TN: 1994 Arrowood CS

Drank at home and wished now that I’d saved it for a Domaine Saturday, as it showed wonderfully. There’s a certain richness of fruit that makes it unmistakably California, and it is an aging blackberry but not cassis, perhaps the ripeness of the year, or the Merlot component. But this is predominantly Cab. Nuanced, mesomorphic and aging well, it’s still a clear ruby without a touch of bricking despite 20+ years in bottle. The nose is secondary and a mix of soy umami and fruit with a touch of green pepper, tomato leaf and the lingering hint of pipe smoke, which is what I imagine “spice box” turns into when it matures. The acidity is present but not foregrounded and the finish is even and maybe 20-30s but not overly mouth-coating.

Really a nice experience, a testament to what Calofornia could produce even in the height of Parkerization. Still has quite a bit of longevity.

I have had wonderful and sad experiences both with old Cali wines. A $20 Newton merlot from 1982 was one of my most enjoyable wines of last year, and a 1977 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow was by far the best birth year wine I’ve ever had. Others have been syrupy, soupy, madeirized, corked, hot, unbalanced or pruney and often a combination. The first old Cali wine I had was a 1993 Ravenswood Belloni from WineBid at $30 in 2005 maybe and it was the first that made me think I might like old wine. I look at old Cali wines from WineBid like playing a scratch ticket game: the price to play is low and most of the time the payoff is modest but enjoyable, with a few abject failures and a few standout winners. I also opened a 1986 Spottswoode tonight (for which I paid 30% more than for the Arrowood) and it was oxidized and unpleasant. I’m cool with the risk.

Ramble on…

This is the last of those great cabs. The 91 and 93 are even better.

Definitely a terrific wine. I had a bottle two years ago and was surprised how good it was at age 20.

I’d debate that - the 1995 is fantastic and 2001 might be the perfect Cab.

Agreed on the '93 being even better (as is the '95). After finishing our last bottle of '94, we decided not to try to backfill that vintage. Not that it was bad, it just wasn’t worth the expense versus the risk of flawed bottles.

Love the old CA wine on winebid/scratcher ticket analogy. Totally agree with you and look at it the same way.

Fun to take a flyer on older bottles at low prices, as there’s always a decent chance you could score a solid wine, and every so often, an amazing one that far exceeds your expectations.

I loved that too, but alas, all are gone now.

My favorite of that era Arrowoods CS was actually the 1997.

But all were really good.

The speciale level bottlings, usually in a taller format, keep very well.

I’ve not had any of the recent years - it seems like they have lost favor with critics?

Also I never thought this estate was overly jacked up or “parkerized” as some would call it.

Yes I also think the 95 is better. The 94 and 95 are very representative of the respective vintages.

The 2005 is very good, and the 2007 got a good rating from Parker although I’ve never had it.

K&L had all the scores:

92-94 points Vinous (2/2014)
93 points James Suckling (2/2011)
92 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (2/2011)
92 points Wine Enthusiast (5/2011)

I had the 2005 Arrowood CS [Sonoma] the last couple of nights. Lots of licorice, fennel, and fruit. Doesn’t taste as ‘European’ as other years have been. I haven’t drunk much of their wines after the 2001 vintage so it was nice to reconnect with this old friend. A bigger ball of black, plummy fruit than I expected. This should continue to keep well for many more years.

These seem to have more oomph than the 90’s examples.

Noah,

1994 was a great Cabernet Sauvignon vintage in Napa, Dominus, Dalla Valle-Maya, Harlan, Spottswode, Phelps-Insignia, Mondavi-Reserve and Togni!

A few steps up from the CS, is the Reserve Speciale, a spectacular wine for this region/year in Napa, California!

1994-Equally profound is the 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale. I originally rated this wine 95 points, and it’s a point better now at age 21. In 1997, I predicted the outer limit of its window of drinkability to be 2027, but I think it will actually go longer than that. About 28% American oak was used in the aging this wine, and most of the fruit came from a blend of vineyards such as the Wildwood, Smothers, Balbi and Belle Terre. Full bodied, rich and concentrated, with gorgeous blueberry and blackberry fruit, some spice box, forest floor and licorice, this killer wine is just entering its plateau of full maturity, where it should stay for another 15 or more years. Drink: 2015 to 2030. Last tasted, 8/15. Rating, 96. RP
Arrowood’s dazzling 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale is an exquisite wine made from a blend of vineyards (Wildwood, Smothers, Balbi, Belle Terre and others). The largest percentage of fruit is from Sonoma Valley, although a small quantity comes from Alexander Valley and Dry Creek. The wine exhibits an opaque purple color, and a spectacular nose of jammy cassis, lead pencil, vanillin and spice. Thick, unctuously textured flavors ooze over the palate with extraordinary purity, ripeness and richness. In spite of its size, the wine somehow manages not to taste heavy or overdone. This sensational Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the finest I have tasted from Sonoma. It is a candidate for 25 to 30 years of cellaring, although it is soft enough to be drunk young. Production was 1,200 cases, and the wine, like all of the top Arrowood reds, was bottled with neither fining nor filtration. _Drink: 2023 to 2028. _Last tasted, 12/97. Rating, 95. RP****
When asked about comparing the 1994, 1995, and 1996 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vintages, Dick Arrowood felt that 1994 produced the richest, most opulent wines, with the roundest tannin. He went on to say that 1995 was slightly more forward, with attractive aromatics, but the wines possessed more jagged edges and aggressive tannin, yet impressive extract in addition to a firmer character. As for the 1996s, Arrowood did not feel they were as fleshy and round as the 1994s, but they were relatively supple, and usually possessed excellent aromatics and density. In essence, they are firmer, but not as tough as some 1995s. As the following tasting notes attest, all of the reds from Arrowood were exceptionally successful.

Richard Arrowood sold his winery to Kendall Jackson and thus is no longer responsible for the Arrowood wines. However, he did make the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale, his last.

Nice. I loved that wine although all my were gone 15 years ago.

Jason

That takes me back. A 1993 Arrowood Merlot was the wine that set off the fireworks for me. I went from liking wine, to being into wine, ending with all this craziness!

Laura and I visited with Dick Arrowood in 1998, and it was just a fabulous time. He was actually quite happy that we were even more interested in his late harvest Rieslings than in the Cabernet! (granted the Cabernets were really good!)

I had a few Arrowood cabs back in the day. Always good.

If you’re ever in Glen Ellen, there is a restaurant called Salt + Stone that occupies what used to be the Kenwood Restaurant on Hwy 12. They inherited the old restaurant’s cellar with the purchase, and they have a very nice selection of '90s Arrowood Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale on the list at very reasonable prices. Last time I was there the Merlots were around $75 and the 1997 Reserve Speciale Cabernet Sauvignon we purchased was $143 on their wine list and showed wonderfully.

In the past year, I’ve had the 94 and 93 Arrowood CS. I picked up the 93 for $30 from K&L last year. It was by far the best QPR wine I had last year. In both wines I found plenty of fruit and tertiary notes. Based on the discussion, I get the impression that today’s Arrowood CS is not made like it used to be, so I’m wondering who in CA might be making wine in that mold today (ideally for under $40 since a large aspect of my enjoyment of those wines was the value). My guess is that I should just stick to Bordeaux, but that California fruit can be really nice when it’s not one dimensional and takes on secondary notes.

Yup…an absolutely first-rate restaurant. Highly recommended.
Tom

The 2005 felt different than the 1990’s versions which I’m much more familiar with. Maybe after Arrowood left there were some changes made. It’s also gotten hotter, so maybe everything is just riper.

I still have an 2001 CS Especiale left, but it’s buried somewhere awkward.

Patrick, you should try the 2015 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley. It’s $35 at the winery and is excellent. If you were a fan of old school Arrowood, now is a great time to get back on board. Their new winemaker who took over in December 2014 worked under Dirk Niepoort in Portugal, Pierre Seillan at Verite and Graham Weerts at Stonestreet. She also happens to be my wife. Scores aren’t everything, but the new 2015 releases received the highest marks Arrowood has ever received from Wine Advocate, and having tasted the upcoming 2016s many times, I can tell you those will be even better.

I have a bunch of early 90s Arrowood CS purchased on release. Still drinking great.