a little side trip out of south africa for this exquisite chardonnay from napa valley. if you know anything about wine history or recent wine oriented movies, then this winery is no stranger to you. chateau montelena was the winery featured in the film 'bottle shock' about the judgement of paris where the u.s. made a huge statement in the world wine industry. montelena's chardonnay was voted the top white wine in a blind tasting in 1976. i must admit to not being a huge fan of overly oaked california chardonnay, but this one completely knocked my socks off. some of the wine spent some aging time in stainless in this vintage and it really makes the fruit flavor pop. the nose had white peach, pear, some apple and nice floral aromas. i don't normally mention color but this one was very intense gold. the palate was more of the peach flavor, along with pears, citrus, spice and some orange blossom in the finish. very full mouth feel and the finish lingered for quite some time. be prepared to drop a few dollars on this as it sells for about $50. you can shop around a bit and find it cheaper. pick one up and lay it down for a couple years. excellent for a special occasion.
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