2006 Montelena Estate Zinfandel

From estate vineyards, Montelena fashions an old style, classic California Zinfandel. The 2006 Zinfandel Estate is a sexy effort with crisp acidity, fresh berry fruit, plenty of pepper and spice, and no hard edges. It should be drunk over the next 2-3 years. Chateau Montelena’s sale to the owners of Bordeaux’s well-known second-growth, Chateau Cos d’Estournel, fell through, no doubt because of the global economic crisis. It was unquestionably shocking that this Napa icon was on the block, and about to be sold to, of all people, the French, who Montelena had defeated in the famous Steven Spurrier tasting of 1976. Tasting through the wines with the ever reliable Bo Barrett is always a lesson in candor and honesty. Montelena’s negociant blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, from northern vineyards in the Calistoga area, is meant to represent a Montelena house style, but it is much softer and less ageworthy, thus is the ideal restaurant/steakhouse wine. Tel. (707) 942-5105; Fax (707) 942-4221

Good full medium-deep red. Darker fruit aromas than the 2005, with complicating notes of licorice, graphite and leather. Then creamy-rich but cooler in the mouth, showing a peppery character and less obvious fruit than the earlier vintage. Finishes with substantial tannins and a suggestion of sweet American oak.