Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Readers who enjoy classically built wines will findmuch to admire in these new releases from Chateau Montelena. Proprietor Bo Barrett and winemaker Matt Crafton turned out a gorgeous Chardonnay in 2017, while the bottled 2016 Cabernets are terrific. In particular, the straight Napa Valley Cabernet is a superb wine for the money. I also tasted the 2017 Estate Cabernet from barrel. It is a minor miracle that Barrett and Crafton were able to make such a promising wine given the severity of the fires that fall. - From Napa Valley’s Extraordinary 2016 Cabernets - Part 1 (Dec 2018) by Antonio Galloni.