The Bad Boys of Cali Cabs

hmmm.... big guns tonight... 1997 Dunn Howell Mountain, 2003 Phelps Backus, 2003 Peter Michael Les Pavots, 1994 Bryant Family, and 1996 Dalla Valle "Premiere Napa Valley" Barrel #41 Cabernet... all huge, with the Dalle Valle being a huge suprise - absolutely gorgeous.... also had the 1999 Tirecoul "Cuvee Madame" Monbazillac... awesomely sweet candied nose... I'll eventually go into more depth...

The View From The Top Of The Cliff

Well... here I go... about to take the leap off the of tasting cliff... the process of not just learning, but mastering the art of blind tasting is a matter of several things... you must first have a very strong base in theory (for instance, knowing that the Southern Rhone generally uses larger oak barrells that impart a more neutral oak flavor into the wine, or that Rioja uses American Oak, what cool climate wines look like in a glass, etc. - and learning to identify all of the characteristics.) That part is finite - you can learn all you can learn, and then you are where you need to be. You also need to have a very strong- and accurate - perception of the different components of wine - acidity, alcohol, tannin, fruit characteristics, length, oak, body - moderate plus and high alcohols are two very different things - and can mean two very different things when trying to analyze a wine. All of these are things that can be learned - they are the parts of the blind tasting process that you have to master. The last part - the most important part - is not something that can be learned - it is more of an instinct - you have to learn to trust that you are correct in your descriptions - and that you can use all of you descriptions to help you get where you are going. That takes experience - and a faith in your abilities - analytical, theory, and the "x" factor. I'm about to try to take the leap of faith that I do in fact know what I'm talking about and that I do know what's going on... this is the single most critical point in my tasting career thus far... wish me luck.

More...

Another taste of the 1982 Chateau Latour... some 2004 Henri Boillot Montrachet (!)... some 1988 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grands Echezeaux... and finally... 1995 Domaine Leroy Richebourg... not a bad 24 hours, huh? I'll comment later... but that Leroy Richebourg is something else...

Grand Vin

quite a few wines from Clos de Tart including the 2002 La Forge 1er Cru Morey-St.-Denis, 2003 Beaune "Greves" 1er Cru and 2003 Clos de Tart... Also tried one bottle of 1982 Chateau Latour... stunning. I'll write more when I have time...

Oh no... more Abacus, Hillside, and Musigny

Ho hum... The 2001 Opus One from Magnum was ok... very Bordeaux-like (at this very young age, even...) Classic, and a very good- Opus. The 1996 Edizione Pennino Zinfandel from Niebaum-Coppola was hot, spicy and powerful... a great Zinfandel that has aged as gracefully as Zin can... The ZD Abacus VII is as it was last week - exceptional. The 2002 Shafer Hillside Select, our last bottle - was as it was last week - slightly closed. The 1900 Irmes & Borges Colheita (1947 bottling date) was amazing... nutty and powerful. Still has a long, long way to go. The star of the night, and an amazing wine, was the 1998 Comte George de Vogue Musigny Vieilles Vignes. A classic example of the great Le Musigny vineyard, this mind-blowing wine had notes of clove, strawberries and rhubarb - and an unmistakable nose... the wine is silky-smoth, and is like satin on the tongue... a phenomenol baby. One of the great Burgundies of my life... of course I have often said I'd rather have a great Le Musigny than Romanee-Conti...

'Tis The Season

The 2004 Schloss Vollrads Riesling Spatlese, Rheingau is awesome. Displaying the vintage's super-high acidity with awesome minerality. Just starting to show petrol. The 2003 Ramey Chardonnay "Hyde Vineyard" is always one of my favorites - and in my mind, one of the best Chardonnay's in California. This vintage is showing almost a little too much oak... there is a tiny bit of wood tannin on the finish on this wine, and it's not flattering. The lush fruit is there, but the minerality is overpowered by oak. The 2001 Jadoot Pommard rocks... what a great, moderately priced Burgundy this is... showing pretty earth and a structured backbone. The 2001 Opus One does not rock... we tasted it after the 2003 Joseph Phelps Backus Cabernet Sauvignon (which does rock), so that might have had something to do with it.. but it came off thin. The Backus is intense and very, very powerful. Lots of fruit and spice. I don't think this will last all that long, but it sure is fun now. The 1995 Chateau Pichon-Baron was tightly wound and seems like it's ready to explode. The 1995s have had a very, very long sleep and are just starting to awaken. The length is impressive, and the pure fruit has been replaced by blackberries with cigar box, tobacco, and loads of graphite. Lots of tannin on this one, though. The 1990 Chateau Certan de May, Pomerol was not showing well in two bottles tonight. Lots of stewed fruit and earth with little of the great elegance the other bottles have shown. The star of the night, and a fabulous wine, was the 1986 Chateau Haut-Brion. Very, very cedary with tons of mushrooms and classic Haut-Brion bacon fat. A powerful wine, it's also very dirty - in a good way. All of that gravel comes through on the long finish. While not close to the great Haut-Brions I've had, this one is pretty good.

Power Trip

Two great nights... very different, but both very good. Lots of powerful wines here...

Wednesday night saw the last of the 1997 Gaja Costa Russi go out, and boy was it beautiful. Simply stunning stuff with layers of earth, clove, rose petals, blackcurrants and cherries. Very powerful and needs some time. The 1997 Heitz Martha's Vineyard was the best 1997 Cali Cab I've had in a long time. Most are fading, but this one is built for the long haul. Still showing considerable fruit (one of the few that actually) to go along with those massive tannins. I still think the tannins will win out in the end (they almost always do), but this wine has at least another 10 years left in it for improvement. Classic mint and eucalyptus nose... The 1990 Chateau Certan de May, Pomerol rocks... a bucket of cedar chips and tobacco leaves, this is classic gravelly Pomerol. Full of life. The 1995 Chateau Beychevelle was a bit underwhelming. A little fat and ripe. Certainly silky and smooth, but where's the acid? I know I'm forgetting a lot... hopefully I'll remember.

Last night was fabulous... The 2000 Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune Riesling is simply stunning. One of the great whites I've ever tried... as was a few weeks ago. The 2003 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon showed big tonight. The tannins are powerful, but the layers of ripe, layered fruit make the wine very well balanced. Not incredible, but very good. The 2002 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon was the weakest bottle of this I've had. Could be starting to shut. Lots of tannin, not a lot of the silky fruit that I'm used to with this wine. Could be the bottle, could be the wine. The ZD Abacus VII is a great wine. Tasted two separate bottles - both showing subtle dfferences. Bottle 1 was more cedary and evolved, bottle 2 was more fruit driven. Both are awesome. So powerful and beautiful. Tasted the ZD Abacus VIII the other day and while it was good, it's not great, and certainly not the VII. Had the 2001 Jarvis Cabernet Sauvignon, 1996 Jarvis Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2001 Jarvis Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The 01's are stunning example... powerful with a long, tannic finish of black fruits. Great stuff - typical of the 2001 vintage. The 1996 showed green tannins and cedar and was not perfect. Very good - yes, but not stunning.

One of the great wine's I've ever tried, and certainly the best from this vineyard, the 1988 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg was simply without words. The nose was vibrant clove, truffles, black earth, cedar, sweet cherry, strawberry and rhubarb - a simply perfect Richebourg nose. At 19 years of age, this wine is till a youngster. On the palate, the flavors simply explode on the palate in a powerful wave. The clove and truffles come forward followed by cherries, rhubard and a hint more clove. A mind-blowing wine with amazing vibrancy and balance. Simply perfect in my mind.

A New One

Had a tasting with Jean Trimbach yesterday and tasted through some great wines... the 2003 Cuvee Frederick Emile was fat, plump, and full of citrus and seering minerality. Picked at 12.5% natural alcohol, this wine still has acidic freshness that most of the 03's lack. The 2000 Reserve Personell Pinot Gris is fat, ripe, fruit driven, and has a steely, mineraly backbone. Really good... the 2000 Gewurztraminer Vendages Tardive is round and opulent with beautiful acidity (picked at 180 g/l - the result after fementation is 55g/l rs - though it is so balanced you hardly taste the sweetness). Bravo!

Had the 1997 Comtes Georges de Vogue "Musigny" go out last night... while I wasn't blown away, this is an outstanding Burgundy. I think it needs time, as there was a strong mocha-toast element on the nose that should continue to integrate into the wine. A long, long, finish - but not as elegant as other Musigny I've had in the past. It just wasn't all that silky.

Ho Hum

It's so difficult... Had the 2002 Shafer Hillside Select, 1996 Beaucastel C-d-P and the 2001 Louis Jadot Pommard (which was really, really good - very typical Pommard - but I continue to be impressed by this vintage!) Saturday night...

The Top

Of The Heap... There was only one wine of note tonight, but I'm finding it very difficult to be anything but overjoyed at the 1994 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. While this is the the 2nd time in the last month I've had the extreme joy of tasting this magnificent wine, I can not be anything but amazed. This is it. This is The One. When expectations are this high, it's tough to be anything but disappointed. Not in this case... this bottle was better. As I've written about in the past, the best wines have a certain texture and simply overwhelm the palate. This wine is more 1989 Romanee-Conti than 1982 Chateau Latour - it's soft and supple, though there is still a very impressive, and powerful, tannic structure. The nose is pure mint, eucalyptus, cedar, black fruit and earth. The palate is simply stunning... the wine hits your mouth and it's like "OK, this is good, but it's not... HOLY CRAP!!!"... and it just explodes - making all of your tastebuds scream at once (in a good way)... It's a silky, powerful wine with immense fruit (still, at 13 years of age!), and at the same time is so light and sexy... this is stunning stuff and while I'm not ready to proclaim this the best wine I've ever had, this now is in the Top 10... which I haven't recapped in a while... so, lets... 10. 1999 DRC Le Montrachet 9. 1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne 8. 1955 Chateau Haut Brion 7. 1982 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 6. 1990 Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune Riesling 5. 1994 Bryant Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 4. 1961 Chateau Latour 2. 1982 Chateau Latour & 2001 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1. 1990 Jacques Frederick Mugnier "Le Musigny" Vieilles Vignes - I'm not really sure what, if anything, can ever beat this wine for me... There are so many wines that come close - 1990 Margaux, 1982 Cheval Blanc, all of the DRCs that I get to try, Shafer Hillside Select (1994, 2001, 2002), old Spottswoode (1987, 1991, 1994, 1997 - all from Magnum), old Dominus (1987 from Magnum - I am a self-proclaimed Dominus hater, but this wine is incredible), 1990 d'Yquem, 1998 von Buhl Forster Ungeheuer TBA, 1964 Eitelsbacher BA, 1982 Pichon Baron, 1989 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage, 1990 Guigal La Mouline Cote Rotie, 1975 Petrus... I could go on and on. All of these wines are legendary - but they're not the Le Musigny. By the way, the Anchor Porter I'm drinking right now rocks... awesome chocolaty-flavor!

Cool...

The 2002 Nicolas Joly "Les Clos Sacres" Savenierres rocks... a gold-colored wool-bomb... incredible minerals, very tightly wound with just a hint of RS. Amazing... could have saved it for a decade. The 2001 Las Rocas Garnacha Vieilles Vignes was finally ready to drink... Grenache changes so much as it ages... a rhubarb-fest when young, it turns into cherries and spice. A great wine - and the right price too!

Last night was the 1992 Opus One which isn't really bad, it's just bad... if you have it, I strongly encourage you to drink up while you still can. Green with no fruit. The 1989 Remoissenet Gevry-Chambertin "Les Caizerets" Premier Cru was fabulous... the 89s are still babies - if you get the right producer and the right wine. It took a good 4 hours to open up (!). Started out with clove and a wet leaf and heavy earth note and more of a black-berry fruit profile. Turned into tobacco leaves, cedar, earth, earth, and earth. Still fairly powerful, as a good Gevry should be. Beautiful!!! The 2002 Shafer Hillside continues to amaze... The 1996 Chateau Beaucastel is an awesome wine. I didn't think too much of it over a year ago, but it finally came around! (or I finally came around...). Showed the same as Saturday night, so I won't repeat.

Fun

What a fun two nights... Friday night was the 2004 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon which has started to open... but remains a big, brooding wine. The 1982 Vieux Chateau Certan was beautiful... so cedary with lots of dusty clay. A very nice, long finish. Certainly time to drink, but a wonderful experience.

Saturday was more of a candy store... The 1994 Opus One continues to impress - the classic herbal note with black plums, cedar, and tobacco. More Bordeaux-like than California Cab. The 2001 Guigal Cote-Rotie (half-bottle) was pretty - very soft and minty. The 2000 Guigal Hermitage was a slightly-off bottle, but still wonderful - lots of earth and dirt. A great cheese wine. The 1996 Chateau Beaucastel is showing so pretty - notes of raspberry and spicy dirt. It's so barnyardy... great length. The 1999 Domaine Guyon Echezeaux was a great Echezeaux - very silky and actually somewhat reserved. A little a-typical for this vineyard in that it was missing (and this is a good thing) it's rusticity. The 1996 Edizione Pennino (Niebaum-Coppola's Rubicon Estate) Zinfandel was beautiful. It's not Ridge, and didn't age like a great Ridge, but it was darn good. Out of magnum, this was showing lots of bramble without the super-alcohol that most of today's zins have. I could actually drink a nice glass of this. The 1995 Mastrojianni Brunello di Montalcino was soft and approachable with incredibly dry fruit and tannin. The 1997 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon rocks... a powerhouse with a chocolately dustiness that only Dunn Howell has. Lots of tannin with great balance though. This is still a baby and could easily go another 10 or 20 years, like all of the great Dunns from the past. Perhaps one of the few 1997s that is still young. Finally, 2 bottles of the 2002 Shafer Hillside Select. This is a monster and is starting to shut... bottle one was tasted after 5 hours and was beautiful. Lots of fruit and just perfect nose - powerful, extracted, but layers and layers of fruit and earth. Amazing... bottle 2 was closed and tight with forbodding tannins. If you are one of the fortunate few to have this in your cellar, don't open it for another 5 years at least... it needs the time.

Some Great Wines

But all in all, it's been a slow week... started out Monday with Doug Shafer going through the current releases. The 2005 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay is a departure in style from their previous efforts... There is no malo and it appears they reduced the % of new oak on the wine, leaving a clean, crisp - yet powerful - Chardonnay. Really good... The 2004 Shafer Merlot rocks... this is one of the great Merlot's year in and year out. Spicy, chocolately and full of tannic power, this drinks more like a restrained Cab than a Merlot. Really nice. The 2004 Shafer One-Five Cabernet Sauvignon is a new label for them (they are no longer making the regular Cabernet Sauvignon) and I was frankly not terribly impressed. It seemed much lighter than the blockbuster Merlot and was not terribly appealing. The 2003 Shafer Relentless (80% Syrah, 20% Petite Sirah) is mammoth... one of the best they've ever made of this wine. Always a favorite, this is powerful and spicy, but elegant. More like a powerful Hermitage than a finesse-driven Cote Rotie. The 1994 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon was showing like it has been... very cedary and powerful. A great wine. The 2002 was showing superbly on Monday... It showed a silky side that I hadn't experienced before. Goosebumps...

Tuesday was awful, Wednesday was spent studying, and today was ok. The 2004 Lewis Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon continues to get better and better... The cocoa powder was showing tonight!!! Thick and rich... I'd wait on my bottles. The 1993 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg was good - if not a tad on the light side. It was quite powerful for the first 5 minutes, then opened a little, then slowly died an awful death... Cedar, underbrush, truffles, clove and cherries - the classic Richebourg nose. Finesse with power. Beauty with hints of braun. And then, it was gone...