Ok... today is the day I play catch-up. I should be off tonight, and I'm in a typing mood. Check back this afternoon for my list of my 10 favorite wines from the first 100 posts...
For now though, I'll get back to the last few days. The 2000 Harlan Estate was black, has sweet fruit and anise, and was a slightly thin wine. Nowhere close to the 1999, 1997, and certainly not the 2001. It was good, just not real weighty and didn't caress your senses like Harlan should do. The 2001 Harlan "The Maiden" was a far superior wine - made in the classic Harlan style. Clearly the finest Maiden I've ever had, this wine was black, rich, very full-bodied, and had a very silky texture that makes Harlan so great. While it clearly doesn't have the overall attributes that the Estate has, it is a great wine and I would love to have some in my cellar! The 1999 Araujo "Eisele Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon was tasted from two different bottles - one Magnum and one 750ml. It was amazing to taste the difference - the magnum was extremely youthful and fresh, while the 750ml was clearly more advanced in it's aging. Full of mocha, coffee, black plums, black currants and tons of toasty vanilla, this has always been one of my favorites. The tannin is extremely forthcoming however and could use a little softening. These 1999 Cabs are blowing away the 1997s... Last but certainly not least... the 2002 Bond "St. Eden" is a monster. While it doesn't have overall class of Harlan, this is nontheless a Bill Harlan wine. Sweet vanilla and rich, mouthfilling fruit. This is simply awesome stuff. A long, long finish. This was the wine of the night. It needs some time (as it's not released yet), but this is something to experience!
Last night (other than the Petrus) saw the 2000 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon. A pretty wine, with maybe just hints of green, but mostly cocoa, graphite, black plums and those silky tannins that define Shafer Hillside. This is great wine. Perhaps my 5th time tasting it, I think that this is without question the best 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon made in California. We'll see. The 2002 Testarossa Bien Naciedo Pinot Noir, Santa Maria was classic Santa Barbara - spicy, with loads of alcohol (14.2%) and sweet strawberries. Nice wine. The 2000 Marchesi di Barolo Cannubi was great from magnum. While not as good as some other 2000 Barolos I've had, this is classic. Dried cranberries, plums, cherries and loads of clove and cinnamon. The tannins are big and will need time to flesh out. Wait on this one....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment