Notes from a birthday dinner with a friend last night.
2009 Keating Beckstoffer Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon: This was my 3rd bottle from a case. It keeps improving. Powerful Cab. Expressive nose of dark coffee and currants. Lively palate with some tannic oomph, currants and dark berry flavors. We all liked this a lot. 93 points and expected to improve.
2009 Mount Eden Cabernet: This felt like the little brother to the Keating. Similar nose and flavor profile but less of everything, except tannic bite. This needs a little time for those tannins to settle down but it isn’t in the same league as the Keating. 89 points.
2008 Anderson’s Conn Valley Eloge: Very different from the prior wines. This had a lot of lift, was more elegant and the flavor profile ran toward red rather than black fruits. Cherries and cream with really good acidity. This would be better with food but we had it at the end of the night. This will surely last for a while but there didn’t seem to be much in the way of tannins to resolve so I’d say go for it earlier rather than later. 92 points.
Paul