TN: 2001 Bond Matriarch

Rob_MacKay · August 26, 2009, 5:02am

2001 Bond Matriarch - USA, California, Napa Valley (8/25/2009)
I have some seriously conflicting feelings about this wine tonight. On one hand I really think it was great with nice ripe blackberry and creme de cassis flavors framed by a heathly dose of oak and in fact the bottle was gone so quick that I thought perhaps I bought it only half full. (not really but you get the idea) On the other hand I was thinking ‘really, this is all that there is?’ Not sure where all that is coming from but in the end I guess I liked this wine but in comparison to, for example, the 2004 vintage, this isn’t nearly as good since beyond fruit and oak and tannin, there isn’t much more complexity here. (89 pts.)

Bill_Tex_Landreth · August 26, 2009, 1:31pm

I have had maybe three or four of these in the past. While not a “stellar” wine, I thought they showed better than yours. Granted it has been some time since I last visited an '01…so maybe they weren’t built for the long haul.

mike_pobega · August 26, 2009, 2:06pm

But isn’t the promise more for these? I mean, really, they’re not cheap, and in their ballpark there are tons of stuff so much…better.

Harlan is a genius at marketing, no doubt.

Bill_Tex_Landreth · August 26, 2009, 2:07pm

Mike, no they weren’t cheap by any stretch and that is why I have not purchased since 2002.

Jack_Bulkin · August 26, 2009, 2:09pm

Maybe Chris Maybach should hire him to market his wine. Better wine less $$dinero.

mike_pobega · August 26, 2009, 2:15pm

Jack, I know you want to break my balls about the Maybach every chance you get, but theres: Schraders, Merus, Kobalt, KL Reserves, Mondavi Reserves (once again), Jones Family, Switchback Peterson, and many many more that blows this away and are much more in my own wheelhouse.

Jack_Bulkin · August 26, 2009, 2:17pm

No breaking balls about Maybach Mike, other things errr yes. I was impressed with the 07 from mag that I opened for Tex last week. It will be a great wine in 2-3 years. Maiden and Matriarch are second wines priced like great wines. Good in great years but never great.

mike_pobega · August 26, 2009, 2:22pm

Bingo, Californias ‘seconds’.
I actually liked (in a former life) Bahans haut Brion and Forts de Latour when they were $14 each…(and Pavillion Rouge…)

Rob_MacKay · August 26, 2009, 3:42pm

I think this was the exact problem I had here. That implied promise for more. It’s a nice wine but you are right, Switchback, Spottswoode, etc are much better. I will say that I do think that The Maiden is a much better wine, even as a second, then The Matriarch and can sometimes show much better then a lot of the other big names.