That’s hysterical, my notes on that were similar.
It’s like a slurpie
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I love this thread
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More to come starting next week.
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My friend just drank an early 90s Caymus from his late FIL cellar in France and said it was really good. (Yes, I thought it was odd that he had cellared this, considering that most of his cellar seems to be stuff from Jura, but it was there for some reason.)
My money is on a gift. May explain why it was still therr
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People often say the big stylistic shift in Napa was 1997, but I really have always thought it was 2001. Or maybe it was the critical and market reaction to the very ripe 1997 vintage that helped cause the 2001+ stylistic shift?
Anyway, I haven’t had those wines, but I’m not surprised on paper that 2001 might be in the riper, more oaky, more lush style than prior vintages.
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I think that makes a lot of sense, especially since '98-'00 were not really vintages for making clones of '97. 2001 was the first opportunity to do it, and in some cases (like the Beringer Merlot) overdo it.
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Remember the hype on the 97 Gallo Barelli Creek Cab? I think it was readily available in supermarkets for $10-$15. In the WCWN days it was like the current Costco thread, with people posting store sightings.
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Yep. The Beringer Knights Valley Cab was another that sometimes created excitement. There was also some vintage of the Martini Sonoma Cab that was a huge overperformer.
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I think 1997 was what the vintage delivered, not an intentional or seismic shift and 2001/2002 was the first year to replicate that and shoot for high scores 1997 got.
2001 and 2002 were much better vintages than 1997 IMO, may have been glossier and smoother, but underneath had more structure and tannin, whereas 1997 reminds me of a Coke you leave on the counter…in 1999 it was good as in freshly openend, 5 and 8 years in it was akin to the Coke the next day, still tastes like Coke, just flat.
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I went through 6-12 bottles of that over the years. I’m not sure I can ever recall a wine that threw more sediment; it had to be a solid 1/4 inch at the bottom of every crusted bottle. But it was good stuff, like a baby Silver Oak for a sliver of the silver (heh).
I’ve have always wondered where that vineyard’s grapes go now.
I had a glass of a recent release KV CS at a jazz club a few weeks ago and it was nothing at all like the 90’s era wines I remembered, and cellared occasionally. It feels blockier, chunkier.
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Yeah, it’s not the same as the old KV. I have tried a few recent vintages courtesy of a friend, and never found it worth buying a bottle.
Regarding the Howell Mountain Merlot, my dad has several bottles of the 2013 in the cellar. I’m going to grab one & see what’s been happening more recently.
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Ha, yeah, that did throw crazy amounts of sediment, even when it was just a few years old. I also went through probably a case - kept the last bottle until about 2012 or so and man was that one chunky with sediment. Still going strong though.
The wines that got me hooked… 97 Gallo Barelli Creek and another vineyard wine at some price point from Gallo…
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Ahhhh…the days of the ol Gallo Barrelli Creek…Frei Ranch, and Stefani…still have a couple 96/97 Frei Ranch left! The 1994 Frei was the best one!
- 1997 Gallo Family Vineyards / Gallo of Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon Barrelli Creek Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley (9/20/2016)
An old friend…a wine boards darling back in the day…I was told I alone with my praise of this wine accounted for 100’s of cases to be snatched up the days I posted a note!!
Oh the days of the ultimate QPR…they just don’t make um like they use to!
Well…decided to check in on this 19yr old…since today is the wife and I’s 19th Anniversary(had Gallo wine at reception…I’m from Modesto people)! Bubbly later…the Gallo is kind of like us now…older, yet still rockin! Still plenty of sweet plum, cherry, currant fruit…little sour skin…but alive non the less. Lots of sediment in this bottle, which there has always been from day one…REALLY nice leather and old cellar dust, cedar spice, mint/decayed leaves, compost, tobacco pouch. Acidity had soured…short and drying finish…but still enough sweet fruit to balance. This wine was never suppose to be this complex, never suppose to age…it’s Gallo for God’s sake! But it is, it did…suck it Screagle! (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
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thanks for the trip down memory lane, still have memories of the the Gallo barelli, Frei and Stefani…as well as the Beringer KV
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David:
Just wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this thread. I read the entire thread with my 95 year old father, and we talked about all the great wines we’ve shared over the years. My father and I thank you.
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Back to the crypt!
2004 King Estate Pinot Gris (Oregon)
Well and truly oxidized. Nothing more than a wine that should have been drunk up ten years ago.
2005 Jean-Claude Bessin Chablis Vieilles Vignes
Not dead. Dry as sucking on a rock. Still has some lemony fruit, but the finish is very astringent. Little to no pleasure left.
2004 White Hall Vineyards Cuvée de Champs (Monticello)
A cherry Life Saver dipped in battery acid. The best thing that can be said is that it had a very short finish.
2003 Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend (SE Australia)
When I opened the other bottle of this back in March it was mercifully corked. That would have been a better outcome than what happened to this bottle, which smelled like rotting Shiraz berries in a tank full of dead fish. Oof!
Non-crypt items are being readied for tonight’s dinner.
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