<p>Deep garnet red in the glass. The nose is complex with ripe cassis and raspberry aromas, as well as hints of spice and earth. The cool vintage allows the signature terroir of the Montelena Estate vineyard to show much more than in a warmer vintage. The palate is rich but soft with great varietal flavors like warm cassis and red berries and with a very polished and supple tannin structure.</p><p>In the end, 2000 is a rich yet elegant vintage where Montelena&rsquo;s traditional winemaking techniques and low vineyard yields combine to give a classically-styled wine: ripe yet accessible. Sneak this one into the area of your cellar where you keep your first growths, because stylistically that&#39;s where it fits best.</p><p><strong>90 Points, Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate:</strong></p><p>&quot;The dense purple-colored 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc) reveals a sweet perfume of black currants, an expansive, full-bodied palate, surprising elegance as well as accessibility, excellent purity, and a long, layered finish. It is a successful 2000 Cabernet to drink now and over the next 12-15 years.&quot; (Dec. 2003)</p><p><strong>90 Points, Wine Spectator:</strong></p><p>&quot;Notably ripe, plush and fleshy for the vintage, exhibiting ripe blackberry and plum flavors that are concentrated and well-focused, finishing with a nice burst of fruit flavors, with modest tannins. Drink now through 2010. 8,300 cases made. &ndash;JL&quot; (8/31/2004)</p>

Community Tasting Notes (average 86.6 pts. and median of 87 pts. in 18 notes)

Rating for United States-California: 78 (bad year)<br/><br/>Drinkability: quite possibly over the hill<br/>