2004 Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (4/14/2019)
My last go with this 04 PdF in 2012 didn’t leave that much of an impression with me, seemed a little flat and all in all dull. Whether it was due to an off bottle or just needed time, hard to say, but last night’s bottle was simply right on point. Decanted 90 minutes, this was a classic WA State Cabernet, lovely cassis / blackberry fruit that carried a both freshness and slightly dusty quality, and to great effect. Mid weight palate, fresh sage notes and touches of cedar, and just a lovely elegance through the whole proceedings. Certainly in the zone, perhaps still on the uptick, many years left. Outstanding. (94 pts.)
[quoteD@vid Bu3ker wrote: ↑
Sun Apr 14, 2019 4:59 pm
Betz makes some wonderful wines. They don’t get much play. Not sure why.
Just like lots of great WA wineries that don’t get much play…Cadence, Gramercy, Betz, Januik, Andrew Will…list goes on.][/quote]
Prices will double or triple if they get too much play. Januik is one of my favorite producers for the money period!
My big takeaway from this bottle (and yet another example) is how well these not only age, but evolve and blossom in the process. I really don’t think my last bottle of 04 PDF was flawed, it just wasn’t exciting nor memorable in anyway. Just needed time I guess. Also, I should clarify that this pertains to WA State Bordeaux grapes, as in my experience, WA Rhône varietals seem to just hold the fort vs true development when celleared for a decade plus. My .02
Wow, blast from the past, this wine! I used to really enjoy this wine, and Betz, in particular, but haven’t purchased in a decade. Might be worth a re-visit.
I meant to also ask how the recent vintages are doing since Bob Betz left? Like Todd, the last PDF I purchased was the 08, and the newest vintage I have is the 09 La Cote Rousse.
I still buy some Betz but don’t drink them until they have some age so I can’t give an opinion on their merits. The have continued to receive praise from most critics. I believe Bob Betz stayed on for a while after selling the winery and only recently left. My oldest PdF is 06 and it is still drinking well.
I stashed a few mags and 3L over the years, it’s time to take inventory.I think the new owners are now making the wines, but Bob is probably still consulting, though I think he might have a new project brewing.
Sorry David I didn’t look upthread
Just my observation, but it seemed to me that 2004 and even 2003PdF, which I believe was a warm vintage, were more agile, less powerful wines than subsequent years. Has anyone else noticed a change in style here?
I haven’t found that up thru 2012, I stopped buying them around then. 2003 was brutally hot and I thought Bob handled it very well. I have always found balance in his wines, regardless of varietal or vintage.
Will search out a couple recent releases and see what is going on.
I had a 2007 PdF yesterday. Upon opening, noticeable warmth in the mouth after a few sips, but no medicinal alcohol detected in the flavor profile. Lightly dusty tannins with a pencil lead character. Returning to the wine after an hour, the heat was gone and the tannins had melted into a nice core of sappy fruit- predominantly currant with the remaining dark berry character in a supporting role. A somewhat dense and chewy wine, yet still easy to drink.
Maybe I wasn’t patient enough with earlier bottles. I do think that serving near cellar temperature helped the wine show well.
2016 Betz Family Winery Besoleil - $54.99 (TPU $49.99)
2016 Betz Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille - $89.99 (TPU $79.99)
2016 Betz Family Winery Clos de Betz - $66.99 (TPU $59.99)
Don’t own any Betz and have tasted only once. Good buy?
Yes, likely a good buy. They’re pretty brooding and quite unyielding in their youth, though, especially the Bordeaux-style blends (in this offer, the Pere de Famille and Clos de Betz), so I’d strongly suggest buying if you’re willing to wait for quite some time for them to show their best.
Full Pull did their allocations before I got an order in. But, talked with my local wine store owner this morning and it’s available locally. The Besoleil was actually about $8 cheaper per bottle without factoring in any S/H. Bought the last two bottles they had in stock.
They are going to look and see what of the other offerings they can get in stock. Repped by a good local broker which I like.
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