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Overall impressions: another look at the 1999 Cabernets. Also included in this flight were a few wines from the 2000 vintage, a couple of Merlots and some blended Meritage wines. The '99 vintage seems to have produced some very fine wines, although most of them seem to be priced accordingly. However, there are still some real as well as relative values to be had in California Cabernet and blends. The Neal just edged out the Sawyer as my favorite wine in the flight. Both wines are excellent. We were also able to taste the debut of a new cult-wannabe, the Hundred Acres. Yet, while this was indeed an excellent wine, I'd much rather have three of the Neal or Sawyer wines than one of the Hundred Acres. Lewis, Caymus, Elyse, and the Silverado SLD round-out my favorites. It seems that most of the Merlots and Meritage bottlings fell into my the second tier. Out of this group, you can't go wrong with the L'Ecole Meritage or the Atalon Merlot. Speaking of Merlot, as always, the Paloma was a beautiful wine, and the better of the pair of Merlots in the tasting. On the other hand, it wasn't twice as beautiful at the Atalon. Disappointments seemed more numerous this time out. I certainly expected more out of the Trilogy, which seemed like a fairly weak effort, saddled with an incomprehensible price. The Simi and the Beringer KV appear to be priced appropriately, but they've become shadows of their former selves. Both of these wines usually offered plenty of sweet chewy fruit in years' past. But the bottlings have apparently been relegated to the bottom of the ladder at each respective winery. Finally, the $30 Dutch Henry was bested in the fruit category by an $8 Monterey Cab. No slight is intended to the Hahn - because it was just packed with fruit. But, I haven't a clue where ol' Dutch hid the goods, 'cause it wasn't in the bottle. |
2000 Hahn Cabernet Sauvignon - Central Coast. $7.99. Very dark ruby color. Dense and effusive nose with hint of stem in the big cassis fruit, smoky oak, and a touch of herbs. Young mouthfeel, with chewy thick body and intensity that goes on forever. It's a little rough and ready, but this was a major surprise. Monterey Cabs are generally not known for this kind of "red" intensity, yet here's one that delivers a real punch. Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B 2000
Atalon Merlot - Napa Valley. $18.99. Dark ruby color. Somewhat
herbaceous nose of black cherry. cassis, mint, and toasty oak. Toasted,
slightly macerated taste to the chewy fruit, and long smooth finish. 2000
Paloma Merlot - Napa Valley. $39.99. Very dark ruby color.
Nose of slightly burnished black cherry and cassis, with a nice
toasted hardwood note. Tasty, with lots of concentrated fruit, creamy
oak and long finish. This has always been a Cabernet for the Merlot
set, and this one's no exception. 2000
L'Ecole #41 Apogee - Walla Walla, WA. $35.99. Medium
dark ruby garnet color. Beautiful herbs and mint scents blend with
the creamy black cherry and toasted oak. Off-sweet, slightly sharp
mouthfeel initially, the wine smooths out nicely through mid-palate,
picking up a slight acid bite on the finish. 1999
Columbia Crest Walter Clore - Columbia Valley, WA. $22.99.
Dark ruby garnet color. Barest hints of black cherry, shoe polish
and oak come from the somewhat reclusive nose. Chewy off-sweet mouthfeel,
nice macerated taste through mid-palate. Fruit seems to drop off
a bit, before the otherwise long finish. 1999
Flora Springs Trilogy - Napa Valley. $49.99. Medium-dark
garnet ruby color. Slightly burnished and porty in the nose, the
fruit seems a bit too late-harvest here. Off-sweet mouthfeel, slightly
brandied fruit, smooth texture, just a bit oaky on long unremarkable
finish. Nearly always a dependably elegant bottling, this wine didn't
measure up to previous benchmarks - especially considering the price
neighborhood it's playing in. 1997
Ferrari Carano Tresor - Alexander Valley. $37.99.
Dark garnet ruby color. Nice toasty nose, with nice cassis, black
cherry, vanilla and a light touch of herbs. Sweet-sour fruit, very
meaty and toasty flavors, with a very nice smooth toasted-grain
tasate to the long finish. 1999
Simi Cabernet Sauvignon - Alexander Valley. $17.99. Medium dark
ruby color. Light scents of green bean and violet distract from
the otherwise stemmy cassis and black cherry fruit lying beneath.
Steely in taste, yet with lots of fresh macerated fruit flavors
to round out the chewy and toasty mid-palate. Unfortuantely, the
fruit thins out toward the finish, leaving the acids to go on alone.
Varying in recent vintages from cloying to thin, this rendition
falls into the latter category. 1999
Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon - Knight's Valley. $19.99. Medium
dark garnet ruby color. Kind of dilute and thin smelling, with merely
faint aromas of steely cassis and green bean. Moderate mouthfeel,
with a lightweight feel on the palate and a short finish. Well,
here's a loss to mourn. The KV bottling was once sought after as
a major value in Cal Cab. But, demand has waned over the past several
years, as Beringer increased the price of the bottling. This one's
down in price, but so is the quality. Disappointing. 1999
Dutch Henry Cabernet Sauvignon - Chafen Vnyd, Napa Valley. $29.99.
Medium dark ruby color. Slightly burnished and perfumy nose, with
hints of oak, rubber and ash. Acidic and oaky in mouthfeel, with
weak mid-palate and moderate finish. One has to wonder: Where's
the beef? I've never tried this winery's offerings before. I hope
this is an anomaly, because for $30, they're going to need some
fruit to compete. 1999
Sawyer Cabernet Sauvignon - Rutherford. $39.99. Dark ruby color.
Very concentrated aromas of cassis, toast, chocolate, and mocha.
Big, chewy and smooth mouthfeel, with toasty chocolate cassis flavors,
and a long smooth toasty delicious finish. 1999
Neal Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $44.99. Very dark ruby
color. Dense and luscious nose, with a complex compote of black
cherry, mocha, licorice, and toast. Smooth and seductive on the
palate, the mouthfeel seems very concentrated, yet also soft and
round, with a long smooth and toasty finish. |
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1999
Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $24.99. Dark ruby
color. Slightly candied nose, with aromas of cassis, herbs, and
toast. Lots of chewy fruit in the center, but it seems a bit oaky
and narrow in focus, and contribute little to the long finish. Could
be a sleeper if it fills out with some more bottle time. 1999
Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon - Palisades Vnyd, Napa Valley.
$49.99. Very dark ruby color. Concentrated aromas of cassis,
herbs, licorice and moderate oak. Full and chewy in mouthfeel, the
wine has nice black cherry, toast, and chocolate flavors, but get
a bit acidic through long finish. Could be another sleeper here,
if the fills out a little more. 1999
Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon - Morisoli Vnyd. $45.99. Very dark
ruby color. Lovely nose of slightly stemmy black cherry fruit, vanilla,
and shoe wax, with some toasty oak that adds a nice herbaceous quality.
Slightly stemmy taste to the off-sweet mouthfeel, with lots of chewy
macerated fruit, and toasty long finish. Typical of Elyse Morisoli
bottlings, this one is serious stuff, eschewing the "black
forest cake" qualities than many other Morisoli Cabs seem to
wear. 1999
Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon - Stags Leap District. $49.99.
Dark ruby color. Nose of cassis, blueberry, licorice and toast.
Very tasty mouthfeel, with chewy fruit, flavors of black cherry
and mocha, and long toasty finish. 2000
Lewis Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $51.99. Dark ruby color.
Veins of toasted oak run through sweet cassis, with vanilla, and
light herbaceous scents. Concentrated off-sweet mouthfeel, with
flavors of toast, black cherry, and bittersweet chocolate, and a
long smooth slightly sweet finish. 2000
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $64.99. Dark ruby garnet
color. Initially funky nose seems to blow off , revealing aromas
of cassis, herbs, licorice, and toast. Dense mouthfeel, slightly
oaky with lots of cassis and licorice flavors,and a long toasty
finish. 1999
Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley.
$84.99. Very dark ruby color. Textbook Mondavi nose of dusty
cassis and licorice, with hints of vanilla and herbs. Seems a bit
attenuated or pinched in mouthfeel, with very good fruit and flavors
and long smooth finish. 2000
Hundred Acre Cabernet Sauvignon - Kayli Morgan Vnyd, Napa Valley.
$149.99. Medium dark ruby color. Nose has seductive aromas of
cassis, coffee, toasted grains, and a light herbaceous quality.
Smooth and tasty mouthfeel, with flavors of cassis, sage, licorice,
and tosty vanilla. Very fine. You WERE looking for a cult-ish $150
Cab, weren't you? Made by Phillipe Melka. 1997
Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $37.99.
Dark ruby garnet color. Lovely nose of toast, fruit, and some herbs.
Full and somewhat chewy mouthfeel, with nicely melded flavors, and
long smooth finish. |
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No original material may be reproduced without written consent Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson |