Dinner last night on the deck, enjoying a pleasant Colorado sunset
beyond Pikes Peak. Had a juicy, thick ribeye with peach puree and
hickory-smoked bacon garnish accompanied with purple and gold grilled
potatoes and a tomato-corn relish on the side. Forget about the taters
and veggies, the focus was on beef.

A heavy dose of steer requires a full-bodied wine, so I pulled a Pine
Ridge Stag's Leap District Cabernet '98. It reminded me what big
cabernet is all about. Beautiful deep burgundy color and almost
viscous clinging to the glass as you swirl a bit. Huge nose of toffee,
chocolate, dark cherry and cassis. Wonderful mouthfeel and an
explosion of toffee, vanilla, chocolate and dark fruits. Just a tweak
of tannin after swallowing reminding you that the wine has a lot of
years left. Wonderful, wonderful.....

Then lingering on the patio and talking about an upcoming trip to
Durango, we needed another glass. This time it was Chateau Montelena
Calistoga Cuvee Cabernet '97. I know this is not the flagship from
Montelena, but it has offered some interest in the past. I'm down to
the last two bottles from a case and in reviewing past TNs, note that
the wine has been incredibly erratic. Like several bottles in the past
this one came with a bucket of sediment. The lower side of the bottle
from the rack was not simply dusted but chunky with sediment. The wine
was murky and showed a load of tar and old rubber boots initially. The
mustiness abated after about an hour and a lot of swirling, but the
wine remained bitter with tar, smoke, rubber and maybe just a bit of
bitter cherry flavors. Other bottles from the case have been clearer
with warmer, but always intense flavors. About half of the bottles
have been heavily sedimented.

The Montelena was half the price of the Pine Ridge, but no bargain.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...
This time it was Chateau Montelena
Calistoga Cuvee Cabernet '97. I know this is not the flagship from
Montelena, but it has offered some interest in the past. I'm down to
the last two bottles from a case and in reviewing past TNs, note that
the wine has been incredibly erratic. Like several bottles in the past
this one came with a bucket of sediment. The lower side of the bottle
from the rack was not simply dusted but chunky with sediment. The wine
was murky and showed a load of tar and old rubber boots initially. The
mustiness abated after about an hour and a lot of swirling, but the
wine remained bitter with tar, smoke, rubber and maybe just a bit of
bitter cherry flavors. Other bottles from the case have been clearer
with warmer, but always intense flavors.

Those tar, smoke and rubber notes are symptoms of a mercaptan problem that
was not adequately addressed in the winery. Copper fining is the usual
course of treatment for mercaptan (plus ascorbic acid if there is
dimercaptan present), followed by deodorizing charcoal. Some winemakers are
reluctant to use charcoal in their wines for fear of stripping the flavor,
but the stink may re-emerge in the bottle if the carbon step is omitted.

Tom S