My 02 inventory is rather sparse, but have a couple left and want to contribute. No more Neal unfortunately and I had not found CV or others yet. Have an 02 Insignia and an 02 Etude, but will likely open a Plumpjack Estate.
Go ahead Ill do one of the others…gotta root down there tonight anyway. I loved the Insignia 3 months ago…
Has there been a decision about this weekend or next? I saw some requests to postpone it by a week. I’ll likely participate but need to decide on wine.
It’s this weekend.
Just popped an 02 Larkmead Cab to get it started. Will report back later, but first sip has me looking forward to the rest of it.
UPDATE: Upon opening, this is a big rich, low acid cali cab. It shows some big body, but not much in the way of tannin at first, But after an hour or so of air, the tannins show up and balance out some of the very big fruit. It is a mix of dark chocolate and very deep blackberry and cassis flavors, with a bit of vanilla milkshake. It stays very consistent through its next 2 hours of life, at which point it was finished.
If full throttle cali cabs are your thing, you will be very pleased with this wine now and for several years, as I am. Unfortunately, this is my last bottle.
Where were those tannins hiding the first hour? ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
Is it possible it was the effect of accumulated tannins in your mouth? It seems more likely the taster changed instead of tannins forming.
Will open a Sherwin Family Cabernet. I know it’s gonna be a pain to take the wax capsule off. 
02 Martin Estate Reserve in the decanter for 2 hours. Bright & tasty sip, not corked.
Not at all. It was just a small sample at the beginning and there were no tannins to detect. I left the wine untouched for the next hour and then detected the tannins on the next taste. So it was not a build up at all. I am not saying they weren’t in the wine, but that they were hidden behind incredibly dense lush fruit, which opened up with the hour of air and let the tannin show through. From that point on, the tannins acted as a support for the fruit aspects of the wine and make it a complete package.
The '02 Match is a touch tight, but very nice. I’ll save my notes for tomorrow after I finish the bottle off and it’s open for a day. Really nice so far though.
In my estimation, the '02 Larkmead was one of the best I have had.
Great stuff so far. Keep it coming…
this bottle was all about mouthfeel - totally sexy & luxurious. a melange of red fruits and blackberries with some pepper/some heat. nose a bit muted after mint/menthol. very solid, delicious finish.
wonder if the decant helped the mouthfeel @ the expense of the nose?
Interesting. I actually see these from time to time at Costcos liquor partner here in NY.
make certain you see the reserve wine Mike, world of difference from their entry level Cab Sav IMO. Melinda reminded me by nights end we thought there were some tomatoes/veggie aspects on the nose so if you detest veggie notes in Cabernet, which I don’t mind @ all, this might not be to your style.
2002 Seavey Cab
Well, the nose had some roasted grapes, dark roasted dark fruits, some gamey meats. The palate is very structured with grilled beef and roasted fig notes. A wall of tannin closes the show. #1 This is still too young and off balance. #2 Im not sure itll ever be a wine I gush about.
Otto, just score an “X” across the top of the wax and drill the cork screw threw the middle. Easy way to handle that nasty wax.
Berto,
I have a couple of these left. I last had one several years ago and have been afraid to try one since. Your note sounds like it hasn’t changed much since the one I had. I guess I won’t plan on opening another one any time soon.
How long do you think it will take for the tannins to ease up a bit?
Drink: 2045-2065
Oh wait I was channeling WA critics. 
Im no expert but given how much thick fruit is in it I think Ill wait 3-5 years to see if the tannins ease up.
Thanks Berto.
Tony, the way I deal with wax capsules, I take those bottles to restaurants and let them deal with the darn things! ![[thankyou.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/df165fe9c1593d19166ae7e1ffe5e272089cc07b.gif "thankyou"){kind=small}