 |
|
|
|
|
|
Overall impressions: what a surprise! Here I was fully expecting to find a lot of thin, maybe flavorless '98 Cabs, especially in this mixed lineup of '97 through '99 vintages. But instead, the majority of the '98s were very nice - AND, ready to drink. There's no question that '98 was indeed "...a difficult vintage." But, some winemakers clearly had successes, and many of these wines appear to be among the more successful Napa Cabs of the vintage. And interestingly, even with the mix of a few '97s and '99s, these '98s still look good. I felt about half of the wines tasted rated 90 pts or better, with the rest rating in the high 80s. There wasn't a whole lot of separation here, with the lower ranked wines just a little less forthcoming in taste/texture. Any bargains here are obviously relative. The prices for the '98 vintage are all over the place - from reasonable to very high. Without doing an historical price analysis of each of the labels represented here, it's hard to say whether or not these prices reflect a reduction due to any perceived quality of the vintage. From the pricing, however, it does appear that some wineries feel their Cabs are as good as the '97s, or that the wines should hold their value regardless of what's in the bottle. Meanwhile, other wineries felt a price reduction was probably warranted. |
1999 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $35.99. Medium-dark garnet ruby color. Nice nose, but vigorous swirling is needed to reveal the oak, black cherry, toast, and anise. Slightly lean and a bit tart on the palate, the wine has obvious fruit, it just seems a bit underripe. Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+ 1999 Lewis
Cabernet Sauvignon. $53.99. Very dark ruby color. Very nice
nose of toasty oak, cassis, vanilla, and anise. Slightly chewy off-sweet
fruit, touch of vanilla and licorice, smooth long finish that gets
a bit soft on the end. 1998 Columbia
Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Washington. $19.99.
Dark garnet color. Very toasty, with charred oak, cassis, and almost
a maple bacon note in the nose. Tasty mouthfeel, nice balance flavors,
it just seems a bit light on the palate. 1998 Beaulieu
Vineyards Tapestry - Napa Valley. $32.99. Medium-dark
garnet color. Nose of cassis, toast, and vanilla. Nice enough mouthfeel,
but a bit lean on the palate, with a tart and puckery finish that
shows more oaky tannins than most. 1998 Caymus
Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $64.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet
color. Nose of cassis, toast, and new oak. A little barnyard-tasting
on the palate, with obvious oak flavors that make it a little rough
and tannic, with long finish and nice aftertaste. This one seems
a little rough and funky right now, but may stand the best chance
of improvement in the long term. 1998 Arns
Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $59.99. Dark garnet color.
Nose of toast, cassis, ink, oak. Full and somewhat chewy mouthfeel,
good fruit, and smooth tannins, yet a real mouth grabber that also
picks up a bit of tartness with its slightly oaky finish. 1998 Merryvale
Profile - Napa Valley. $69.99. Dark garnet color. Nice
sweet oak and cassis, with a touch of vanilla and anise in the nose.
Toasty oak and cassis flavors, nice mouthfeel, very good balance,
with a smooth long oak-driven finish. 1998 Joseph
Phelps Insignia - Napa Valley. $81.99. Very dark ruby
garnet color. Sweet nose of toast, cassis, and cheddar. Somewhat
soft and fat mouthfeel, fresh and grapey flavors, seems to lack
some grip through finish. The nose is really nice, but is this a
flabby fruit bomb, or a shy late bloomer? At 82 bucks, neither one
is particularly satisfying. 1998 Opus
One - Napa Valley. $109.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Bright
and floral nose of cassis, pomegranete, toast, and rhubarb. Sweet
mouthfeel, with a touch of smooth oak through mid-palate, and a
slight oak-induced grip at latter palate. Wants for a little more
fruit. 1998 Dalla
Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $99.99. Very dark garnet
ruby color. Nose of toasty oak, cassis, ink, and cheddar. Big mouthfeel,
very nice cassis fruit and toasty oak, nice smooth tannin finish. 1998 Beaulieu
Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Georges de Latour -
Napa Valley. $69.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Big, somewhat herbaceous
nose of oak, cassis, and toast. Full body, slightly coarse mouthfeel
and tart fruit, with a relatively short finish. 1998 Robert
Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $89.99.
Dark garnet ruby color. Slightly herbaceous nose, with healthy dollop
of oak, and a definite toasty - almost weedy quality. Slightly sweet,
toasty, big and chewy mouthfeel, generally smooth across the palate,
with a long somewhat tight finish. 1998 Dominus
- Napa Valley. $89.99. Medium garnet color. Very nice nose of
oak, cassis, and toast. Flavors of sweet oak, anise, cassis, and
cocoa, moderate mouthfeel, and long finish. Unusual for a what I'd
expect from Dominus - more to a lighter style, and seemingly very
correct. 1998 Pine
Ridge Andrus Reserve - Napa Valley. $89.99. Dark
ruby garnet color. Lightly herbaceous nose of sweet toasty oak,
ink and anise. Sweet toasty mouthfeel, very nice cassis fruit through
mid-palate, fruit seems to drop off just a bit on the long finish.
I'd become accustomed to vegetal notes in this label. But, this
is one of the better Andrus Reserve's I've had. |
|
1998 Caymus
Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - Napa Valley. $109.99.
Very dark garnet ruby color. Slightly restrained nose of oak,
cassis, barnyard, rubber, and anise. Huge smooth mouthfeel, nice
melding of oak and fruit, and long finish. Very similar to Napa
bottling, but with more guts. But, $45 more guts? I don't think
so. 1997 Clos
du Bois Marlstone - Sonoma County. $27.99. Light-medium garnet
color. Sweet, complex almost Rhone-like nose of oak, toast, and
anise. Light-medium mouthfeel, tasty fruit, but seems a bit light
through medium-long finish. 1997 Camelia
Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $28.99. Medium-dark
ruby color. Nose of cassis, sharp oak, and ink. Sweet dense mouthfeel,
very good balance, nice compliment of oak, fruit gets a bit tart
on long finish. 1997 Cosentino
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $52.99. Dark
garnet ruby color. Inky nose of cassis and toasty oak, with a light
sharp/sour note. Of-sweet slightly tart mouthfeel with lots of flavors,
and long finish. Seems somewhat overripe, yet tart as well. 1997 Clos
du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $67.99.
Dark ruby garnet color. Very sweet toasty nose of cassis, anise,
and a touch of ink. Initially full mouthfeel, with nice flavors
and balance, but starts to flatten out just after mid-palate. 997 Kenwood
Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series - Napa Valley. $56.99.
Dark ruby red color. Very nice nose of toasty oak, cassis, and anise.
Off-sweet mouthfeel, very nice balance and fruit, and long finish.
Very tasty. 1997 Clos
Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon Hommage - Napa Valley. $59.99.
Dark garnet ruby color. Sweet and toasty nose, with cassis, black
cherry and vanilla aromas. Full mouthfeel, slightly oaky and a bit
pinched, with long finish. 1997 Spring
Mountain Reserve - Napa Valley. $79.99. Dark ruby garnet
color. Sweet herbaceous and toasty nose, with cassis, black cherry,
and cheddar aromas. Huge mouthfeel, oaky and tannic, with big core
of fruit, excellent balance, and very long finish. 1997 Stonestreet
Legacy - Napa Valley. $69.99. Medium-dark garnet ruby
color. Beautiful cassis, black cherry, anise, and slightly oaky
nose. Mass of oak seems to smother the other wise nice cassis fruit.
Long oak-driven finish. 1997 Hess
Collection Cabernet Sauvignon. $39.99. Medium-dark garnet ruby
color. Overripe and slightly medicinal nose, with a cheesy chalky
quality. Chalky and dry on the palate, the wine seems overly oaky
at present, with a cocoa powder taste and long dry finish. |
|||
|
|
|
No original material may be reproduced without written consent Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson Last Update 10.15.02 |