2003 Napa Cab Boardwide Virtual Tasting REDUX- Post them here!

[Jack_Bulkin]

I think I have a couple of 03’s Mike. I will look for one tonight when I move OWC’s to find the 90 HB that I will open in Honor of Francois joining us. Now that is a real wine.

[Otto_Dobre]

@Randy Sloan

Ouch. Fortunately in this case, no relation.

• 2003 Sloan - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/2/2009)
  Some blueberry, tobacco, and sage, but that’s about all the positives I can note about this wine. Not flawed. Out of balance, the fruit was awkward rather than being integrated. Heavy alcohol aroma and taste (in fact it burns the throat). Astringent. Overbearing raw, green oak. With time in the decanter, the EToH blew off a bit but the wine’s rough edges just became sharp pointy corners that hurt. This reminded me of one of those wines that you get poured for you from the bar at a big party or event and you decide to switch to beer. Perhaps acceptable if in the sub-$10 category, but I’m quite surprised at the low quality here. Yes, 2003 was a difficult year in Napa but this wine is an example of the need for winemakers to adapt to a vintage rather than trying to force that big Napa style. I would have bulked this wine off and declassed the vintage. I’m a literal scorer so this below average wine would have received the same score no matter the price, but it probably would have escaped the scathing comments. (73 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Ouch Randy, this was something llike $250-$275. Sure hope you got it as a gift.

[F.Daner]

Brought an 03 Ruston Stagecoach and a Turnbull to the beach for our bbq. Looking forward to trying both with the family.

[Randy_Sloan]

@Otto Dobre

Ouch Randy, this was something llike $250-$275. Sure hope you got it as a gift.

[sigh] Bought 6 in OWC on release from the winery. This was the first opened.

Now that Cellartracker is linked to sell wine through Vinfolio, perhaps I shouldn’t have posted that note.

[C_G_Nieto]

@Randy Sloan

@Otto Dobre

Ouch Randy, this was something llike $250-$275. Sure hope you got it as a gift.

[sigh] Bought 6 in OWC on release from the winery. This was the first opened.

Now that Cellartracker is linked to sell wine through Vinfolio, perhaps I shouldn’t have posted that note.

Not what I wanted to read. I have the same vintage in the cellar. Hopefully, it was just an off bottle but somehow…

[Keith_A_k_e_r_s]

@C G Nieto

@Randy Sloan

@Otto Dobre

Ouch Randy, this was something llike $250-$275. Sure hope you got it as a gift.

[sigh] Bought 6 in OWC on release from the winery. This was the first opened.

Now that Cellartracker is linked to sell wine through Vinfolio, perhaps I shouldn’t have posted that note.

Not what I wanted to read. I have the same vintage in the cellar. Hopefully, it was just an off bottle but somehow…

unfortunetly for you and the others that bought it, looking at the CT notes, they may be all off bottles

[Brian_London]

• 2003 Spring Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (7/3/2009)
  Decanted 2 hours, consumed over three. Classic mountain Cabernet nose of leather, cedar and cassis. Very dark fruit dominant. Tannic at first, smoothed out through the midpalate and finish. Good mouthfeel. Still a baby, needs time in bottle to settle.

Posted from CellarTracker

[John_Alexander]

• 2003 Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (6/26/2009)
  Dark purple color. Ripe fruit mixed with oak on the nose. Black and red fruit intertwine to create an odd underline sweetness on the palate. The mouth feel is smooth and with decent body. Finish is long but the alcohol makes it presence known. Overall the sugary fruit mixed with the alcohol creates cough syrup like lingering taste to this wine. In a word it feels “manipulated”.

Posted from CellarTracker

I was less than enthused with this one.

[F.Daner]

Ok, tried to post this directly from CT but started a new thread instead so here goes the old fashion way

03 Ruston Stagecoach- Black and Red fruit jump out of the glass. This is a young wine with plenty of structure and weight. Went very well with our July 4th burgers. Mouthcoating tannins that worked well without dominating the wine. Black fruit with a bit of dusty earth. A real nice wine and a great value. No rush to open if you have some. 92 pts

@F.Daner

Brought an 03 Ruston Stagecoach and a Turnbull to the beach for our bbq. Looking forward to trying both with the family.

[Keith_A_k_e_r_s]

picked up an 03 Rivers-Marie cab and decided to go with that instead of the karl lawrence as I want to age my two bottles a bit more. Having this with a Flannery Filet tail

• 2003 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/4/2009)
  nose: dark, pungent, and captivating nose filled with black cherries, black cherry liqueur, creme de cassis, spices, dark red fruits and bits of pipe tobacco and hints of leather. excellent depth with a real good richness to it

taste: full bodied but well balanced at the same time with slight hints of oak, black cherries, kirsch liqueur, tobacco, and bits of leather and spices. Good tannins that are nice and juicy but not overbearing or hard

overall: a perfect way to celebrate the 4th. This was decanted for about 2 hours and then bottle aired after taking a sip for about another hour before digging in. Threw some good sediment in the decanter. An outstanding cab that gives me everything I want and handles the vintage well (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[mike_pobega]

So far so good. Keep them coming.
Sloan? OUCH!

[Joel_Pulver]

I’ve had the 2003 Sloan on 3 occasions and can tell you that it cured me of the need to be on high end mailing lists. Out of balance and disjointed are extremely kind words for this wine. I think back to when I rated it on CT and realize I was being overly generous.

If you have them … find a trophy collector and flip them. Just my opinion.

[Josh_Beck]

2003 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon

Amazing, given the AVA, this has a varietally correct nose! Cassis, tobacco, cedar, graphite a slight twinge of mint. Fairly expressive and pure nose. Concentrated, and still quite tannic. Acid is a little bit soft but nothing problematic. Fairly good length to the finish. Not necessarily redolant of place, but a very good bottle of wine and a long ways from mature.

I still think Corison is one of the 3-4 best producers in Napa, along with Montelena, Anderson’s Conn Valley and maybe Seavey. They make great cabernet at reasonable prices instead of making chocolate vanilla milkshakes…

[ToddFrench]

• 2003 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/5/2009)
  This wine has hit its stride - I can’t imagine it improving further. Nose of cured meats, dark berries, still a touch of heat, oak is fully integrated. Very full mouthfeel on the palate - tannins are large, and rounded, but still quite present, and carrying a good amount of fruit. Just a touch of the typical Napa Cab secondary characteristics coming through, but the fruit remains very bright. Finish has some beautiful dark fruits, smoked meats, a touch of anise, and violet. If you have this wine, drink it now. It’s not on the way down, by any means, but really seems to be in a great place. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[Veronica_Castro]

@Todd F r e n c h

• 2003 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/5/2009)
  This wine has hit its stride - I can’t imagine it improving further. Nose of cured meats, dark berries, still a touch of heat, oak is fully integrated. Very full mouthfeel on the palate - tannins are large, and rounded, but still quite present, and carrying a good amount of fruit. Just a touch of the typical Napa Cab secondary characteristics coming through, but the fruit remains very bright. Finish has some beautiful dark fruits, smoked meats, a touch of anise, and violet. If you have this wine, drink it now. It’s not on the way down, by any means, but really seems to be in a great place. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Hey! I just opened the 2003 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve. The glass cork I LOVE (honestly…that’s what made me buy it), the wine is a nice example of Napa Cab. Nice black cherry notes, medium-bodied, a teeny bit of heat on the finish, but a lingering finish nevertheless. Very enjoyable.

[ToddFrench]

@Veronica Castro

@Todd F r e n c h

• 2003 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/5/2009)
  This wine has hit its stride - I can’t imagine it improving further. Nose of cured meats, dark berries, still a touch of heat, oak is fully integrated. Very full mouthfeel on the palate - tannins are large, and rounded, but still quite present, and carrying a good amount of fruit. Just a touch of the typical Napa Cab secondary characteristics coming through, but the fruit remains very bright. Finish has some beautiful dark fruits, smoked meats, a touch of anise, and violet. If you have this wine, drink it now. It’s not on the way down, by any means, but really seems to be in a great place. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Hey! I just opened the 2003 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve. The glass cork I LOVE (honestly…that’s what made me buy it), the wine is a nice example of Napa Cab. Nice black cherry notes, medium-bodied, a teeny bit of heat on the finish, but a lingering finish nevertheless. Very enjoyable.

Insane - two bottles of Whitehall Lane 2003 in the same town, at the same time! What are the odds?

BTW, the Humboldt Fog Grande cheese I got from Hi-Time is AWESOME!

[Veronica_Castro]

Was that the Chevre with the lavender mixed in? Good stuff!

Yes, that is pretty cuckoo. I had originally planned to open the Arrowood 2003 Monte Rosso Vineyard CS, but then realized this was a Napa tasting, not Sonoma. Duhhh!

[ToddFrench]

@Veronica Castro

Was that the Chevre with the lavender mixed in? Good stuff!

Yes, that is pretty cuckoo. I had originally planned to open the Arrowood 2003 Monte Rosso Vineyard CS, but then realized this was a Napa tasting, not Sonoma. Duhhh!

The one with the ash layer in the middle - so fantastic, I could pound the entire wedge.

[Veronica_Castro]

Humboldt Fog!! Love it.

[Josh_Beck]

@Josh Beck

2003 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon

Amazing, given the AVA, this has a varietally correct nose! Cassis, tobacco, cedar, graphite a slight twinge of mint. Fairly expressive and pure nose. Concentrated, and still quite tannic. Acid is a little bit soft but nothing problematic. Fairly good length to the finish. Not necessarily redolant of place, but a very good bottle of wine and a long ways from mature.

I still think Corison is one of the 3-4 best producers in Napa, along with Montelena, Anderson’s Conn Valley and maybe Seavey. They make great cabernet at reasonable prices instead of making chocolate vanilla milkshakes…

Coming back to this at the end of the night, 1/2 the bottle remains, unfortunately. It’s a good wine, no doubt, but over time it fails to hold my attention and even this wine, well made, well balanced, relatively restrained and definitely not hot or overly oaky, is basically just some sweet black fruit and a whack of tannin. Perhaps why the US represents 2% of my cellar and falling? Perhaps why I never open domestic wines any more, and rarely Bordeaux?