Posted from CellarTracker
A lot of people love this wine, but for me it’s always been WAY too green/vegetal. I think I just really dislike “cool climate” Cabernet Sauvignon…A hint of tobacco leaf is one thing, but any prominent bell pepper, jalapeno, or other distinctly green character in Cabernet Sauvignon is usually a deal killer for me. I can tolerate more of it in Cab Franc (where it’s really an inherent character of the grape itself), but even there I’m not a fan once it crosses a certain threshold.
Are you talking about this very vintage or the wine in general? While I’ve not had this particular vintage the ones I’ve had have not seemed disturbingly green to me, definitely not vegetal.
The '96 is a wonderful vintage. The slight vegetal characteristic is one of the things that endears me so much to this wine. But I can see that it might be off-putting to someone who is looking for a more classic Bordeaux blend profile. I believe the 1996 had Cabernet Franc, usually 30% in years that it is included. BTW, the Gonzaga family are really fabulous people.
I was talking about the wine in general, not specific to this vintage, although I recall having a similar impression of the '96 when I last tasted it about 10 years ago. I just don’t have much tolerance for green/pepper in wine, and even a lot of Loire Cab Francs have too much for me…
Makes sense as I personally Like Loire CF a lot that I would not be disturbed by anything in San Leonardo. What I get in SL a lot is this textbook Cabernet Sauvignon leafiness that I find awfully attractive and I suppose one can fairly call SL vegetal because of that. However I do not think the wine is vegetal in the underripe sense, as to me the fruit in this wine always seems perfectly ripe.