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Overall impressions: there were several wines here to like. The only caveat is that the vast majority were well over $50. You won't be sorry to pick up either of the Highlands wines - they're both excellent. However, my wine of the flight was the Paul Hobbs Cabernet. At $39, it has everything going for it, and is the head's-up best bargain in the entire group to boot. The Snowden, Phelps, Mayo and Buehler round out my "affordable" favorites. No major surprises, though the Franciscan was a disappointment, especially in light of how well other wines in this same price range performed at the tasting. |
2001
Grove Street Cabernet Sauvignon - Sonoma County. $6.99. DArk
ruby color. Nice dusty cherry nose, with a touch of oak. Moderately
full on the palate, with good balance, nice cherry and herbed flavors,
and long finish. Surprisingly good - especially for this price point. 2001
Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon - California. $9.99.
Dark ruby color. Somewhat stinky and funky in the nose, with an
overripe, stewed quality. Decent mouthfeel, full on the palate,
with sweet ripe flavors, and long finish. While the ultra-ripe taste
is at an acceptable level, the nose of cooked and stewed fruit is
not. 2001
Simi Cabernet Sauvignon - Alexander Valley $15.99. Dark
ruby color. Ripe and slightly sweet nose, with a bit of mineral
and chalk, and a touch of olive. Puckery mouthfeel, nice weight
on the palate, but maybe just a bit too astringent right now. It's
a near-term drinking wine, but should even out a bit more with a
couple of years of bottle age. 2001
Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $16.99. Medium
d ark ruby color. Ovaltine-scented oak and herbaceousness seems
to dominate the black cherry fruit in the nose. Sweet mouthfeel,
with sort of a candied, Kool-Aid texture, decent balance, and a
moderately long finish. Also seems a bit underfilled or thin in
body. 2001
Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $16.99. Very
dark ruby color. Lovely cassis-filled nose, with additional notes
of toast and fennel. Somewhat chewy mouthfeel, plenty of fruit,
very nice texture and balance, and very long finish. Delivers plenty
of bang for the buck! 1999
Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon Great Estates - Napa Valley.
$17.99.
Very dark ruby color. Lots of cassis in the nose, with background
notes of herbs and pepper, with just a faint "green" note
in the background. Nice enough fruit and mouthfeel, but there seems
to be just a bit too much candied aspect to the taste, and the texture
gets a bit grainy and weak on the back end. 2001
Five Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $17.99.
Very dark ruby color. The nose has a nice concentration of sweet
cassis fruit, with a freshly crushed fruit and floral scent. Moderate
weight in mouthfeel, a bit one-dimensional right now, with a long,
if slightly sweet and soft finish. The "five vintners"
in this case are members of the Raymond and Beringer families. 2001
Mayo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa River Ranch - Napa Valley. $22.99.
Very dark ruby color. Dense nose of cassis, chocolate, coffee and
a hint of olive. Very chewy in mouthfeel, with concentrated sweet-sour
fruit, very nice balance, and a nice long finish. Very nice! 1999
Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Mario's Reserve, Napa Valley.
$29.99. Very
dark ruby color. Seems thick and ripe in the nose, with cassis and
black cherry fruit, and a touch of chocolate. Somewhat contrasting
in the mouth, with a lesser palatefeel than the nose promised. Nice
enough flavors and balance, just seems a bit underfilled. 2001
Joseph Phelps - Napa Valley. $34.99. Very
dark ruby color. Ripe and slightly sweet nose, with plenty of black
cherry fruit, and a nice mineral quality in the background. Very
tasty, with a thick and chewy mouthfeel, very good balance, and
a nice long finish. 1999
Simi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $34.99.
Dark ruby color. Nice sweet ripe black cherry nose, with just a
bit of vanilla and toast. Somewhat backward and a bit oaky in mouthfeel
at present. Everything seems to be there - just unresolved. 2000
Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $39.99. Dark
ruby color. Gorgeous and very complex, with lots of cassis, and
notes of herbs, toast, a touch of coffee and spice, and a nice floral
quality. Sweet and ripe in taste, with a beautifully silky mouthfeel,
plenty of concentration, and a very long tasty finish. |
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1999
Snowden Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $49.99. Very
dark ruby color. Slightly high-toned bing and black cherry aromas,
intermingled with a light floral scent. Full mouthfeel, seamless
on fruit and texture, this is balanced a bit to the acid side making
it potentially more food-friendly than many others in the flight. 2001
Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mtn - Beatty Vnyd, Napa
Valley. $59.99.
Dark ruby color. Incredibly smooth and succulent in the nose, with
waves of cassis, black cherry, sweet-scented hardwoods, and touches
of coffee and spice. For all of the openess in the nose, the mouthfeel
was somewhat shutdown, and narrowly focussed at present. There seems
to be plenty of cassis, toast, and dark chocolate hiding out in
the background - so presumably it's just a matter of time. 2000
Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages - Sonoma County. $59.99. Dark
ruby color. Nice cassis and cherry scents, with light licorice and
chocolate aromas in the background. Smooth and tasty mouthfeel,
with lots of cassis, licorice and bittersweet chocolate flavors,
and a long finish. 2001
Hollywood & Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 2480 - Napa Valley.
$64.99. Dark
ruby color. Sweet and succulent in the nose, this wine seems very
polished and silky. Mouth seems filled with fresh berries and cream,
and there is just a touch of cinnamon to spice it up through the
very long finish. Very nice! 2001
Rudd Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville - Sonoma Valley. $64.99.
Very
dark ruby color. A bit closed in the nose, with background notes
of cassic and toast, and hints of licorice and toast. Nice mouthfeel,
very nice cassis and spice flavors; seems to pick up a trace of
heat on the long finish. 2001
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $69.99. Dark
ruby color. Nose of slightly burnished cassis, with hints of dill
and mint in the background. Lots of cassis flavors on the palate,
with a nice bite of bittersweet chocolate through the long, if slightly
rough finish. 2000
Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mtn - Black Sears Vnyd,
Napa Valley. $69.99. Very
dark ruby color. Beautiful nose of floral scents, cassis, sage,
rosemary, chocolate, and a bit of coffee. Thick and rich on the
palate, with lots of cassis and spice, and just a hint of dill through
the very long finish 1999
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $99.99. Dark
ruby color. Classic SO nose of dill and herbs mingle with the cassis
and chocolate aromas. Fairly well oaked, with a somewhat drying
mouthfeel that detracts a bit from the obvious fruit. Good balance,
and long finish. |
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No original material may be reproduced without written consent Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson |