'95-'96 Cabernet

Mostly '96 Cabs

Results from a tasting this past weekend at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA, of several of '96 Cabs and a few more of the '95s. Sixteen wines were poured for a tasting fee of $29.

The wines, in the order tasted:

1996 Marrieta Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - Sonoma County. $12.99. Ruby-garnet color. Nose of very ripe black cherry and shoe polish, with hints of tar and anise. Off-sweet fruit (possibly a bit green), and pine. medium body, stiff acids and some astringency. 14.6% alcohol. Aroma Score: B+; Taste Score: B; Overall score: B

1996 B. R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon - Olive Hill Estate, Sonoma Valley. $26.99. Medium-dark garnet-ruby color. Nose of cassis, shoe polish, with hints of tomato and BBQ sauce. Sweet ripe fruit, with some astringency, good structure, medium body and medium-long finish. Best from them in a while. Aroma Score: B+; Taste Score: B+; Overall score: B+

1996 Fisher Cabernet Sauvignon - Coach Insignia, Napa County. $22.99. Medium-dark ruby-garnet color. Nose of cassis, shoe polish with a bit of herbal or stemmy quality. Additional notes of toast and butter. Some volatility noted. Aroma Score: B+; Taste Score: B+; Overall score: B+

1995 Beaulieu - Tapestry, Napa Valley. $21.99. Dark ruby-garnet color. Nose of sweet black cherry, cassis and shoe polish. Full mouthfeel, soft fruit and after-palate, toasty off-sweet medium finish. Aroma Score: B+; Taste Score: B; Overall score: B+

1996 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon - Oakville, Napa Valley. $17.99. Medium-dark ruby-garnet color. Nose of toast, butter, cassis, shoe polish, vanilla, and a pervading ripeness. Toasty off-sweet black cherry fruit, smooth mouthfeel, soft tannins, medium-long finish with a bit of crispness. Aroma Score: A-; Taste Score: B+; Overall score: B+

1996 Melka Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - CJ, Napa Valley. $19.99. Dark ruby-garnet color. Nose of toasty cassis and shoe polish. Very dense smelling, with bit of dill and tomato noted. Sweet mouthfeel, off-sweet fruit with plenty of toasty smooth tannins. Long seamless finish. So, who are these guys! Aroma Score: A-; Taste Score: A-; Overall score: A-

1996 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $18.99. Medium ruby-garnet color. Nose of cassis, sweet burnished wood and sawdust, kalamata olive, smoke and tomato. Intriguing nose. An initially very sweet rush of fruit on the palate. Semi-soft tannins, full mouthfeel of chewy and tongue-sticking fruit. Very long finish. Aroma Score: A-; Taste Score: B+; Overall score: B+

1996 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $22.99. Dark garnet-ruby color. Nose of very sweet and ripe cassis, show polish, tanned leather, and anise. Huge, thick mouthfeel. Very chewy off-sweet fruit. Smooth and seamless, moderate tannins, perfect balance. Aroma Score: A; Taste Score: A; Overall score: A

1996 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon - Oakville, Napa Valley. $31.99. Dark ruby-garnet color, with purple cast. Nose is a dense mass of black cherry, shoe polish, olive and tomato. Sweet fruit-filled entry. Tiniest bit of bitterness appears at mid-palate, but fades through an off-sweet latter palate. Some residual bitterness noted on finish, and fruit could be a bit less hollow. Aroma Score: A-; Taste Score: B+; Overall score: A-

1996 August Briggs Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $29.99. Stunning purple-violet garnet color. Seductive nose of sweet cassis, black cherry, toast, sawdust, shoe polish, and a hint of blueberry. Downright beautiful. Sweet fruit, somewhat tannic, and great balance. Toasty cassis flavors, smooth and seamless fruit. Very young and mouth clinging. Apparently their first Cab, and a hell of a job. Aroma Score: A; Taste Score: A; Overall score: A

1996 Lewis Cellars - Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $44.99. Very dark ruby-garnet color. Dense smelling, yet not quite effusive nose of cassis and shoe polish. Off-sweet mouth full of wine. Thick consistency, but the feeling is also a bit green or piney as well. Very chewy. Aroma Score: A; Taste Score: A-; Overall score: A-

1996 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon - 15th Anniversary, Howell Mtn, Napa Valley. $n/a. Dark ruby-garnet color. Slightly closed nose of sweet black cherry and shoe polish. Very mouthfilling and mouth coating. Toasty soft fruit, without the expected tannic or acid backbone. Not sure what's going on here. This could be a short-term drinker or just an odd bottle. Aroma Score: A-; Taste Score: A-; Overall score: A-

1995 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $33.99. Medium ruby-garnet color. Nose of cassis, boysenberry, shoe polish, and blueberry. Obvious volatility noted. Off-sweet fruit is slightly thin in the mouth, with an acidic backbone that is becoming all too familiar. Fruit is holding the wine in decent balance right now, but I don't see any improvement with time. Aroma Score: B+; Taste Score: B; Overall score: B

1995 Farella-Park Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $25.99. Dark ruby-garnet color. Dusty cassis fruit, shoe polish, and a bit of bacon round out the nose. Thick cassis fruit, very nice off-sweet mouthfeel, but really chewy and steak-like. Stern backbone of acids that appear headed to keep this wine in balance for a long time to come. Aroma Score: A-; Taste Score: A-; Overall score: A-

1995 Quilceda Cabernet Sauvignon - Washington. $39.99. Dark garnet-ruby color. Dense nose of cassis and shoe polish. Nice off-sweet fruit, chewy and smooth, with very good structure. Toasty off-sweet finish. Aroma Score: A-; Taste Score: A-; Overall score: A-

1995 Beaulieu Cabernet Sauvignon - Georges de Latour, Napa Valley. $58.99. Dark ruby-garnet color. Nose of cassis, shoe polish, and sharp cheddar. Toasty cassis fruit, good mouthfeel and medium-long finish. Aroma Score: B+; Taste Score: A-; Overall score: A-

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Overall impressions:

This was my first real look at the 96s (I tried a few in Oct). And, although it does appear to be an uneven vintage, it also looks as though there will be some nice wines available - in other words, it's a pick-and-choose vintage.

I thought the Briggs was a knockout wine, followed closely by the Phelps. A major surprise to me was the Melka. Very, very nice! I've never heard of this label before, but we were informed that he may or may not have worked with Christian Mouiex at Dominus. How's that for an unsubstantiated rumor! Both Clos Pegase and Turnbull have done nicely with their '96s. This is the first Plumpjack I've tried. The fruit didn't quite deliver what the nose promised, but this may be one of those vintage-influenced effects, rather than a stylistic quality. The Lewis, while very good, just couldn't match its '94 standard.

Of my lower ranked wines, there were no real surprises for me. Although the Marrieta finished near the bottom of the pack, it was still a very decent wine, especially at $12.99. Among the '95s, the Grgich continues to carry an over-acidified backbone and sparse fruit, as it has as far back as I can remember. The BV Tapestry always seems to underwhelm me. I'm not anti-BV, in fact I really like their Pinots and the rest of their Cab lineup. But, somehow the Tapestry has always smelled and tasted rather bland to me, so I suspect this is how BV likes to make this wine, and I'm just missing the point.
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Here is my relative ranking, by tier and in order of preference, of the wines tasted.

1996 August Briggs Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $29.99.
1996 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $22.99.
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1996 Lewis Cellars - Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $44.99.
1996 Melka Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - CJ, Napa Valley. $19.99.
1995 Farella-Park Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $25.99.
1995 Quilceda Cabernet Sauvignon - Washington. $39.99.
1996 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon - 15th Anniversary, Howell Mtn, Napa Valley. $n/a.
1996 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon - Oakville, Napa Valley. $31.99.
1995 Beaulieu Cabernet Sauvignon - Georges de Latour, Napa Valley. $58.99.
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1996 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $18.99.
1996 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon - Oakville, Napa Valley. $17.99.
1996 Fisher Cabernet Sauvignon - Coach Insignia, Napa County. $22.99.
1996 B. R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon - Olive Hill Estate, Sonoma Valley. $26.99.
1995 Beaulieu - Tapestry, Napa Valley. $21.99.
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1996 Marrieta Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - Sonoma County. $12.99.
1995 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $33.99.

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