1995 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Good dark red, but not as lucid as the 1994. Intriguing scents of redcurrant, dried plum, hoisin sauce, tobacco and dried flowers; more red than black in character and thus more like the pre-1994 vintages. Nicely firm and fresh, conveying an impression of energy and finesse to its black cherry, tobacco and spice flavors, if not quite the complexity of the '94. Bo Barrett opened this very satisfying second bottle after our first sample showed a rounder mouthfeel but more evolved aromas of prune and earth and a faint dry edge, probably the result of an imperfect cork. (14.1% alcohol)

Bright, full medium ruby. Cool, medicinal aromas of black cherry, menthol, graphite, licorice and cinders are quite fresh, even high-pitched. Suave and alive, conveying a slight medicinal coolness to the flavors of dark berries, bitter cherry, leather, minerals and spices. This fine-grained, rather stylish Cabernet is juicy and light on its feet, with enough mid-palate material to cushion its firm tannins. Lovely old-style Cabernet--and not a bruiser.

At the winery, I rated the 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate one point below what I gave it in the blind tasting. Nevertheless, my notes on both tastings are nearly identical. This is another winery where the 1995 may be as strong as the 1994. The color is an opaque purple. The wine is full-bodied and powerful, with classic notes of cassis intermixed with loamy soil scents, underbrush, and spice. There is massive body and elevated, but sweet tannin that is well-integrated with the wine's other components, a blockbuster mid-palate, and a finish that lasts for 30+ seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2025. Modern-day society seems to always be in search of new stars, but this winery has been a super hero for great California Cabernet Sauvignon for nearly 25 years! Montelena's Estate Cabernet Sauvignons are equivalent to buying blue chip stock. They get better and better with age and as the vertical tastings I have attended so persuasively attest, they are still relatively young wines at 20 years of age! Tel. (707) 942-5105; Fax (707) 942-4221