theCompass mobile application is a winery, brewery, and distillery locator for North America.

The Montelena earthy-berry aroma is very concentrated, showing lovely, classic Cabernet, warm earth and sun baked cassis with licorice and spice. On the palate there is integration of strong, deep, concentrated fruit in a perfect balance. Super fine tannin grips the palate, with ripe, round flavors that dance right on the seam between classic Bordeaux and California styles. I look back on the battle of 2004 with fondness because the wine is so wonderful now. And after 25 or more harvests we love the greatest challenges, because once they are but memories the toughest years become the most legendary adventures.

We describe the 2005 vintage as a mild one, with good ripening weather throughout, and this is especially beneficial to the thin skinned Zinfandel grape. In heat it can experience shrivel, and with cold and wet conditions it can rot more easily. So we were confident that the relatively cool 2005 vintage would be particularly kind to this variety. We also knew that if grown with patience from low yielding, carefully farmed Calistoga vines - with an eye toward crafting an elegant, claret-styled red wine - our Estate Zinfandel grapes would provide delicious rewards in the glass.

In the glass, our 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet shows a deep, dense, black ruby color. It offers complex aromatics of berry, cedar, licorice, and classic Cabernet which, combined with its rich, underlying fruit concentration, should please the most discriminating wine lover. In the mouth it is wonderfully smooth, full-bodied and balanced, with attractive berry and spice notes, along with rich, fine grained Cabernet tannins. Tasty today, this wine is built in the traditional Montelena style, so that it will also definitely develop nicely with a few years of cellar time.

In the glass the wine is exactly what you would expect from a young Montelena Chardonnay, showing bright yellow gold, with good color density. It smells great, like a green apple pie, bright and a little citrus-y, a bowlful of fresh fruit. The palate is very nice, very smooth, with classic Chardonnay flavors of apple and kiwi, and a lovely finish that leaves the palate refreshed and wanting more. Typically a little tight in its youth, a textbook characteristic of a Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, this wine will reward you with pleasing structure and complexity after some time in the cellar.

Bright yellow gold in color, atypical for this usually pale variety, the nose conveys a truly delicate blend of honeysuckle, white peach and flowers, intertwined with a lovely and inviting note of Riesling. Crisp flavors of fresh fruit follow, carefully balanced, and with a fine tuned acidity that is very pleasing in the mouth. This is the driest, lowest sugar Riesling we have ever made. We are certain you will enjoy this all spring and summer, patio or pool, day or evening!