Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 1997:
This was my last bottle of this wine so I thought we would give it a try. Like a number of '97s I feel like this wine has hit its stride, or worse a plateau. That is not to say the wine is not good, because it was very nice- silky, somewhat opulent and well-balanced- it is simply I can’t imagine the wine improving at all. I am not ready to suggest this wine will fall off in the next few years but if you own some you might begin to move them up the queue. Regarding the wine’s flavor profile, it was just what you might expect from a good PR- plums/blackberries, smoke, herbs and licorice, all tossed with the appropriate amount of oak. Overall a nice showing for a nice wine. 91 points
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection 2002:
So the dilemma for me for newer bottlings of Caymus is simple: Drink the youthful, gloppy, syrupy mess they release too early or buy it and hope the raw materials ever integrate properly to form something interesting. If the new wines turn out anything like the '02 then my strategy of not buying Caymus any more is rock solid. This is still a messy, alcohilic, Port-like creature that is simply no fun to drink and immeadiately causes palate fatigue. Only a small percentage of the guests enjoyed this wine. 80 points
Sloan Proprietary Red 2002:
I had a number of guests comment on this wine. Two people told me this was the best wine they had ever had . . . whatever that means. This was big and busty, with sweet aromas and a touch of truffle poking around for fun. No where near as heavy as the SQN we later drank, yet still mouth-coating and rich. Many of the folks who liked this wine, especially those ITB, liked the wine’s “completeness” or rather it purity from start to finish. I thought it was nice and was probably my favorite of this trio of Cabernet-based wines, though nowhere near the 100 points Bob gave it or anywhere near my favorite wine of the night. 93 points