after four to six years of aging in the bottle. The wine should drink beautifully for 25 to 30 years. $95 2003 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 94 points. This powerful, concentrated wine (14.3% alcohol) exhibits aromas of black currant jam, tar, smoke, and forest floor. While less flamboyant than the extroverted 2002, it's an opulent effort -- deep, chewy, pure, and well delineated. It is anticipated that this gem will mature sometime between 2010 and 2025, but it could go longer. $105 Wines rated from 96-100 are extraordinary; 90-95, excellent; 80-89, above average to very good.2  Visit www.eRobertParker.com for the Internet's most active wine bulletin board, tens of thousands of tasting notes, or to order his recent book, The World's Greatest Wine Estates: A Modern Perspective. You can also subscribe to Parker's newsletter, The Wine Advocate. Request a sample copy at: The Wine Advocate, P.O. Box 311, Monkton, MD 21111
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