TN: A Tale of Two Cabernets - Togni and Hartwell

WINE TALK
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Met a colleague for dinner last night and decided to go the Cabernet route. Interesting to note the differences between the aged Mountain fruit of the Togni and the rounder, smoother Valley fruit of the Hartwell. Both were excellent, paired well with my dinner, which was an appetizer of Organic Butternut Squash Ravioli served with Wild Mushrooms, Sage, Beurre Noisette Red Wine sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano and a main course of Black Pepper Roasted New Zealand Cervina Venison served with Swiss Chard, Celery Root Puree and Port Cherry Sauce. Delicious.

  • 1996 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (1/12/2010)
    Decanted one hour, enjoyed over two. Initially the nose was dominated by green bell pepper, but this dissipated with air. Strong nose of tobacco, leather. Black cherry, cassis, herbal flavors, well balanced. The finish on this bottle was the star, complex and long.
  • 2004 Hartwell Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District (1/12/2010)
    Decanted two hours, enjoyed over two. Distinctive nose, black raspberries, cocoa, earth. Smooth, rich and elegant. A pleasure to drink.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Interesting notes, Brian. I see you gave the nod to the Togni. The Hartwell is one I usually grab when offered at a decent price as it flies under the radar, but I can say I have never really ever enjoyed Togni, either old or young. Thanks!

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I think Togni may be the most polarizing wine made in California, and one of the clear “dividers” in that debate is just how sensitive you are to the green notes/bell pepper that Brian refers to. I’ve had these wines enough to realize that if it’s there, it doesn’t bother me (and I am also a big fan of Pichon Lalande, another wine that is often accused of displaying “green-ness”), and I think all of the recent wines I’ve tried from Togni in the 90’s have been very nice and are drinkable, if still on the younger side.

If memory serves, '96 was the vintage where they had a very small crop because of some infestation (Pierce’s disease?), so there wasn’t a lot of this wine to go around.

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Really enjoy older Togni wines, particularly the 1996. Been a while since tasting this one, but recall a similar green bell pepper note as mentioned that blew off with some air. Interesting reminder on the greeness of Pichon Lalande, which I find never blows off like the Togni. Strange as it may sound, prefer Togni over Pichon Lalande for this reason.

Has anyone had recent experience with current release Togni wines? Have not tasted anything of theirs post 1997 . . .

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Interesting, Nick - while I’m the guy who mentioned PL, I think I would have difficulty in comparing the two wines, as other than that green streak, I don’t think they have much in common. Pichon has always struck me as an elegant, “feminine” Bordeaux - if I recall correctly, they’ve got something like 40% merlot in the blend.

Togni, OTOH, definitely reminds me of the brawnier side of cabernet - maybe that Spring Mountain fruit coming to the fore. But I do have both wines in the '94 & '95 vintages, so that may be an interesting side-by-side comparison to check out in the near future [welldone.gif]

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Brian, thanks for the great notes. I’ve only had 1994, 1997 and 2001 Togni and really really liked each one of them. I think the 2001 is going to be stupendous with time. I happen to enjoy the elements that people are referring to as green notes on the nose, which remind me more of Sociando Mallet than Pichon Lalande. I really want to try the 1996 to compare, so great to have your note as guidance.

-Michael

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Togni benefits from extended aging (15+ years) IMHO. Had a '92 last year that was stunning and extremely youthful.

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You also tried a 96 with me that i opened at Aaron Potts’ tasting with Will and Molly that had no decant. The green pepper was prevalent and did not have a chance to dissipate since we had to leave to go to dinner. This note sounds accurate to me thanks Brian.

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Jack, you are correct. I had forgotten about that bottle as it was a pretty aggressive day of tasting for me.

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How about the '95’s?

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I have some that I found need more time. The 91 and 92 to me are now drinking stellar.

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I had a 1995 within the last few months, and it was drinking well. It has a lot of life left.

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I’ve had every vintage from '94 to '99 within the last year or so, and I thought all of them had something to offer at this point in time, although none of them felt like a truly mature wine. I’ve also got mags of '97 - '99, which I’m assuming my kids can enjoy flirtysmile .

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Bob,

Brawny is a good word to describe this wine. The mountain certainly makes its presence felt.


Thanks for all the kind words. Glad my notes can help!

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Fully agree Bob, the producers make very different wine, just noting a stylistic preference as it relates to how greeness presents itself very differently in certain wines, in some cases find it appealing, and others, not to my personal palate. Mentioning PL was pretty interesting, having tasted a few recently. Examples:

Pichon Lalande - Noted a very disappointing green in 1989 and 1986 recently. In both cases, found the green bordering on Brett and that it does not go away. In 2 of 3 other years tasted, similarly disappointing results. Others who tasted the 86 with me, either loved it or totally disliked it!

Philip Togni - With a 1994 and 1996 tasted, find that the nose started green pepper, but blew off in time. Find that kind of green more appealing and nuanced. The overall wine is a brute as you suggest, but find the greeness not so prodominant a component to the wine as it is in the PL.

That said, if ever in the wine country, bring the 94, 95, I’ll bring a 93, 96, and 97 and we can write up some nice current notes on a good vertical! :slight_smile:

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I could participate! I have only the '95, though…

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Brought the 04 Hartwell to a dinner Thursday night. About 90 minute decant. Agree with the notes below. Very good but still very young. Purchased this on a vist to the winery last year. I would continue to hold this for another 2+ years before trying again. Have 2002 that I’ll try next.

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Thanks for the notes. Have some 2004 Togni hidden away somewhere - one of my first forays into Cali wines. Looks like they need a good 10 years or so more before opening.

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Since we’re talking around it, anyone have thoughts on the '97? I picked some up from Phillip a Couple years ago with the 10yr library release. With solid provenance, should I let these sleep or is it time to pull one?

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I had the 1996 Togni last night, no decanting but lightly chilled. It’s my last bottle, held since release, and this wasn’t as good as one last summer. There was a little bit more pyrazine/bell pepper notes on this example. My friend loved it more than I did, but maybe that’s because I remember what it can be like when hitting all cylinders. Maybe I should have given it a little air.

Only a B+ this time, normally its a solid A for me. His wines age so well.