Last night, with a heavy snowfall already in the works, we hunkered down
indoors and cooked some lamb chops that Jean had thoughtfully
provisioned us with. To accompany the lamb, I went down in the cellar
and came back with:

1999 Chateau Montelena "Calistoga Cuvée"
nose: pencil lead, cassis, black cherry
palate: finely grained tannins, balanced acidity, primary flavors

This "second label" of Chateau Montelena (and no longer produced IIRC)
was purchased at the winery in '01. One of the finest, if not the
finest, Calistoga Cuvées I can recall tasting, it is still going strong
now. Like its big sibling, my one concern is that it doesn't seem to
develop any tertiary characteristics. That, however, is a fairly minor
quibble, as this is a terrific example of a balanced, food-friendly CalCab.

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Jan 8, 9:50*am, Mark Lipton wrote:
Last night, with a heavy snowfall already in the works, we hunkered down
indoors and cooked some lamb chops that Jean had thoughtfully
provisioned us with. *To accompany the lamb, I went down in the cellar
and came back with:

1999 Chateau Montelena "Calistoga Cuv e"
nose: pencil lead, cassis, black cherry
palate: finely grained tannins, balanced acidity, primary flavors

This "second label" of Chateau Montelena (and no longer produced IIRC)
was purchased at the winery in '01. *One of the finest, if not the
finest, Calistoga Cuv es I can recall tasting, it is still going strong
now. *Like its big sibling, my one concern is that it doesn't seem to
develop any tertiary characteristics. *That, however, is a fairly minor
quibble, as this is a terrific example of a balanced, food-friendly CalCab.

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: *http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

thanks for notes, didn't know they stopped the Calistoga. Uusally a
fine value,