TN: Dunn Vertical at Post 154

WINE TALK
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DUNN VERTICAL AT POST 154 - Post 154 Westport, CT (5/31/2014)

Got together with my usual wine group for a Dunn Vertical. Started off with a couple of whites but then kicked it over to the Dunn. One couple had an emergency and unfortunately could not make it. Said he was probably going to bring an 82 and 90. Feel bad that they could not make it. Still had an interesting vertical with what we had. Amazing the consistency and style of these wines throughout. One consistent thing throughout was that the wines all tasted young with long, long lives ahead.

  • 2006 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
    What a way to kick off the tasting! This was very fresh with a beautiful acidity. Notes of stone, mineral and macadamia nut on the nose. Really expressive nose here and this was served at the perfect temperature. More mineral and lemon on the palate. Hard to believe this was 8 years old! (93 pts.)
  • 2005 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    What a difference between this and the Chablis! Could not be anymore at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Tasted a little hot at first, which is pretty common for me when switching between old world and new world wines. A few people complained this wasn’t cold enough but I thought it was just right. After a couple of sips my palate adjusted and this was quite a nice wine! Lot of tropical fruits on this with both aromas and flavors of mango, papaya, banana and vanilla. Oak was nicely integrated. Ended with a very long finish. Glad I got a chance to try the old style Kistler before they changed it. Gotta admit I like this old style over the new one. (95 pts.)
  • 1986 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
    On to the Dunn’s! This was the surprise of the tasting to me, figuring the oldest wine would show the most mature notes but this tasted very young. More like a wine 8-10 years old than something 28 years old. The nose was jammy at first, with aromas of blackberry, raspberry, cassis and violets jumping out of the glass. As the night wore on these aromas calmed down a little bit but they were still nice throughout nonetheless. Got more raspberry, dried cherry, touch of earth and iron as well. Ended with a very long finish. The tannins on this were very smooth and this had no hard edges. What you hope a Dunn will taste like when you buy and cellar it. (95 pts.)
  • 1987 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
    This was more mature than the 86 and the most of any wine in the tasting. Amazing how different this and the 86 were but both retained a signature style. Leather, dried cherry, cassis and earth on the nose. Again, no hard edges on this with flavors of raspberry, dried cherry, earth and iron. Nose on the 86 was more expressive and fruit was a bit brighter on the palate. Had the 87 Napa Valley last week and honestly these two are neck and neck in terms of quality. (94 pts.)
  • 1989 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
    This started off with a touch of funk on the nose but it quickly blew off. Got a lot of fruit on the nose of this with dried cherry, cassis and blackberry. This tasted the youngest of the first 3 wines with some nice cherry, earth and raspberry flavors but it ended with some drying tannins. (92 pts.)
  • 1991 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
    Second time having the 91 and what a difference a few years make! Expressive nose had aromas of raspberry, balsamic, eucalyptus, dried cherry and a touch of iron. This tasted very young, with cherry, blackberry, iron and mineral on the palate. What really separated this from the other wines was the finish, which sailed on for over 40 seconds. Just when you thought it was over it kept coming. My wine of the night and a long life ahead of this one. (97 pts.)
  • 2003 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
    Had this before recently and didn’t benefit from a decant. Made sure it had a good 2-3 hours this time plus whatever it had waiting for it’s place in the tasting. Very young wine, literally I have had 2007’s that have tasted older than this. Got some matchstick on the nose with cherry and blackberry. Very expressive palate though with flavors of cherry, blackberry, plum and iron. A great bottle in an off vintage. (95 pts.)
  • 2003 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - USA, California, Napa Valley
    Had to get my bearing at first with this one. It literally tasted like the same wine. After a couple of sips, some of the smaller nuances became clear to me although most people I would imagine would have a tough time telling them apart. Cherry, plum, blackberry, iron and roses on the nose of this went with flavors of cherry, blackberry and iron. The nose was a touch more complex than the Howell Mt. but the palate was more complex on the Howell as well as the finish. Still for the price you really can’t beat it. (94 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Thanks for the notes Matthew. I am a big fan of the Dunn wines but actually stopped purchasing them after the '97 vintage. I love the way they age and have not opened any wines younger than the '93. The '87 is one of my favorite vintages and the bottles still have plenty of life left. It seems that this producer has lost favor with this Board and you rarely see a TN. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

Cheers! [cheers.gif]
Marshall

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My pleasure Marshall. They really are special wines worth seeking out but to be honest, I don’t have many myself.

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Thanks for the notes! Love old Dunns.

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Nice notes Matt and a fun evening. I was really surprised by the 86 but enjoyed the 03’s best.

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Thank Steve and Austin. Ya the 86 was surprising. Remarkable how consistent the quality is in these wines.

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Matt, thanks for the great notes, was fun night. Agree the consistency across the wines was revealing. The 86 was fresher and younger than I would have imagined. I thought the 91 was distinctive, as the eucalyptus was quite dominant to my taste compared to the others. All were truly exceptional. And the Kistler really surprised me in a good way.

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Bow to the alter of Dunn!!! '92 is freaking amazing

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I’m confused. There aren’t 154 posts in this thread.




[bye.gif]

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http://www.post154.com

Great private room, but the food was just average.

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Great note.

Dunn is the apogee of cabernet for me.

It was wonderful reading your note.

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Well, I still hope this thread get there anyway.

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Yes Post 154! Agree with Steve’s comments although I thought the service left something to be desired. They came around at the end though.

Need to buy more Dunn.

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ta for these notes. Surprisingly I stumbled across a bottle of the 1986 Napa Valley in an Italian wine shop, and the price was reasonable. Not quite sure what turn of events got it there, but looking forward to drinking it soon.