Good bright ruby-red. Aromas of cassis, licorice, dark chocolate and menthol. Dense, thick and powerful, with a chewy texture and impressive concentration to the plummy fruit. This has a silky texture but no shortage of inner-mouth energy. Finishes long and aromatic, with late-arriving tannins. In spite of Barrett's description of the "Aussie-like surmaturite" that figured in the harvest of 2004, I am not put off by a hot-vintage character. (However, I retasted the 2003 this year and found it in a very tough stage, with the tannins cutting off the fruit; on this occasion I scored the wine 89+?. My impression is that the 2004 was made from more consistently ripe fruit.). This wine weighs in at 14.2% alcohol, making it the first Montelena estate cabernet to surpass 14% since the '78, which was 14.4%.

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The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, all from their old vineyards in Calistoga. This is a dense, ruby/purple-tinged wine with full body, and despite the softness of the general vintage, Montelena has plenty of structure. Like nearly every vintage of their top Cabernet Sauvignon, it will last for 25 or more years. The wine has sweet tannin in a broad, flavorful, concentrated style with plenty of black currant, licorice, and spice. The wine is beautifully textured, slightly more forward than most Montelena Cabernets tend to be. It is another beauty from probably the most consistent winery for Cabernet Sauvignon over the last three decades. (Release date Spring 2008)

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quite nice after one hour, suspect it could benefit for more air time