TN: judgment of chicago-California Cabs vs Bordeaux

JUDGMENT OF CHICAGO-CALIFORNIA CABS VS BORDEAUX - Chicago IL, Ward’s (6/13/2009)

While not all of the cast was the same as last year’s Chardonnay event, we still had our core and a few new comers for us to do the bordeaux varietals version this year. The setting this year was Ward’s and we had Bo from japonais do the cooking for us.
Flight 1: wines 1-6
all of these were served double blind

  • 1982 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
    nose: beautiful and perfumed nose with classic tones of cedar, red currants, dark red cherries, craberries and bits of mint. Very classy and polished on the nose with good depth

taste: beautifully resolved tannins with a real good medium/full feel that has a real polished quality to it. Well balanced tones of cedar, red currants, dark red cherries along with bits of cranberries and bits of tobacco

overall: this demanded a lot more time then the format allowed for. With 12 people, it’s tough to really get into what this wine is about and let it tell its story. Still, it was really good and showed quite well under the circumstances. Very pretty aromatics and balance on the palate with a real sense of class behind it while still having some good power at the same time (91 pts.)

  • 1994 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
    nose: right off the bat, the higher merlot content strikes you as there is a real velvety sense on the tones with plush and round tones of leather, charcoal, perfumes, red cherries and some cedar. Great balance and maturity on the nose, but still retains a bit of youthfulness at the same time

taste: comes off as young on the palate with the tones being very vibrant. Great, silky, medium/full feel with polished tones of leather, charcoal, red cherries, cedar, and some bits of scorched earth and red berries.

overall: I was quite happy to have called this when I had it blind(it was my wine). Drinking in a perfect place, but certainly still has a ways to go as the tannins were still very much there, but have now more moved into a supporting role. A real pretty wine that won’t neccessarily get better and isn’t a blow away La Mish, but is certainly a very enjoyable la mish that can be enjoyed right now at a reasonable price for la mish (93 pts.)

  • 1997 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
    nose: a whole lot of new american oak strikes you right off the bat with tones of vanilla, red currants, black licorice, and red cherries. There is a bit too much upfront oak that is bothersome and this is lacking a bit of depth that would compensate for the over oaking

taste: big tannins still persist as they thrash the mid-palate and finish. Big full bodied tones of oak, red currants, black licorice, and red cherries. Just comes across as very standard and doesn’t provide much more then that, along with the biggest problem being that this wine is a ghost on the finish. Good attack, thinish mid-palate, and a faint finish.

overall: dissapointing when revealed. Very blase’ and extremely standard. Lacks a finish and depth, this comes across as relatively well made as there is good structure, but one does have to question, what does structure do when there is over oaking and then a lack of a finish (87 pts.)

  • 1996 Château Lagrange St. Julien - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    nose: real attractive cedary backdrop on the nose with well balanced tones of red cherries, tobacco, red and black currants, bits of spice box and some slight tones of mint. Good power behind it too with excellent tones on top of cedar. The french oak is present, but its not in the way that the american oak was with the previous wine

taste: good firm tannins and a medium/full feel. This comes across as extremely young with rich tones of red cherries, red fruits, red and black currants and some bits of spice box

overall: this certainly still comes across as not yet ready for primetime. Well balanced and defined, this came across as a more classically styled california cab, so it was surprising that it came from the 96 vintage in bordeaux as I could see a 95 more showing like this. Its still a good 5-8 years away IMO from being at its peak and should be a real lovely lagrange when it fully comes around (92 pts.)

  • 1989 Château Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
    nose: very powerful nose with cedar, roasted herbs, black currants, dark red cherries and a good bit of rawhide leather. Good layering, but seems to be holding back a bit at this time

taste: excellent and young full bodied feel with good tannins and rich tones of cedar, roasted herbs, black currants, tobacco, and dark red cherries. Very powerful and deep with a bit of elegance too

overall: still quite young. This seemed to be holding back a good amount and didn’t fully want to come out and play (93 pts.)

  • 1998 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
    nose: completely overblown oak on the nose with some bits of red cherries and red currants. Just way too overdone and horribly over oaked on the nose that masks a good amount of fruit

taste: big and overblown on the palate too. Loads of oak and a good amount of heat with red cherries and red currants

overall: the only thing that works for me is it being put together. Not neccessarily balanced, but it doesn’t define the tones well that are big. A decent wine, much more for fans of oak in their wines, but for me the oak doesn’t work and I want to taste cabernet, not wood (84 pts.)

a blind intermezzo

  • 2001 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
    nose: very tight nose with great depth and good tones of dark red cherries, vanilla extract, some bits of oak, red and black currants with a slight hint of smoke

taste: big chewy tannins with a full bodied feel and tones of dark red cherries, vanilla, some bits of oak, red currants and some tones of smoke. flavors are a bit muted right now and not fully blooming

overall: it should be noted that this was a pop n pour blind wine between official flights, so this wasn’t decanted and this was a very quick impression. I’m sure if this was given a good decant that this would’ve shown better. This should be really good on pop n pour in about 5 years or so (91 pts.)

Flight 2: wines 7-12
all wines were served double blind

  • 1987 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
    nose: an absolutely show stopping nose that is beautifully pure and finessed. Chock full of beautiful and balanced tones of dark red cherries, roasted herbs, cedar, tobacco, sour cranberries and bits of black currants. The nose was so heady and enveloping that it just allowed you to be in the moment

taste: beautiful and mature on the palate with pure tones of black currants, tobacco, red cherries, sour cranberries and a bit of spice box tones. Wonderful layering with a great medium/full feel

overall: the palate wasn’t as deep as the nose, but really, that’s just nitpicking as the nose was as deep as could be and the polish on the palate was a thing of beauty. This was stupendous and the nose was breath taking to where this was thought to be the 86 lafite that was in the lineup. A stunning bottle that was the clear WOTN, and certainly made us glad that it fully lived up to its billing as one of the greatest montys ever (96 pts.)

taste: great balance with plush tones of roasted herbs, black and red currants, dark red cherries, cedar and bits of ripe cranberries. Good tannins that are still a presence, but they aren’t unbearable right now

overall: A more ripe classically styled cabernet. Good fruit that comes across well and in balance that add a bit of flash to the wine. Certainly has a way to go and should be a lot of fun when it’s fully mature (93 pts.)

taste: attractive medium feel with resolved tannins. Good tones of cedar, black currants, dark red cherries, and bits of dark cranberries work well together. The mid-palate is a bit thin and lacking

overall: fully mature, and possibly on the decline. A nice cabernet that gets extra points for its elegant nose and palate, but its lacking a bit with depth and the mid-palate (90 pts.)

  • 1990 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    nose: real nice perfumed nose with roasted herbs, black currants, red currants, red cherries, cedar, and some pipe tobacco. Good balance and nice depth with a bit of an underlying ripeness to the nose

taste: medium feel that comes off as a bit hollow. Good tones of roasted herbs, black currants, red cherries and cedar, but there is a lacking that detracts a bit on this

overall: really nice nose, but it isn’t followed through on the palate. Definitely disappointing when revealed (90 pts.)

  • 1986 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
    nose: real rich and deep nose filled with anise, cedary oak tones, black cherries, and some roasted herbs. Very vibrant and comes across as fairly young on the nose, while also having a more classic california cabernet streak in it too

taste: strong tannins are the most noticeable aspect (wasn’t too surprised that this wine was an 86 when revealed) with rich tones of anise, cedary oak, black cherries, some tobacco and a bit of roasted herbs.

Overall: needs more time. The tannins were a bit on the hard side and certainly presented this as a younger wine then it really is. Fairly youthful flavors and aromas to boot and this seemed to be more of a classic california cabernet from the late 90s as there was a ripeness to the tones at the same time, so there should be plenty of fruit for when the tannins start to finally recede a bit (92 pts.)

  • 1986 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    nose: a real lovely and nuanced nose that doesn’t necessarily blow you away, but instead it draws you in with its absolutely lovely tones of cassis, black currants, cranberries, cedar, bits of graphite, slight earthen tones and some bits of dark red fruits too.

taste: very polished, deep, and elegant medium/full feel with good tannins that are certainly letting you know that they are there. Sumptuous tones of cassis, black currants, dark red fruits, cedar, some floral bits, and graphite tones all balance extremely well with each other

overall: what is too bad about this wine is that it wasn’t given enough air to really do what it can fully do. There was a mixup and this wasn’t decanted as long as it needed to be. With that said, this was a thing of beauty and would’ve been best in an environment where it could be followed and let it tell its story as this was just barely revving when it was poured (94 pts.)

blind ender

  • 1990 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    nose: took a slight bit to get going as there was a slight dis-jointedness at first, but then came together well with rich tones of black currants, leather, dark cherries, and cedar

taste: excellent medium/full feel with good tannins in support, but still present with rich tones of black currants, dark cherries, leather, cigar wrappers and some cedar box tones

overall: this grew very well in the glass over the course of about 45 minutes. It most likely would’ve shown better if decanted for a bit and then poured as this was another random blind wine (91 pts.)

Desert Wines and other night cappers

  • 2001 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    nose: excellent depth with beautiful and pure tones of apricots, honey, all sorts of melons, and a good helping of nectarines

taste: real good rich feel with excellent medium+ acidity and plump flavors of nectarines, melons, and apricots with a touch of white peach tones

overall: a beautiful young sauternes, but does need some time to round out and reach its real level of potential (93 pts.)

  • 1990 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    nose: much more powerful then the earlier bottle. Good depth and well layered tones of pencil lead, leather, dark red cherries, black currants, and some sour red fruits. Very pungent and holds some real good balance to go with the power behind it

taste: excellent full body with good tannins and well balanced tones of pencil lead, leather, dark red cherries, sour red fruits and a bit of tobacco

overall: miles better then the bottle that was in the blind line up. This performed great right out of the box and it would’ve been nice to get more of a shot at it as it just really came to play (93 pts.)

  • 1997 Château d’Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    nose: beautiful and very youthful with perfectly balanced tones of coconut, apricots, white florals, all sorts of peach tones and bits of nectarines. There is a bit of shyness on the nose right now, but extremely deep and well layered

taste: very precise and deep tones of apricots, peaches, melons, and loads of white florals that are so well layered and lush. There is a real lovely medium weight to the wine that seems to want to let some extra time add to it

overall: a beautiful young d’yquem. This seemed to hold back a bit, but there was such a beautiful and somewhat precocious feel to it that should really blossom with more time (95 pts.)

  • 2002 Alois Kracher Scheurebe TBA #6 Zwischen den Seen - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee
    nose: extremely rich and powerful nose that is a contrast to the refinement of the d’yquem previously. Excellent, deep, and ripe tones of apricots, honey, green apples, and nectarines. Very pungent and comes off as heavier

taste: fuller bodied with rich, deep, and ripe tones of melons, apricots, green apples and nectarines. Really big on the botrytis flavors with good medium+ acidity

overall: this is a bit of a bruiser. Big and doesn’t mess around with real density on the palate while having a real lushness to it too. Definitely a wine that makes you take notice as it grabs you right away and doesn’t want to let you go (94 pts.)

  • 1999 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    nose: a bit tight initially, but after some swirling and giving it a couple of minutes, it starts to really explode with a good amount of white pepper, black cherries, garrigue, black spices, leather, and some hints of brett and funk that let you know that you are smelling pegau

taste: good tannins make themselves known with a great medium feel and rich tones of black cherries, black liqueurs, dark spices, roasted bacon and roasted meat tones.

overall: this was really good fairly soon after pop n pour. On the younger side, this is drinking well and is classic pegau and would be very approachable with about a 1 hour decant (93 pts.)

  • 2004 Garretson Wine Company Syrah Mon Amie Bassetti Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, San Luis Obispo County
    nose: a tamed fruit bomb on the nose with rich tones of blackberry pie, black cherries, anise, black fruits, and some dark oak tones. Real forward on the nose, but the slight bit of age seems to have tamed it just a slight bit

taste: big and rich full bodied feel with a massive amount of ripe black fruits, blackberry pie, anise, and oak.

overall: A bit over the top for me, but well made for the style it aims for. The alcohol was kept fairly in check and there was a lot of sediment for such a young wine. Drinking fine for what it aims for right now (90 pts.)

A real great night. Loads of great wines with great conversation. Many of the wines showed fairly well, and the 87 montelena was a real stunner and was the deserved WOTN during the blind portion. A real memorable night indeed
Posted from CellarTracker

Thanks for the detailed notes Keith. Terrific line up and concept. That 87 Montelena is a special wine.

Great notes! Montelena, to me, is the most “classically styled” (using Bordeaux as the reference) of California cabernets. This was great to read.

Keith great read!
Your notes remind me of why I need to get to Chicago soon [wow.gif]

The '87 Montelena is one wine in particular that I had looked to buy recently, but did not. Looks like I should have made more of an effort when the iron was hot.

The Lagrange is interesting to me as well - I think this ends up to be a wine that shows very well for its price point, even among higher classed Bordeaux. I have 2 bottles of 2000 Lagrange, and one was consumed this past New Years Eve. It’s not close to being ready, and it would seem obvious that your '96 wasn’t quite peaking either. I guess these are long term holds…

the 87 certainly was a thing of beauty. I certainly thought it was the 86 lafite that I had found out was in the lineup which made things a lot more interesting when it got revealed

what I was most shocked about the lagrange is that it didn’t come across as a 96. It’s definitely a wine that has life to it, and I wonder if it’ll turn into the 90 a bit as it gets older. I had a 90 for new years and it was fully mature, so these wines probably need around 15-18 years, in the big vintages, to get going

a la 2000…looks like I’ll sit on them for a while.