2009 Maybach Materium.
Did not duck.
You watched Somm.
Very brave of you.
2000 Arietta - drinking at the peak now I think. Well balanced. Pencil shaving, dark fruit and floral notes. Lovely
2007 GTS Nancy’s fancy - big wine. Dark dark purple. Needs more time. A touch of heat. Big fruit but not really a fruit bomb. Delish but really could use some time.
Coincidentally the GTS is also a TRB cab 
No, not yet. I used the CT tasting note assistant.
How about did not suck?
So much inside stuff lately, I feel I am lost.
Anyway, Merry Christmas to you all!
Merry Christmas Mike (and all).
If we extend this thread to Friday we will be comparing 02 and 03 Revana (plus some other bottles)
I believe we can extend this until Friday night, midnight.
A few from last night:
1968 Mayacamas - Some old book, cedar on the nose, color was a clear red, nose not very exciting, but the palate was balanced and almost had the feel of old Burgundy. Cherry flavors were a bit one dimensional, but not bad for 45 years old.
2008 Mascot - I was unfamiliar with this but am told it is a baby Harlan. See my notes on the 02 Maiden, as this was a lot like that, but better, not quite as ripe and more structure. A pretty good QPR at $75.
2008 Tor To-Kalon - This was bangin’ good. Tastes exactly like its source, (is that terroir?). Very perfumed, high toned and then rich and deep on the palate, with all good things of mostly red fruit, kirsch and cherry. Superbly balanced, dense and a long life ahead. I think 2008 is a fabulous vintage for many and most will outlast their 2007 counterparts, they just need a bit more time to come around.
I opened up this bottle a couple of years earlier than I wanted to, given it was impacted by a mold problem that cropped up in one of my Eurocaves. While I think it could very well improve with 2-3 more years in the bottle, it’s a pretty nice bottle of wine for current consumption. My wife looked at me with a “WTF” expression as I opened it, reminding me that we were having lobster for dinner. Oh well!
-
2005 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (12/24/2013)
Decanted for 2 hours. Aromatic on the nose, cab fruit, sweet perfume and a hint of something that evokes a fresh cut field for me. On the palate, extraordinary precision and balance. A nice dose of cassis adds an accent here and contributes to an extremely long finish.
Perhaps my best cab of the year. Everything is as it should be and in perfect balance. I allowed myself to fall off the list as prices started creeping up, but now feel as though I might have made a mistake… (97 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
A couple more from the weekend:
-
2004 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/21/2013)
I tasted this a couple months ago, and thought it was rather full bodied. Tonight, this bottle is a notch down in fruit depth from a '04 Keenan also opened. On opening, this is the more approachable of the two wines. Mid to mid-heavy weight. A feeling of minerality, chalk, maybe a little Dentyne / cinnamon that reminds me a bit of the note I find often in Dunn Howell Mtn wines. Very fine tannins on the finish are generally resolved. Not much yet in terms of secondary notes or character. (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
-
2004 Robert Keenan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (12/21/2013)
A distinct game note on the palate this time around. To a greater degree than I remember from previous outings. On the full side in terms of body. Was best on the pop, became a bit sharp after a couple hours. Enough of an outlier that I wonder if this isn’t somehow flawed. Can’t pick out anything in particular though, other than hints of “cooked” notes. But it behaves more like lightly corked (fruit disappears, alcohol comes to the forefront) over time.
Posted from CellarTracker
Anxiously awaiting as I have an '03 myself ![[popcorn.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/1/1ca9f29573458cca2424a66a50d6c1261081dd3e.gif "[popcorn.gif]"){kind=small}
-
2005 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (12/24/2013)
Decanted off moderate sediment. Dark ruby color. Intense strawberry preserves rises from the decanter, along with orange blossom and graphite. On the palate it’s red-fruited with strawberry, raspberry, balanced by orange zest, mouthwatering acidity. Some bitter chocolate sneaks in at the end. Tannins are fully resolved. The acidity is prominent but well balanced. Speaks more of Monte Rosso than of Cabernet, but if you want your wine to have a sense of place, this has it in spades.
Posted from CellarTracker
Wonderful note, Jim. Sorry to hear about your mold problem, however, seems the Scarecrow held up nicely ![[thumbs-up.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f84c5acc11486ee4baba6dee6cf61dbd133abb18.gif "[thumbs-up.gif]"){kind=small}
2010 Grassi Cabernet Sauvignon- a new one for me as I am in Florida and had to search for a decent wine store. Pobega’d this guy!!!
12/24/2013 rated 91 points: P&P. Nose of bright cherry, cranberry, currants, slight earthiness, and a finish of creamy, but not offensive oak. Medium bodied, with the same fruits as the nose - cherry, currants and some orange rind. It comes across as young and tightly wound, with enough acidity to balance the fruit, and the finish lingers. Wait 5+ years to open, or decant for a good bit.
Joe, I have some from the 2009 vintage. An interesting wine, I had a similar note of damp earth. It comes from a family four acre site on Soda Canyon Road.
Here is one of our Nochebuena wines. 1980 Heitz Bella Oaks Cabernet had a wonderful eucalyptus nose and was still very fruit forward and youthful. As it opened up the nose became intense in mature cab aromas and the fruit developed a very silky texture. This wine was a surprising 33 years young. One of my top cabs for 2013.
Mike- the '10 had 10% cab franc, but I didn’t get any green or peppers, just earthiness. Definitely was picking up steam as it got more air. Could be a very polished example of napa cab after a few years of slumber.