Decantor's Top '07 CA Cab Is Sebastini Alexander Valley

WINE TALK
1

They tasted 115 '07 CA Cabs and here are some interesting highlights…

1. Sebastini Alexander Valley 19.17/20
2. Ridge Montebello 18.9/20
3. Corely Fam Jefferson Cuvee 18.83/20
4. Duckhorn Napa V 18.75/20
5. Signorello 18.71/20
6. Signorello Padrone 17.88/20
7. Demuth Kemos Clajeaux V 17.67/20
8. Silverado Vineyards Stags leap 17.67/20
9. Spottswoode St Helena 17.5/20
10. Trefthen Fam V Oak Knoll 17.5/20
13. Hanna Alexander Valley 17.33/20
42. J Lohr Hilltop 16.5/20
47. Stag’s Leap Fay Vineyard 16.5/20
50. Sebastini sonoma cty 16.4/20
68. Mondavi reserve 16/20
72. Etude NV 15.33/20
73. Beringer Private res 15.67/20 …is about 80 on the 100pt scale
84. Dominus Estate 15.25/20

2

Blind or non blind on the tasting?

3

Not bad for a less than $20 bottle of wine (sebastiani). I will have to give it a spin. I have always liked the regular Signorello bottling and thought it was under rated, so no surprise there to me. Number of value cabs in list.

4

They tasted 115 '07 CA Cabs and here are some interesting highlights…

  1. Demuth Kemos Clajeaux V 17.67/20

#7 is worth seeking out…awesome vineyard, great winemaking…granted Demuth is a personal friend and cycling partner…his wines are full throttle and delicious…a true California Garagiste…get some… [thumbs-up.gif]

~Pax

5

I see that in England the hundred point scale is dead but the hundreths point scale is alive and well.

Adam Lee
Siduri Wines

6

The tastings are blind and the decimal points are simply the result of x scores out of 20 being summed and divided by x. Of course as you will know the 100 point scale was never alive in England save as summary indicators of the opinions of the top American critics.

There is AFAIK no pretence that the Decanter scores mean anything more than that and for them to mean anything at all one has to firstly believe in “points” of any sort and secondly in the average score of a panel - blind or otherwise.

IMO they might provide greater insight, alongside the single [identified] person TN that accompanies them, if Decanter provided the lowest and highest score either side of that average since one might get at least some idea of the consistency of opinion across a diverse bunch of people - even if some of them are well known experts.

7

From Lot18:

2007 Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander ValleyAlexander Valley • Cabernet Sauvignon • Red Wine “One of the Most Consistent Producers in the World.” -Wine Spectator $30.00 Retail Price Sold exclusively at $14.99 Sale expired on December 7, 2010