I realized we hadn’t got around to posting our notes here from back in June. My notes are below, as well as on page two of the blog post. Dave’s notes and his pictures are on page 1.
Blog Link: The Wine Nerds - Year 2; Tasting 3 of 5 – Maciej and Steve do 1994 Napa Valley Cabernet
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2003 Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Brut - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
(tasted non-blind) Very pretty and very champagne like from the cool first pour. Nose displays beautiful notes of tart citrus (lemon, lime, tangerine), marzipan, toast, mint, kiwi and vanilla biscuits. Palate shows excellent high acidity and a sharp citrus tartness. I do find a touch of bitter grape skin texture on the finish which detracts for me. Stylistically I find this leans slightly to the leaner, less rich style. Seems to have lots of lees contact, only a touch oak, and seems to be split between Pinot and chard (confirmed later), and perhaps has not gone through malolactic fermentation due to the sharp acid. There was some discussion about the dosage in California sparkling wine being higher than in Champagne. I had this pegged as slightly elevated at 9 - 10 g/l RS. I checked later and it is 12g/l, so if you prefer the more dry style you may want to avoid this. (91 pts.) -
1994 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) On first pour I found this heavy on the oak, giving an impression that it’s not yet totally integrated. With air it rounded out and came to show a beautifully mature expression. Nose shows: dark fruit, blackberry, cassis, loads of cedar, mint, eucalyptus and graphite. Very pure and big fruit. There was also a nice freshness about it. Palate is dense and somewhat primary with still moderate tannin remaining. The finish is Medium plus in length. After it sat in the glass for an hour I found that is was reminiscent of a top shelf Pauillac. Despite Caymus having shifted to an ultra-modern style in more recent years, this bottle has huge appeal for my old-world-centric palate. My guess was Ridge Monte Bello or Beringer Private Reserve as it has developed a beautiful undergrowth, almost truffle type expression with optimally ripe, fresh fruit that I have found on these wines in the past. I believe Maciej deserves kudos for throwing the guess of Caymus SS out on this one. (95 pts.) -
1994 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) This wine showed a really stewed profile: raisins, prune, plum. To the point that we all suspected some degree of oxidation. With air some baking spice and brown sugar came through. Still not great. Palate has heavy plum and prune on the finish. NR (flawed) -
1994 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) Definitely flawed. I stuck my nose in the super light, coudy glass and said it smells like apple cider. Flawed, though we couldn’t agree on what the flaw was. Nose was of bruised apple and bug spray in a bad way. I suspect maderization. NR (flawed) -
1994 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) This wine features a totally clean nose that is quite ripe of predominantly cassis, blackberry and herbs. There was definitely an inherent sweetness to the black fruit and a kiss of oak that isn’t yet totally integrated. Just seemed to be a straight up simple Cali cab that has aged well but not developed into anything too exciting. My guess was that this might be the regular Phelps Cab. (90 pts.) -
1994 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) This was very enjoyable and had a beautifully complex nose. It’s another one with a nod to the old world. Quite polished with tons of deep and dark notes. Also on the nose: mint, eucalyptus, dark cherry, tea leaves, a nice little kick of brown spice and just a hint of black raspberry jam. Palate replays the polish with a super silky feel and very soft (low) tannin. Not overtly oaky, but I did get just a whiff of alcohol on the finish. This had me guessing Caymus SS or Phelps Insignia. (92 pts.) -
1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) We all agreed this was delicious. Another one with a nod to the old world and some almost Cab Franc like notes (I looked later and it’s only 2% cab franc). Nose is of dry earth, iron, bell pepper, herbs, cracked pepper, old leather, old furniture, iodine, coffee and dark cherries. Lots of class and refinement on this beauty. The palate has excellent acid, low perceptible tannin and a lovely long iodine finish. Would really appeal to a Bordeaux palate, it’s full of secondary aromas and a very French palate, though I perceived zero Brett. Dave was quite sure this was the Dominus, and I agreed at first, but on second thought I felt this didn’t quite have enough of the Dominus rusticity (Brett). For a moment I wondered if this was the Dunn, but I’m not sure I settled on a final guess. In any case it was an awesome wine. (95 pts.) -
1994 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
(tasted single blind) Wow, out of the gates this smacks you with initially the most rustic nose of the evening: huge barnyard, coffee bean and bell pepper. What I came to dislike was as the rusticity subsided the fruit came out and was of slightly candied cherries, jujubes and a hint of cotton candy. The palate features quite a bit of sweet tannin. The very strangely candied red fruit profile left me very unsure of which producer to head to. There was still a good deal of enjoyment to be had here and on any other night I’m sure I would be raving about this but it was a few notches behind a couple of others tonight. (92 pts.) -
1994 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
(tasted single blind) This was the disappointment of the night. Nose was super clean and quite ripe even compared to the others. Nose of: blackberry, blueberry jam, prune, raisin, balsamic, brown sugar and graphite. Unfortunately it felt a bit like another “prototypical” Cali cab and was another candidate for one of the basic cabs like the regular Caymus or the Phelps. Given that there was some pruneyness this bottle almost felt like it was on the downslope, nearly heading over the hill. Due to the pedigree of this wine I would love to try it again some day as this showing was a disappointment. (87 pts.) -
1994 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) This had aged well, though hasn’t picked up any secondary interest for my palate. Nose is ripe and forward. Typical straightforward Cali cab. Lush and densely black fruited with baking spice and a hint of Jujube. Elevated alcohol. The palate reveals bitter anise notes and firm tannin. This performed at or near expectations. (89 pts.) -
1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) I was a big fan of this from the first pop. Nose has a lovely dirty side showing modeling clay, bandaid, farm, coffee bean, celery salt, leather, tobacco, lush dark cherry, plum, sweet cassis and cured meats. Palate has good acid and some good sweet but firm tannin. Another wine reminiscent of Bordeaux, though with slightly more lush fruit. It was a bit tricky to peg this as the Dominus with a few other rustic wines in the line-up, but it certainly was a candidate. I initially had this down as a 94++, but I came to like it more as it sat in the glass. (95 pts.) -
1994 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
(tasted single blind) Another very disappointing showing. This was my least favourite of the night. Nose is extremely candied and medicinal. Really quite unappealing. Palate replays very candied notes with zero tannin. Finish leaves a cough syrup impression. (82 pts.) -
1994 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) This wine showed a profile I was not terribly fond of. Nose is overripe revealing prune, raisin, vanilla custard, coconut, hard candy and alcohol. Palate has no tannin, high alcohol and a short finish. Really didn’t work for me. (85 pts.) -
1994 David Arthur Meritaggio - USA, California, Napa Valley
(tasted single blind) I’ve never had a wine from this producer before but was quite impressed with how it showed. It probably didn’t get the attention it deserved on this evening being at the end of the pack. Certainly not the cleanest expression with a good hit of barnyard off the bat. Also on the nose: band-aid, roasted seasoned meat, coffee bean, dark cherry, cassis, cured meats, cigar ash, celery seed and herbs. Palate still has good structure, with decent acid and a medium finish. (92 pts.)