Our wine impassioned lunch group continues to create a spectacular experience, consistently hitting it on the head with great brings from all of our elite members and occasional guests. This luncheon at our usual, extra special venue of the Santa Barbara Club, featured a wine theme of Cabernet Sauvignon from anywhere and we had some beauties. But first the menu which paired beautifully with the wines:
FIRST COURSE
Lamb Chili Soup
SECOND COURSE
Quail With Polenta Casuelita Served with Quail Egg and Homemade Mole
THIRD COURSE
Whole Roasted Beef Tenderloin served with Chorizo Succotash
CHEESE COURSE
Habarnero Sierra Jack, Red Leicester, Point Reyes Blues, Truffle Pate
DESSERT
Chocolate Ibarra Tart Made with Cajeta served with Mango- Huckleberry Relish
THE WINES:
2011 AU BON CLIMATE NUITS BLANCHES au BOUGE ESTATE CHARDONNAY- a starter wine for the group that was recently released and although young, and yet to be integrated, it shows off real nice acidity with citrus, apple, pear and honeysuckle amidst the toasted oak components with a vanilla coating; it has fine structure with multiple layers of goodness; I expect this to be real good in 4-5 years on when it all comes together.
1983 POTHIER- RIVUSSSET POMMARD CLOS de VERGER- very strange aromatics and along with the light and browning color, it all suggests a very aged wine that has seen better days; there was some light prune/ plum/ red currant fruitiness that disappeared rather quickly.
FIRST FLIGHT OF 4
1977 ZACA MESA SANTA YNEZ VALLEY CANBERNET SAUVIGNON- old meets old in succession as this tastes of sawdust, prunes and dried figs along with some bricking and a faint, but clear hint of corkiness.
1977 CHATEAU MONTELENA ESTATE NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- from magnum, this shined brightly with surprising youthfulness in color, rich and vibrant flavors and beautiful length, perfectly balanced and pleasant on the palate, it carried ripe cedar flavored black cherry to the back end and hung on for a complete experience; the question here is, “Is there another wine in our lineup that can equal or top this?” There were some candidates.
1973 DIAMNOND CREEK VOLCANIC HILL CABERNET SAUVIGNON- again, some aging notes of earth, dust and dried fruit with some sweetness; I dare say this was once a charmer in its better day and it`s always enjoyable to go back to some big California winners from the 70s and 80s with which this luncheon is replete.
1979 SPRING MOUNTAIN NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- definitely mature, this showed good fruit character with a softness on the palate, finishing on the dry side.
SECOND FLIGHT OF 4
1980 KALIN CELLARS SANTA BARBARA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- its been a while since Ive seen or heard from this winery located in Novato in Marin County; SB is not well known for this varietal, especially from the 80s although a few vineyards did seem to produce decent Cabs; this had some aging character in both the nose and taste and offered just a touch of fruit; 12% alc.
1986 CHATEAU LAGRANGE ST. JULIEN- still with firm tannins in place, there`s some nice red, blue and black fruit coating the mid palate along with some licorice and anise.
1984 BERINGER RESERVE NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- this shined with brilliance, balance and with a fresh red cherry fruit profile which includes a bit of Bing and maraschino; this was a winner out of the gate and all the way to the back end and offered the first serious challenge to the Montelena for WOTD.
1985 GRAND VIN de LEOVILLE-LAS CASES ST. JULIEN- our 3rd candidate for the WOTD came up next; this was quite appealing with a great mouthfeel, complexity and nice dark cherry/ berry notes with the touch of talc; its firm tannins support longevity and more evolution and it will probably get better, but it`s so good now.
THIRD FLIGHT OF 4
1986 LA JOTA VINEYARD HOWELL MOUNTAIN CABERNET SAUVIGNON- it seemed on the aging side and still gave up some decent fruit and made a statement for being of the more big and bold style although now, this bottle is starting to dissipate.
1991 CAYMUS SPECIAL SELECT CABERTNET SAUVIGNON- wild red and black cherry flavors abound after a more coconut laced nose; it seemed to come from a different place than most SSs Ive had over the years and still managed to please with the complete experience, just a different profile for Caymus best.
1991 BERINGER CHABOT VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON- heres another stellar wine thats got to be in the conversation for the best of the day; beautifully balanced, it gave layers of black fruit especially black currant, was soft and silky on the palate and had a long, welcomed finish.
1990 RIDGE MONTE BELLO CABERNET SAUVIGNON- Yes! Such a treat; nicely balance with depth and complexity, big and bold and not too much so to distract; in a perfect place now; Im leaning here for WOTD although Id like to go back to the Montelena and compare. FOURTH FLIGHT OF 3
1992 MOUNT EDEN VINEYARDS OLD VINE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON- excellent; spicy fruity, steady, complex and long; good texture with lots of chocolate, cherry/ berry, soft tannins and showing so well at this stage; another really good wine and in the top echelon for the day.
1998 BRYANT FAMILY VINEYARDS PROPRIETOR GROWN CABERNET SAUVIGNON- an excellent wine from a tough vintage proving its more the producer than the vintage when it comes to making a good wine; this is beautiful; its soft, elegant [key word], smooth and easy on the palate and nicely balanced; I loved the spicy accent along with the talc and sandalwood.
1994 WHITHALL LANE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON- varietally correct in every way except for an astringent finish, this was steady and delightful Cabernet.
FIFTH FLIGHT OF 3
2005 CLARK-CLAUDON ESTATE NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON- from a small producer who has made good Cabs since the early 90s under the husband/ wife name, this one was double decanted for 5 hours; obviously quite youthful, it showed good complexity with multiple layers carrying an abundance of mint chocolate over the palate.
1999 DOMINUS ESTATE NAPA- made from the 5 Bordeaux varietals including 13% Cabernet Franc; amidst some strong tannins, this had the requisite mocha, mint chocolate flavors and overall showed well and promises to evolve into something even more pleasing down the line; a good Dominus.
1999 LEEUWIN ESTATE ART SERIES MARGARET RIVER CABERNET SAUVIGNON- 86% Cab, 11% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec; a long time favorite producer for me, especially their Chardonnay, this presented a nice array of black and blue fruit with a hit of anise, cedar and burnt toastiness.
DESSERT WINES:
2007 MARTINELLI VINEYARDS MUSCAT RRV JACKASS HILL ALEXANDRIA- although somewhat green, theres honeyed citrus and stone fruit carried along in a thick, viscous liquid form coating the palate from early on and through the back end; 375 ml.\ \ 2005 MATINELLI VINEYARDS MUSCAT RRV JACKASS HILL ALEXANDRIA- more of the same of the 07 without the green notes; quite a sweetie; 375 ml.
1988 CHATEAU DOISY DAENE BARSAC- more honeyed stone fruit and a hint of citrus with an thick, oily texture.
My usual disclaimer: my palate preference is more toward wines approaching or at maturity as opposed to beyond and I found some wines here that for me were beyond and further along. My apologies to anyone offended by my opinion about their wine.
Cheers,
Blake
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Wow, what a lineup! That’s a lunch to remember. I really enjoy some of the Beringer Cabs with a little age. They seem to hold up very well. I caution any who have some of this wine in their cellars that after about 2 hours decanted it was fading fast so drink up.