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Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Montagna Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Montagna Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

We've seen the Montagna Napa Valley label but didn't connect it to the property we passed on Long Ranch Road on our way up to David Arthur vineyards at 1100 feet high atop Pritchard Hill in the Vaca Mountain range overlooking Napa Valley from the east. Interesting that Montagna is the project of Bob Long, one of the founders of David Arthur with his brother David. These vineyards are part of the nine hundred acre parcel purchased by their parents back in the mid-sixties and seventies. We were already big fans of Pritchard Hill Cabernet and our visit to David Arthur was one of the highlights of our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2013. We visited Chappellet Vineyards during our Napa Wine Experience in 2009.

Bob and David Long grew up down on the peninsula in Palo Alto California and spending time working in the family's super market in nearby Portola Valley. Bob graduated from the University of Denver and attended law school at the University of the Pacific. After a short time practicing law and working in real estate development in Chicago, Bob and his brother David started David Arthur Vineyards in 1984.

The Montagna vineyards sit just a mile down Long Ranch Road from David Arthur amongst other notable Pritchard Hill producers such as Chappellet, Colgin Cellars, Continuum, David Arthur, Ovid Napa Valley and, BRAND.

Dr Dan picked up a case of this aged Montagna at auction and brought a bottle BYOB to our dinner at Folklore Argentine Grill steak house in Wicker Park in Chicago before the Hawks game.

Dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, earth and leather predominate almost like a left bank Bordeaux, giving way to black cherry, black currant and black berry fruits accented by spice, cigar box and hints of cedar with firm lingering tannins. I took the remaining half bottle home and opened it the next evening to find even more pronounced fruits had taken over and the earth and leather were an after thought.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1641170

https://montagnanapavalley.com/

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