Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon
The defining moment for any vintage comes not when the grapes are picked, and the wineries proclaim it to be yet another
perfect harvest that will absolutely yield a bounty of brilliantly successful wines. And it does not come when the first barrel
samples are tasted by those who cannot wait to rush into print with their definitive judgments as to quality, ageworthiness and
value. A vintage may get a reputation, often to its great detriment and to the detriment of wine buyers, from those early pontifications, but it does not get adequately defined by those kinds of speculations.
It is only when the wines are settled in barrel, blends
are made up and selections are drawn from the entire
range of juice available to the wineries that we are able
to get our first indications in any meaningful way.
At that point, the vintage begins to acquire a broader,
more informed patina, and, whether fully or only
partially correct, that newer image is the one that
tends to stick—even when later evidence clearly
adds better data.
In this issue, the bulk of the important wines are from
the harvest of 2000—a year whose image is already
tarnished beyond full recovery. In truth, it is not a
legendary vintage, and more on that later, but it is also
a year that has been somewhat misjudged by the early
The Jericho Canyon Vineyard east of Calistoga has yielded a *** Cabernetcommentators. Just as the Cabernets of 1998 were misbased wine in the hands of our Winery Of The Year, Ramey Wine Cellars.
takenly denigrated as ripe and empty when, in fact, so
many were rich, supple and surprisingly satisfying, so too were the Cabernets of 1999 described, in some quarters, as the cat’s
pajamas, even though too many of them have turned out to be overripe and wide of the classic California model for the variety.
So, here we have a large collection of Cabernets from the “average quality” 2000 vintage, and it turns out that the Duckhorns
and the Diamond Creeks and the Phelps and so many others are quite fine indeed. Yes, they are not as ripe and concentrated in
some instances as the 1997s or the 1999s, or even the 2001s are reputed to be, and seem to be based on the early entrants tasted
for this issue, but they prove the 2000 vintage to be highly presentable with wines ranging from average to excellent.
Unlike in Europe where strings of bad vintages have happened with some regularity, it is absolutely not the way things go in
California. Rather, what we tend to have are variations as to style, and it is to those stylistic distinctions that attention must be
paid. Yes, there are better vintages and “not better” vintages, but the last time California had so much as even one decidedly
sub-par vintage was back in the late 1980s. This current vintage of 2000 may not be the stuff of legend, but it is stacking up to
be a year in which plenty of very good wines were made.
Cabernet Sauvignon pg 18
Year in Review centerfold & pg 32
december 2003
Chardonnay pg 29
Cabernet Sauvignon
as they are, fuel our opponents’ arguments. There is plenty to
like here, and we have no brief with the expressive combination
of rich, creamy oak and ripe curranty fruit that occupies the very
center of the wine’s personality. We can even accept the extra
bit of heat that rises at the finish, especially in a wine from the
1999 vintage. It is, rather, the question of value that is raised by
the wine and, along with too many others, this admittedly solid
effort does not deliver on that score. O B I $90.00
AMUSANT Napa Valley 2001
9% Merlot. Our bottle came packaged in the new Metacork,
which is a cork that is attached to the capsule and comes out
easily by simply twisting the capsule off. Unfortunately, the wine
is less interesting than the closure with its ripe but dry style and
its viscous but too hollow palatal impressions followed by high
levels of coarse tannin.
O T D $30.00
ARTESA Alexander Valley 2000
Scattered suggestions of herbs, olives and dill sit to the side of
modestly scaled, mildly cherry-like qualities in the aromas of this
medium-bodied working. While rounded in feel, the wine is a
little dry and drawn in flavor, and it wants a little more flesh to
win the nod of recommendation.
1 B I $40.00
* is S. ANDERSON Stags Leap District 2000
24% Merlot. Wearing its considerable complement of Merlot
on its sleeve for all to see, this gentle, supple, soft-edged wine is
geared to cherries and chocolate while showing a scant bit of
herbs. Its slightly succulent, oak-sweetened flavors are underpinned by a modest streak of fine-grained tannins, and, if fully
capable of growing for a few years yet, it is more than easy to
gulp down now.
1 B I $35.00
ARTESA Napa Valley 2000
This moderately herbal, heavily oaked and lightly fruited effort
shows more than small resemblance to its cellarmate despite its
very different provenance. It is soft at entry, then noticeably firm
in feel, and it edges to acidity as its uncomplicated flavors taper
at the end.
3 B I $40.00
ARNS Napa Valley 2000
ATLAS PEAK Consenso Vineyards Atlas Peak 1997
Largely keyed on ripeness with an almost confected edge of
slightly candied sweetness coming from its omnipresent oak,
this full and fleshy Cabernet lags in its expression of fruit, and it
shows a more than a few raw edges to its finish as its gasping
fruit gives up completely to oak.
O B I $65.00
Napa Valley. 6% Sangiovese; 4% Merlot. Ripe and oddly herbal
at one and the same time, this tight, stiffly structured wine is
both hot and tangy on the palate, and fruit lags well behind in
its taut, close-to-chalky finish.
1 B I $30.00
BARNWOOD Santa Barbara County 2001
* it ARTESA Reserve Napa Valley 1999
Ripe and a little heavy in aroma with beamy, dried black cherry
notes somewhat obstructed by charry oak and a hint of dried
herbs, this fairly full-bodied effort is soft and a bit fat in texture
We spend a good bit of our time arguing that Napa Valley Cabs
are not universally overpriced, but wines like this, as well-made
Tasting Note Legend
OUTSTANDING WINES
CHARACTERISTICS & TRADITIONAL USE WITH FOOD
***
THREE STARS: (95-98 points) An exceptional wine.
Worth a special search of the market.
**
TWO STARS: (91-94 points) A highly distinctive wine.
Likely to be memorable.
S Soft and fruity wine. Quaffable by itself or with light foods.
F Crisp white. Medium acid and dry. Fish or delicate flavored foods.
C Mellow white. Dry to slightly sweet. Enough acid for white meats.
l Full and blanced dry White. Try with rich seafood and fowl dishes.
L Light Red and powerhouse White. Fowl, veal and light meats.
B Medium Red. Balanced, good depth, medium tannin.
*
ONE STAR: (87-90 points) Fine example of a type or
style of wine. Without notable flaws.
NOTE: Wines not marked with stars are often delightful wines. Each has
unique virtues and any of these wines may be the best wine to serve
your needs based on value, availability or for your dining and taste preferences. *Prices – Approximately California full retail prices.
Beef and lamb.
T
Robust Red. Full tannin, intense flavors. For highly spiced
meat dishes.
Connoisseurs’ Guide tastings are conducted with Riedel Stemware.
d
Sweet Dessert wine. Enjoyable by itself or with sweet desserts.
AVAILABILITY
DRINKABILITY
3
1
O
Generally available in most market areas.
GV
Good Value
D
I
A
U
Limited production and/or limited geographic distribution.
Very limited availability.
Drinkable now. Unlikely to improve with further aging.
Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine.
Cellar for future drinking. Wine will improve with bottle aging.
Not suitable for drinking.
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Volume 28/Issue 1. November 2003.
18
and never quite finds the lively spark of fruit that would lift its
otherwise rich, slightly chocolatey flavors into the range of easy
commendation. Close, no cigar here. 1 T D $22.00
of youthful energy as well, and while it is not a bold or complex
version of the grape, so too is it not small and pinched. Give it a
try with lighter red meat dishes.
3 L D $17.00
* jl BEAULIEU Georges Latour Private Reserve 2000
** jm August BRIGGS Napa Valley 2000
Extravagant oak simply steals the scene from the very start here
as cedar cigar box smells and sweet perfumes of vanilla, toast
and cocoa dominate somewhat subdued elements of youthful
black cherry fruit. Oak similarly plays a central role in the wine’s
flavors as well, but fruit hangs on gamely despite gruff tannins
and a bit of closing heat. Very rich but very young, this one has
the depth for optimistic aging and needs to be set aside for at
least five or six years.
1 B A $90.00
Moderately deep, well-defined Cabernet currants are underlain
by a complementary streak of sweet oak throughout the length
of this nicely proportioned Cabernet, and the wine has a good
deal more mass and fruity substance than the vintage predicts.
Its initial palatal impressions of plushness are sure to tempt early
drinking, but for all of its real refinement and frontal appeal, it
has the kind of balance that suggests it may not reach its peak
for five or more years.
O B I $48.00
* is BEAULIEU Reserve Dulcet Napa Valley 2000
BUEHLER Estate Napa Valley 2000
82% Cabernet Sauvignon; 18% Syrah. Spicy oak is the featured
player just now and provides lots of sweet cedar and caramelly
richness to the compact, slightly curranty aromas and dry, rather
closed-in flavors of this solid, but toughly structured youngster.
It is pushed hard by astringency in the finish with oak presently
persisting well past fruit, and it very much needs the smoothing
benefits of both three or four years of age and mealtime service
with hearty cuts of beef.
1 B A $35.00
Taking a moment in which to lose an initial note of wayward
earthiness in the nose, this ripe, reasonably well-stuffed wine
gradually finds a measure of curranty fruit and shows a bit of
weight in the mouth. Its frontal flavors run afoul of walnut-skin
tannins, however, and if never energetically fruited, it stands to
benefit from a few years of age.
1 B A $30.00
CARMENET Lake County 2001
Its initial aromas of ripe fruit suggest a bit more than is actually
delivered in this useful, somewhat restrained bottling. It is fairly
full and somewhat supple in mouthfeel but thins out a bit as it
crosses the palate and ends with its nominal tannins getting the
upper hand at the finish. Clean and youthful, it can easily serve
as a useful mate to grilled steaks.
1 B I $18.00
BEAULIEU Tapestry Napa Valley 2000
This ripe and reasonably fruity working smacks a bit of berries in
the nose along with the expected Cabernet qualities of cassis and
cherries, and it makes a good start on the palate as well where
reiterated fruit is joined by mildly creamy oak. It runs up against
blunting heat and tannins as its goes, however, and it loses its
way to chalky dryness. Age will help to smooth its many edges,
but it needs a bit more fruity heart to fully convince that it will
grow to beauty.
1 B A $40.00
CATON Sonoma County 2000
11% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc. Hints of smoke and baker’s
chocolate overlie a quiet note of ripe cherries in the clean but
low-keyed aromas of this loose-knit effort, and, while making a
reasonable stab at richness with its ripe, chocolate and cherry
flavors and its glycerin-fattened feel, it wants for a just bit more
intensity and fruity conviction.
O B I $35.00
BEAULIEU Rutherford Napa Valley 2000
Very much reflective of the slightly thinner style and low energy
that are a little too typical of 2000 Cabernets, this clean, mild,
not-quite-concentrated effort is limited in real richness, but it
shows reasonable varietal lines and is a useful mid-sized wine
for drinking with simple steaks.
3 B I $25.00
** jn CAYMUS Napa Valley 2001
There is no getting around the fact that lavish oak has a big part
in the play of this expressive effort, but comfortably centered
amidst all of the wine’s vanillin, toast, sweet smoke and dusty
earth aspects there sits plenty of mildly briary, ripe currant fruit.
Slightly supple in feel and showing a good sense of substance
from beginning to end, the wine is solidly structured and wellbalanced with a finely fit spine of firming tannin, and it holds its
fruity focus through a sustained finish. We look for at least five
years of improvement here but would not be surprised to see it
grow for twice that long.
3 B A $70.00
BELL Napa Valley 2000
7% Cabernet Franc; 3% Merlot; 2% Syrah. Shot through as it is
with an aggressive streak of herbaceousness, this lean, slightly
acidy effort is limited in essential fruit, and its less than optimally
ripe demeanor is nowhere more evident than in its narrow and
decidedly angular finish.
1 B I $35.00
* is BLACK & WHITE Topanga Vineyards 2001
Napa Valley. One might have thought that Topanga was located
somewhere near Los Angeles, but apparently it exists also in the
Napa Valley. And, whatever the origin of the name, it has yielded
a nicely focused Cabernet whose black cherry fruit and creamy
oak work well in tandem and do yeoman’s work at holding off
the blunting tannins at the finish.
1 B I $20.00
CHARLES CREEK La Sonrisa del Tecolote Napa Valley 2001
More or less a clean, plain, everyday Cabernet, this lightly fruity
edition makes a passing stab at curranty and oaky character but
settles primarily on a simple, close to berryish personality. Supple
at entry, then somewhat gritty in progression, it drifts to dreary
dryness in the finish.
1 B I $26.00
BLACK COYOTE Bates Creek Vineyard Napa Valley 2000
* is CHATEAU ST. JEAN Cinq Cepages 2000
Laced with reedy herbaceousness and smacking at times of tree
bark and tobacco, this bottling looks high and low for fruit but
musters only a passing glimmer of cherries. Not so much firm as
it is simply lean with respect to flavor, it ends with a soft, slightly
stemmy edge to its lackluster finish. O B I $25.00
76% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Merlot; 9% Cabernet Franc;
3% Malbec; 2% Petit Verdot. If a perfectly pleasant Cabernet
of modest measure, Chateau St. Jean’s latest “Cinq Cepages”
bottling is a bit off the pace of its illustrious predecessors. It is
rather underplayed in terms of fruit and overall richness, and its
teases of sweet oak, vanilla and toast remain just that. Still on
the stiff and slightly tannic side, it is unlikely to find substance
and stuffing with age, and it looks to us like one whose peak
will come in four or five years.
1 B A $70.00
BONTERRA North Coast 2000
A competent, everyday Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine starts off
well with middling depth black cherry fruit in the nose and has
a nice bit of early palate roundness in the mouth. It shows a bit
19
Cabernet Sauvignon
nose and flavors, but this dry, somewhat puckery wine shows
itself to be thin and slightly acidy in the mouth, and everywhere
it wants for fruity mass.
O B I $29.00
COLUMBIA WINERY Columbia Valley 2000
CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Canoe Ridge Estate Vyd 2000
Although underplayed scents of Cabernet currants emerge with
some reluctance, slightly more obvious aspects of dried herbs
and stems come to be as prominent in the nose, and the same
loose-knit mix of cassis and herbs appears in the abbreviated,
mildly brushy flavors of this slightly supple, but never completely
fruited, medium-bodied wine.
3 L D $15.00
Columbia Valley. 9% Malbec. Our pick of the bunch among the
clutch of Ste. Michelle Cabernets, this clean and compact wine
is nominally ripened yet shows a bit of the green streak that
bedevils its mate from the Cold Creek Vineyard. It finishes with
firm tannins signaling a certain potential for age, and mid-term
keeping seems the proper prescription. 1 B I $24.00
* it CONN CREEK Anthology Napa Valley 1999
CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Cold Creek Vineyard 2000
64% Cabernet Sauvignon; 16% Merlot; 13% Cabernet Franc;
7% Malbec. Ripeness and rich oak are the defining themes of
this mildly briary, very vanillin opus, and, if colored by a token
smattering of curranty fruit along the way, the wine is never so
fruity as it is rich, and it steers a bit more to dryness at the finish
than we would like. It promises to grow in bottle over the next
four or five years to come, but real refinement and polish are
probably beyond its reach.
1 B A $55.00
Columbia Valley. Limited notes of wild cherries and currants are
underlain with a bit of oak and herbs in the clean if somewhat
modestly scaled aromas of this firmly balanced, medium-bodied
wine. It is the greener, slightly herbal qualities that come into
play in the mouth, however, and stiffening acidity makes short
work of any fruit at the finish.
1 B I $29.00
CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Meritage 2000
* is CONN CREEK Limited Release Napa Valley 1999
Columbia Valley. 72% Cabernet Sauvignon; 16% Merlot; 9%
Cabernet Franc; 3% Malbec. Despite its appealing aromas of
currants, cream and woodsy spice, this wine is less compelling
in the mouth where its fruit falls a bit short of fully satisfying and
allows a bit of a stemmy streak to show through amidst the edgy
tannins that define its latter half.
1 B I $48.00
Although leaning a bit in the direction of oak and ripeness, this
slightly supple, medium-full-bodied bottling is richer than the
average Cabernet, and its riper bias does not come at the full
exclusion of fruit. A bit of closing coarseness clearly commends
a few years’ wait, but the wine’s drier aspects argue against any
long-term aging.
1 B I $28.00
* it CHATEAU SOUVERAIN Winemaker’s Reserve 1999
COSENTINO Napa Valley 2000
Alexander Valley. Cherries, currants, sweet oak and briary spice
share the stage in this nicely ripened and relatively concentrated
offering, and, if bothered by a bit of the toughness that young
Cabernet can show, it sports a fine fleshy feel and the kind of
fruity depth that make for optimistic cellaring. Set it aside for a
few years in certain anticipation of the rounded and more fully
evolved wine that is sure to come.
1 B A $35.00
Surpassing oak dominates at every point of this spicy, vanilladrenched offering while fruit struggles without success to come
fully into view before fading away to dryness and a bitter bit of
toothpicky astringency.
1 B I $34.00
* is Robert CRAIG Howell Mountain 2000
Napa Valley. Sweet cherries lead the way as the principal player
in both the aromas and flavors of this mildly jammy young wine
while scattered notes of herbs and wood spice bring a measure
of quiet complexity into play. Direct and drinkable even now, it
is comparatively light on tannin, fairly smooth in feel and need
not be held for extended age.
O B I $40.00
* jl CHIMNEY ROCK Reserve Stags Leap District 2000
Napa Valley. 5% Petit Verdot. Counting poise and polish as first
among its many assets, this rich, sweetly oaked and beautifully
measured young Cabernet sports lots of very friendly fruit from
start to finish, and, if not among the bigger, more massive and
muscular wines of this issue, it has a keen sense of balance that
is equaled by few. Fairly forward, yet quite long on the palate
and never overly reliant on ripeness, it calls for mid-term aging
and should peak in a half-dozen years. 1 B I $96.00
* is Robert CRAIG Mount Veeder 2000
Napa Valley. Showing clear kinship with it mate above, this ripe
and relatively open Cabernet is never so tough as its mountain
origins might suggest, but its up-front fruit comes with lightly
loamy accents and a bit of the earth spice that its provenance
promises. Slightly soft, slightly supple and easy on the palate
given its tender years, it too wants drinking without more than
a few years of delay.
1 B I $40.00
COLUMBIA CREST Reserve Columbia Valley 2000
Fairly rich in aroma with a nice mix of oak, herbs, cherries and
sweet, cocoa-like accents, this supple, mid-density Cabernet is
never so “stuffed” as it is slightly layered, and while a likeable
wine owing to its gentle tannins, it needs a bit more basic fruit
to win our enthusiasm.
1 B I $30.00
* jl CRANE FAMILY Don Raffaele Estate 2001
Napa Valley. This nicely assembled wine eschews brawn in favor
of balance and comes up a winner for its careful composition. It
sports a lengthy line of keenly centered curranty fruit and is given
a boost in richness by lots of sweet and creamy oak. Never the
powerhouse or given to bombast, it entices now with its poise
and polish, but it has the depth to keep improving for several
years at least.
1 B I $43.00
COLUMBIA CREST Walter Clore Private Reserve 2000
Columbia Valley. 58% Cabernet Sauvignon; 42% Merlot. Much
like its cellarmate below, this nicely tailored, well-scrubbed wine
teases with a mix of sweet oak and cherries and is made all the
more immediately appealing by its dearth of intrusive tannins. It
also comes up a bit short on center substance, and, if alive and
wholly likeable, it is never so strong in fundamental fruit as to
rise to recommendation.
1 B I $35.00
* it DELECTUS Cuveé Julia Napa Valley 2000
In its considerable favor, this big, ripe and rather brooding wine
counts a solid sense of varietal currants and more than a little
creamy, mildly caramelly oak. Less to its benefit, however, is the
imposing wall of latter-palate astringency and evident heat that
COLUMBIA WINERY Sagemoor Vineyard 1999
Columbia Valley. 10% Cabernet Franc. Passing notes of cherries
serve as counterpoints to a bit of brush and toasty spice in the
20
bring its promising flavors to a grinding halt, and, while we are
taken with its richness, we caution that its keeping comes with
a certain degree of risk.
O B A $84.00
** jn DUCKHORN Estate Grown Napa Valley 2000
Sporting an extra bit of polish to its deep and compelling fruit,
this wine is at once both powerful and refined with layer upon
layer of lavish oak and keen curranty fruit. Building in intensity
and range en route to an exceptionally long finish, it is a riveting
display of fruity richness and promises to get even better if given
the five to ten years of age it deserves. 1 B A $80.00
** jm DIAMOND CREEK Red Rock Terrace 2000
Diamond Mountain, Napa Valley. While never among the more
forward and immediately accessible Cabernets, Diamond Creek
bottlings generally convey good depth and are built along very
solid lines. In 2000, the winery style is again plainly evident, and
this particular rendition packs plenty of deep fruit and very rich
oak into its tannin-toughened frame. Clearly a wine to be held
for a decade or more, it nevertheless shows tantalizing hints of
loamy complexities to come and is a comfortable candidate for
long-term aging.
O B A $175.00
* jl DUCKHORN Patzimaro Vineyard Napa Valley 2000
Very deep and somewhat brooding in the nose with extracted
plum-like and curranty fruit, this thick, palate-coating effort is
positively plush in feel yet sports a good sense of balance that
manages to ward off impressions of heaviness. Every bit as rich
and weighty as its companions, it too is a wine that is meant for
cellaring for a half decade or more. 1 B A $90.00
** jo DIAMOND CREEK Volcanic Hill 2000
DUTCH HENRY Argos Meritage Napa Valley 2001
Diamond Mountain, Napa Valley. Perhaps the most mountainlike of the Diamond Creek wines in terms of its sturdy, tannintoughened structure, this sinewy young offering is in no way
wanting for rich Cabernet fruit, and its effusively oaked, cassis
and black-earth aromas find parallels in the rich curranty themes
that presently lurk beneath a blanket of youthful astringency in
the mouth. A ten-year wait would seem a reasonable minimum
here, and the chances are that this one will continue to evolve
for a good deal longer.
O B A $175.00
53% Cabernet Sauvignon; 37% Cabernet Franc; 10% Merlot.
The problem here is simple. The wine is likeable on its surface,
and there can be no real complaint with its basic red fruit center
and oaky, dusty overlays. Even its ending tannins are not so bad
in reality. But, this plain, moderately fruited effort would have
been better served by a lower price. O L I $38.00
EBERLE Paso Robles 2000
Loosely joined elements of raspberries, herbs, oak and a hint of
clay emerge in the varietally nonspecific aromas of this slightly
rounded middleweight, and, while clean and vaguely fruity, it is
bothered by an edge of hardness and its flavors are limited by a
bit of chalky tannin.
1 B A $23.00
** jm DIAMOND CREEK Gravelly Meadow 2000
Diamond Mountain. Sporting both the same sturdy spine and
concentrated fruit that characterize its two siblings, the Gravelly
Meadow bottling smells of currants, crème brulee and earth,
and its compact, but deeply filled flavors emphasize Cabernet’s
loamy and somewhat minerally side while keeping ample fruit
well within sight. Patience again is required here, and both its
price and need for age make it a wine recommended for serious
collectors of the varietal.
O B A $175.00
* it EDGEWOOD Estate Vineyard Napa Valley 2000
The most attractive of the several Edgewood bottlings presently
under review, the Estate Vineyard offering marries a good bit of
sweet, slightly plummy fruit with notes of raspberry, cherry and
a wispy hint of mint. It begs comparison with good Merlot by
way of its decided accessibility and supple, slightly fleshy feel,
and it seems destined to hit its full stride with but three or four
years of age.
O B I $35.00
DOMAINE LA DUE Napa Valley 2000
Produced by Laird. Competing themes of berries, woodsy spice
and dried herbs vie for attention in the nose without ever quite
coalescing into a clear look at Cabernet, and, while slightly rich,
the wine’s like-minded flavors similarly want for a better sense
of defining fruit. Supple and slightly fleshy to start but fairly firm
at the finish, this one is never especially tannic but still could be
helped by a few years of softening. O B I $20.00
* is EDGEWOOD Frediani Vineyard Napa Valley 2000
Fully ripened yet fairly well mannered with respect to tannin and
heat, this mid-sized Cabernet offers up a nice measure of
straightforward currants and wins recommendation by dint of
its enriching oak. Like so many of its mates from the vintage, it
does tend a bit to dryness as it goes, but it stays supple in feel
and never loses its varietal way.
O B I $35.00
* jl DRY CREEK VYD Endeavor Dry Creek Valley 1998
16% Cabernet Franc. Tough as nails, even in its aromas (in a
figurative sense) this brawny, concentrated, very highly oaked,
tightly wrapped wine suggests black cherries and cassis without
quite finding full volume. It is more convincing in the mouth as
it first supplies a bit of palatal fat and then a deep, dense, fully
extracted sense of fruit waiting to emerge from under its sinewy
wrap of blunt astringency. It requires several years of cellaring
and will remain on the chunky side. O B A $50.00
EDGEWOOD Reserve Napa Valley 2000
Sporting all of the extra oak upon which “Reserve” seems so
much to depend these days, this spicy, vanilla-laced Cabernet
ultimately finds that oak exceeding its essential fruit. Rich, but a
little dry and lacking in the latter going, it wants for a slightly
better sense of center to win a star. O B A $50.00
EDGEWOOD Lewelling Vineyard Napa Valley 2000
Oak and ripeness are the two legs upon which this bottling is
built, but the wine offers only glances at secondary fruit and
comes up a little pinched and wanting at its heart. Its ripeness is
made manifest by a rush of finishing heat, and its combination
of coarseness, alcohol and attenuated fruit makes it one of the
lesser wines of the Edgewood pack. O B I $35.00
** jp DUCKHORN Monitor Ledge Vyd Napa Valley 2000
In a vintage not noted for its grand Cabernets, this month’s trio
of Duckhorn wines stands in our view as one of the outstanding
success stories of the year. This deep and downright dramatic
wine checks in as the best of a very fine lot. It is the most highly
ripened of the three with an impressive sense of fruity extracts
buttressed by plentiful oak and enriched by pervasive elements
of milk chocolate, vanilla and toasty spice. It is sturdy without
ever being tough, and its opulent mix of fruit and ready ripeness is never beset by bothersome heat. Look for five-plus years
of steady growth here.
O B A $90.00
EDGEWOOD Napa Valley 2000
If making a promising start with moderately rich aromas of oak,
currants and crème brulee, this one turns out to be fairly coarse
and drying in the mouth with a fleeting finish that is marked by
little in the way of discernible fruit. 1 B I $24.00
21
Cabernet Sauvignon
FREEMARK ABBEY Sycamore Vineyard Napa Valley 1999
14% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc. Almost as expensive as its
mate above but considerably less interesting, this fleshy bottling
is low in fruit and turns to dark chocolate and dried leaf notes
for personality. Rich in feel and high in oak, the wine heads into
dryness and falls short in the finish. 1 B I $59.00
** jm Volker EISELE Terzetto Napa Valley 2000
33% Cabernet Sauvignon; 33% Merlot; 33% Cabernet Franc.
Chiles Valley. Needing a bit of air to find its full voice, this wine
opened up in the glass with its first aromas of ripe cherries then
took on unusual but interesting notes of blueberry, vanilla and
juniper. Supple on the palate and fairly rich, it shows something
of a beamy, weighty quality but never gives up its basic cherry
and dried currant fruit. Youthful tannins coarsen the finish, but,
given the wine’s tendency to slight softness, we would suggest
mid-term aging of five years or so.
O B I $87.00
GALANTE Blackjack Pasture Carmel Valley 2001
This wine’s compact black cherry fruit finds itself in competition
with underlying dried herb and vegetation notes reminiscent of
squash blossoms. Fairly full and supple in mouthfeel, and rich in
creamy oak as befits the high intent of the winery, it reprises its
barky, dried wood and herb notes in the medium-depth flavors
that hang on gamely at the end in the face of overtly oaky and
tannic intrusions.
O B I $50.00
* jl Volker EISELE Chiles Valley/Napa Valley 2000
GALANTE Red Rose Hill Carmel Valley 2000
9% Cabernet Franc; 4% Merlot. Lesser wine by the slimmest of
margins, this one benefits from having a more keenly focused
Cabernet personality, including the tighter finish that is part and
parcel of the grape. Its curranty and oaky richness runs into a
bit of latter palate coarseness, yet, this wine, like its cellarmate, is
one that wants only intermediate length cellaring of some four
to six years.
1 B I $40.00
Woodsy, dried bark smells and the scent of old leather overlie
lesser elements of tart cherry fruit in the nose, and the flavors
of this taut, stiffly structured wine are sufficiently sparing in
fruity substance as to allow brusque, acid-accentuated tannins
to be its defining trait.
1 B A $30.00
GALANTE Rancho Galante Carmel Valley 2000
Once again, leathery, forest-floor and tobacco-leaf qualities are
well ahead of fruit here, and what few notes of black cherries
that manage to emerge in the mouth are too quickly knocked
down by the kind of drying astringency that will define the wine
long after its limited fruit is gone.
1 B A $20.00
EMILIO’S TERRACE Reserve Napa Valley 2000
Inviting smells of sweet cream and caramelly oak team up with
well-ripened fruit and touches of chocolate for a most seductive
aromatic start here, but the ensuing, slightly narrow flavors are
never so sweet or keenly fruity and they are limited by a streak
of evident acidity just now. There is a sense of ambition about
this one nonetheless, and a few years of patience might see it
grow into better.
O B I $45.00
GEYSER PEAK Kuimelis Vineyard Alexander Valley 2000
Block Collection. If winning good points for its richly oaked and
moderately concentrated aromas of ripe currants and cherries,
this one gives a few back as it loses its way to heat and dryness
in the mouth. It shows a decent sense of extract, and, while it is
never likely to be a polished wine, it may find better form with a
few years of bottle age.
1 B A $26.00
ESTANCIA Meritage Alexander Valley 2000
73% Cabernet Sauvignon; 27% Merlot. Dried grape smells sit
amidst the sweeter contributions of caramelly oak in both the
lightly herbal aromas and flavors of this obviously ripened effort,
but fruit per se fails to fully form, and the wine turns out to be a
little bit limp, dry and vaguely raisiny despite its impressions of
size and weight.
3 B I $35.00
** jm GIRARD Red Wine Napa Valley 2000
52% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Cabernet Franc; 13% Merlot;
10% Malbec. In a world in which top-rated claret-styled wines
are selling up in the stratosphere, it is a pleasure to come across
this deep, well-made effort that is somewhat more affordable.
Its young, compact, sappy black currant and dried cherry fruit is
enhanced by scents of crème brulée, caramel, slate and a hint
of herb. Full, rounded, supple and quite nicely concentrated on
the palate, it is possessed of wonderful length and fights its way
through a veneer of youthful tannins and slight stiffness towards
the back. A few years in bottle will do great things, and it seems
likely to improve for many more years after that.
GOOD VALUE
O B I $40.00
* it FRAZIER Memento Napa Valley 2000
9% Cabernet Franc; 4% Merlot. Sweet, black cherry fruit, hints
of olivey herbaceousness and a good dose of creamy oak come
together in comfortable alliance here, and, while fairly forward
in character, the wine conveys an ample sense of richness and
depth. Tightening tannins tend to compress its finish just now,
but its fruit is up to the task and fights on through to ensure a
half-dozen years of development.
O B A $75.00
Joel GOTT California 2001
* is FREEMARK ABBEY Napa Valley 2000
* iu FREEMARK ABBEY Bosche Napa Valley 1999
One can easily like the curranty, lightly herbal, ripe fruitiness of
the aromas, and the quiet oaky richness in the background adds
it owns touch of interest. If only the wine were a little less atilt
to ripeness on the one hand and to a trim of narrowing acids
on the other, it could have rated full commendation. Still, it is
tasty and cleanly made, and not many Cabernet Sauvignons at
its comfortable price can make that claim.
GOOD VALUE
1 L D $15.00
18% Merlot. An attractive aroma of currants, loam, eucalyptus
and sweet oak leads to a supple, smooth entry and flavors that
reflect the nose while being somewhat less intense than would
seem to be advertised. Still, the wine is suitably fruity and offers
plenty of range in a style that would seem to invite earlier rather
than later consumption.
1 B I $68.00
5% Cabernet Franc. Inviting elements of ripe raspberries, cassis
and cherries are met in the nose by a nice touch of creamy oak,
and each is carried forward in the well-defined, medium-deep
flavors of this smoothly textured young Cabernet. It is quite wellbalanced and polished to the point of tempting relatively near
14% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot; 5% Cabernet Franc. Very good
and very considerable oak pushes this one several steps up the
grading scale, and the wine tantalizes with lots of sweet, mildly
caramelly qualities that attend its somewhat weedy fruit. It offers
likeable elements of cherries and berries as well, and it wins its
star for balance rather than bluster. 1 B I $34.00
* it Robert HALL Paso Robles 2001
22
term drinking, but it hints at a bit of layering to come, and, if
never especially astringent, it has just enough tailored tannins to
see it through several years of certain growth.
GOOD VALUE
1 B I $20.00
* is KENWOOD Artist Series Sonoma County 1999
In a vintage that has allowed producers to succeed wildly with
their best offerings, this bottling succeeds only just enough. It has
plenty of personality, and its better parts smell and taste of ripe
and deeply cast fruit that might well earn it even higher ratings,
but it is also possessed of an overriding barky, woodsy, woody
character that gets in the way of greater enthusiasm. If you are
a collector of Kenwood’s Artist Series, it is worth laying aside a
few bottles. Otherwise, it is pricey.
1 B I $70.00
Robert HALL Meritage Hall Ranch 2001
Paso Robles. 47% Cabernet Sauvignon; 41% Cabernet Franc;
8% Merlot; 4% Malbec. Speaking to fruit in fairly hushed tones
and favoring oak and a bit of brushy spice over subdued themes
of cherries, this bottling simply wants for a bit more juice at its
heart. Lacking the same, it wanders away to dryness and is cut
short by clipping tannins at the end. O B A $34.00
* is KENWOOD Sonoma County 2000
Here is a Cabernet whose oaky richness, well-defined fruit and
subtle sense of layering make it easy to compare with wines in
the high-ticket crowd, and, if it may want for the extension and
extra opulence of the very best, it is a complete and well-filled
wine for the money. It finishes a wee bit on the lean side, but it
is hard to beat as a priceworthy prospect for mid-term aging.
GOOD VALUE
3 B I $16.00
* it HESS ESTATE Napa Valley 2000
Give this one especially good marks for value as it delivers lots
of honest Cabernet character and attractive oak spice at a price
rarely seen in its Napa Valley neighborhood. Nicely stated cassis
and black cherry themes are overlain with notes of vanilla and
milk chocolate in both scent and flavor, and the wine is smooth
and fairly open in its basic architecture. Finished with middling
tannins, it runs into a bit of eleventh-hour dryness, but its fruit
stays the course nicely and makes it a bonafide best buy.
GOOD VALUE
1 B A $20.00
KUNDE Drummond Vineyard Sonoma Valley 1999
Hints of black cherry, cola and sweet oak generate a nice bit of
interest in the aromas, but these better parts are surprisingly
low in energy and depth across the palate and limit the wine’s
range and reach. It is open and fleshy in mouthfeel with a quiet,
clean and mild finish.
O B D $30.00
* is William HILL Reserve Napa Valley 1999
Quiet and confident in its black cherry and raspberry fruit notes,
this wine is balanced and comfortably polished in its mouthfeel,
and its supple, rounded, mid-density flavors are supported by a
nice bit of fine-grained tannins for grip. If able to age for a few
years yet, it will serve well even now. 1 B I $38.00
KUNDE Sonoma Valley 1999
Way behind the curve in the Cabernet competition, this wine is
ripe and herbal with a narrow edge to both nose and flavors, and
carries nowhere near enough fruit to put things right. Its dry,
stiff finish adds to its burdens.
3 L D $21.00
Paul HOBBS Hyde Vineyard Carneros 2000
Mr. Hobbs, who easily rates as one of the top-scoring producers
in these pages over the last several years, has here offered up a
Cabernet that captures the intensity for which his wines have
become so rightfully famous. Yet, despite its deep, ripe curranty
and raspberryish fruit and its toasty, creamy oak, this wine is also
invested with evident notes of earth, herbs and charry, smoky
woodiness. There can be no doubting its mass and intensity or
its range and complexity, but the debate will likely continue to
rage about its level of perfection.
O B I $75.00
J.LOHR Cuvee Pau Paso Robles 1999
65% Cabernet Sauvignon; 19% Merlot; 16% Cabernet Franc.
If judged on its aromas alone, this one would win easy recommendation for its involving display of rich oak, currants and ripe
black cherries, but, while most of those traits extend into the
wine’s flavors, they are met by outsized tannins and coarsening
acids that push it well wide of beauty. Its ten-year toughness
may turn out to be there after twenty, and giving it the lengthy
age it needs is a genuine gamble.
O B A $50.00
** jn JUSTIN Isosceles Paso Robles 2000
78% Cabernet Sauvignon; 19% Cabernet Franc; 3% Merlot.
Plump, polished and absolutely brimming with both ripe cherry
fruitiness and lots of vanillin oak, this mouthfilling wine smacks
vaguely of Merlot in its supple and so very outgoing manner. It
has a few youthful edges yet to overcome, but its finishing trim
of tannin and acidity in no way interferes with its fruity richness,
and its fine sense of energy is likely to carry it forward for some
half-dozen years of positive growth. 1 B I $50.00
J. LOHR Hilltop Vineyard Paso Robles 1999
* iu KENDALL-JACKSON Great Estates Napa Valley 1999
8.5% Merlot; 6.5% Cabernet Franc. Here again ripeness and
oak are a step ahead of real fruitiness, and, for all of the wine’s
ample weight, it is both short on drive and something less than
concentrated at its core. Clean, dry and a bit brief at the finish,
it sins by omission rather than flaw, and it holds modest hope
for better with age.
1 B I $27.00
Limited fruit fights against a streak of brush and briary dryness
from the very beginning here, and loses out to toughness and
slightly walnutty tannins at the finish. The wine will only grow
drier as time passes and compromise keeping of two or three
years is advised.
3 B I $32.00
MARKHAM Napa Valley 2000
Very ripe in tone throughout and deep enough in black cherry
fruit to win the day, this wine also boasts a nice dollop of sweet
oak and a background note of herbs in its overall attractive mix
of elements. It is a bit ragged at the finish, but it can serve well
now and over the ensuing three to six years with well-seasoned
hunks of red meat.
1 B I $40.00
* iu MARSTON Spring Mountain District 2000
* is KENDALL-JACKSON Great Estates Alexander Vly 1999
Showing no shortage of rich oak and as governed by ripeness
as much as by fruit, this big, dense, wonderfully fleshy young
Cabernet captures the kind of mass muscle missing in too many
wines of the vintage. To be sure, it is not a wine of subtlety or
grace, but neither is it defined by toughness and tannin, and its
intensity, range and richness win it enthusiastic endorsement. A
few years of age should bring it to its best, and its richness begs
service with savory lamb dishes.
O B I $60.00
Ripe black cherry fruit is matched in intensity by mineral, loamy
notes in the nose and flavors of this somewhat gruff Cabernet,
and while the fruit holds up well against the pushy tannins, it is
a bit dried out by the astringency of the finish. The wine might
need a decade of patient cellaring to age out, but we suggest
drinking it up in half that time rather than risking that its fruit
begin to drop out.
1 B I $40.00
23
Year in Review
What a year we have been through. We began with wine
prices beginning to crack (good) and fears that wineries were going to
go out of business (bad). We have ended the year with a few wine
prices coming down and with wineries adjusting their blends to put
better wine in less expensive bottles (good), but we have seen wineries like DeLoach simply die on the vine and get sold at bankruptcy
auction (sad). There are a handful of other wineries in the midst of
reorganization (not so good) and probably others hoping that the other
shoe does not fall on them (wishful).
We started the year focused on the 1999 vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon (good) and the 2001 vintage of Zinfandel (good). We have
ended the year focused on 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon (better than its
reputation) and on 2001 Zinfandel (still good). Along the way, Pinot
Noir continues to impress as the most improved varietal around (exciting), and both Viognier and Pinot Gris impress as losing qualitative
headway as winery after winery rushes into the seeming fertile ground
of the new darling varieties (to be expected).
It was easy to forget in heady times like the mid-90s that agriculture
is a cyclical business subject to the same “boom and bust” cycles of
other commodities. If the swings are not incredibly dramatic, they
are certainly observable, and one only need look at the combination
of vintage and marketplace that has brought about a drop in the list
price of a wine like Beaulieu’s Private Reserve as well as a reduction
in the quantity produced. For some companies that kind of revenue
loss could be incredibly harmful to its long-range prospects, but,
Beaulieu, like Beringer, Franciscan, Domaine Chandon, Fetzer and
so many others, is part of a large conglomerate, and the day-to-day
fluctuations in sales and revenues are not likely to see it encountering
long-term financial difficulties.
Quality winemaking, however, has not kept the wolf from the door
for some wineries in this year. Favorites of ours like Fife and Liparita
are in bankruptcy reorganization, and one hopes that their overextended situations do not result in the same disappointing fate that
has befallen DeLoach, a family-owned winery whose Zinfandels and
Chardonnays have achieved great success in these pages. While there is
historical precedent for these kinds of unhappy endings, it is in the bad
times (comparatively, since most wineries are still functioning even if
their profits are down) we see the widest swings in fortune.
Grape varieties have cycles of boom and bust as well, and this past year
has seen the continuing expansion of Syrah and Pinot Gris production
to go along with the overall surplus that is being experienced not just
in California but in vineyards around the world. Syrah, it is now
said, will see a gradual slippage in overall quality as more and more
production comes on stream. We see the beginnings of that inevitable
cycle (does anyone remember what happened to Cabernet Sauvignon
in the 1970s when thousands of acres were planted in all the wrong
places?), but just as Cabernet was eventually settled in the right places
and pulled out of vineyards that produced everything from asparagus
juice to cooked, mawkish wines, so too will Syrah begin to experience
a Darwinian thinning out of its population.
We see 2003 as a year of consolidation and retrenchment in the
industry. The focus on quality winemaking has not changed, but the
concern for sound fiscal management has. As we end the year, there
are signs of improvement in the marketplace yet the coming year is not
going to free winemakers to go back to the go-go days in which they
could do anything they wanted in wine styles, vineyard choice and
frontline pricing and get away with it. The wineries will be helped by
a good vintage for reds in 2001 and by a slight reduction in vineyard
yields in the harvest just completed.
As for your trusty editors at Connoisseurs’ Guide, we will continue to
help you find the best that California has to offer, and we will do so
now in both print and electronic formats. We have avoided the boom
and bust cycle of the wine business by not investing in new vineyards,
but, rather by investing in more wine to taste. Our Annual Awards
Banquet, such as it is, follows.
MERRYVALE Reserve Napa Valley 2000
MAZZOCCO Sonoma County 2000
Taut and low on drive from the very first, this narrow, greenedged, medium-bodied Cabernet is sparing in both fruitiness
and richness, and its basic thinness signals that its potential for
improvement is limited.
1 B I $20.00
87% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13% Merlot. Here is a wine whose
overall sense of structure and mass easily mark it as Cabernet,
yet it never manages to muster the kind of fruit needed to fill in
all of its spaces, and it winds up tough, dry and a little too hot
at the finish.
1 B A $35.00
** jn MERRYVALE Profile Napa Valley 2000
* is MOON MOUNTAIN Reserve Sonoma Valley 2000
56% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc;
1% Petit Verdot. The shining star of the Merryvale clan in 2000,
the Profile bottling is a big, bold, deeply constituted wine that
marries lots of concentrated, black currant qualities with a most
generous dose of lovely oak. Redolent of sweet cream, coffee,
cocoa and caramel, it is kept solidly on course by its unwavering
fruit, and, if admittedly a little tough and tannic just now, it is
no more so than a very young Cabernet might be expected to
be, and its prospects for five to seven years of improvement are
all but guaranteed.
1 B A $79.00
82% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Cabernet Franc; 3% Merlot;
5% Petit Verdot. Nicely keyed on black cherry fruit and holding
oak to a helpful minimum in its well-filled aromas and again in
its slightly concentrated, medium-dense flavors, this fleshy, fully
ripened offering falls prey to some latter palate tannins and a
bit of heat, but it stays within the expected bounds of youthful
Cabernet. Its coarser edges become forgivable when hearty cuts
of beef are on the menu, but a few years of cellaring seems the
best remedy for its raggedness.
1 B A $40.00
24
With a tip of the hat to Dan Lee, and a nicer guy you
would not be likely to meet, we salute his * * Morgan
Metallico Chardonnay 2002 for its incredible job of proving that not all Chardonnays need to be writ in large letters
or aged in new French oak barrels.
OUTSTANDING QUALITY TO PRICE RATIO AWARDS
In the year past, the brand that has more often than any
other received our GOOD VALUE notation is the Francis
Coppola Diamond Series. Both the 2001 Zinfandel and the
2001 Pinot Noir rated at * yet are priced to be easy on the
pocketbook at about $15. Admittedly, that feat is more easily
accomplished with Zin than Pinot, but it is almost impossible with Pinot and Coppola has done it. Special Mention
must be made of two long-running GOOD VALUES,
both Zinfandel. The Ravenswood Vintners Blend and the
Rosenblum Vintners Cuvée have earned their spurs in more
years than not and can often be found for less than $10.
WINERY OF THE YEAR AWARD
If this were the movies, we could write “Round up the
usual subjects” because the contenders include folks like
two-time winner, Duckhorn, and last year’s winner,
Rosenblum, not to mention outstanding performances
by Lewis, Talley and Hobbs. But not surprisingly, in a
year that has seen Chardonnay come out of its shell, our
Winery of The Year is Ramey Wine Cellars for its many
superb Chardonnays and its spectacular Jericho Canyon
Napa Valley Red Wine.
WINE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Perhaps it is just the changing of the vintages, but several
of our favorite wines this year are Chardonnays. In this
issue alone, you will find two of the best, and leading contenders for this award, and then there is the Peter Michael
brace reviewed in October. And while there are challengers
in the other varieties such as Ojai’s brilliant Syrah from
the Roll Ranch and Talley’s always incredible Rosemary’s
Vineyard Pinot Noir, our choice for the Wine of The Year
is the Paul Hobbs Cuvée Augustina Chardonnay 2001, a
deep, unctuous version of the grape that simply delights
the senses from first to last.
BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
In a year in which the new wine books have not exactly
thrilled us comes an insider’s book of maps from the Chicago Wine School. Writer Patrick Fegan is one of the leading teachers about wine, and the maps he has developed for
his own classes hold no candle to the beautiful renditions
that one finds in the atlases of Hugh Johnson and Oz Clark.
Rather, these maps are teaching tools and they allow the
person wanting an unpretty but accurate view of appellation
locations to get that view in an unfettered form. We make
great use of the Fegan maps and point out that they are not
road maps or coffee table maps but working maps intended
for serious students of wine geography. These are maps for
wine geeks, and that must be why we like them. (CWS,
312-266-9463 or www.wineschool.com and click on “new
wine book”).
NICE SURPRISE OF THE YEAR AWARD
It is too often said that Chardonnay is overripe, overoaked
and overweight. The responses by winemakers to those
claims are often positive but not always successful. For
example, a few producers have gone out of their ways to
make unoaked Chardonnay, and, by our lights, they have
generally produced nothing of interest. At least until now.
MURIETTA’S WELL Vendimia Livermore Valley 1999
* is NERO Cuvée Speciale Napa Valley 2001
13% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; 5% Petit Verdot. More often
than not, this label falls short of its promise, and the story is not
happier in this vintage. The wine has the requisite richness and
gains some further interest from its coffee/toffee nuances, but
it is low in fruit and too high in herbal influences and ends with
little that invites a second glance.
3 B I $35.00
10% Merlot. Produced by Gianni Paoletti. Somewhat lower in
price than Paoletti’s standard Cabernet bottling but noticeably
short of that wine in beauty, this oddly constructed wine starts
off with plenty of richness and a fair dose of cassis-like fruit. Yet,
its latter half is coarse and dry with both acid and tannin taking
their share of attention, and, on the whole, we would expend
a few dollars more and buy the Paoletti 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon
as the better value.
1 B I $30.00
NAPANOOK Napa Valley 2000
By Dominius Estate. 68% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Cabernet
Franc; 11% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot. If conveying impressions
of ripeness and mass in the nose, this blunt and loosely defined
wine is never especially articulate in fruit, and its passing notes
of black cherries on the palate fade away too soon to dryness
and a bit of heat. Patently lacking in vitality and a little small in
fruity heart, it carries questions enough about its ability to age
into something better.
1 B I $39.00
* jl NEWTON Unfiltered Napa Valley 2000
If somewhat mannerly in its initial smells of black cherries and
creamy oak, this wine quickly shows a bolder, brawnier side to
both its smoky, loamy and dried berry aromas and its noticeably
tough passage across the palate. Its compact fruit saves the day,
and, while the wine is not one for current enjoyment, it looks to
have the stuffing for a bit of aging. 1 B A $41.00
25
Cabernet Sauvignon
PEACHY CANYON Westside Paso Robles 2000
11% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc. Showing a bit of the weedy
brushiness that sometimes comes from its appellation, this ripe
and relatively weighty wine plays fast and loose with basic fruit.
Guided as it is by ripeness first and last, it empties out to heat
and dryness at the end and closes with an undisguised push of
slightly puckery tannins.
1 B A $25.00
NEWTON Le Puzzle Napa Valley 2000
With all due and meaningful respect to this fine winery, the only
“puzzle” here is why the wine was bottled in the first place. It is
awash in earthy, barky and piney qualities, and nowhere does it
begin to exhibit the needed fruit to be more than passably and
quizzically acceptable.
O B I $50.00
* jl PEZZI KING Estate Bottled Dry Creek Valley 1999
10% Merlot. This quite fascinating wine may lack a little when
it comes to specific varietal character and classical structure, but,
taken for itself as a red wine of great depth and range, it earns
more than a second glance. Call it Cabernet goes to the southern
Rhone if you will, but do enjoy the wine’s deep and compelling
mix of dried plums, licorice, cocoa, dark cherries, loamy richness
and smoky, oaky influences. It finishes with a bit of tightness just
now and will surely look better in four to six years’ time if one can
overcome the temptations of serving it in the nearer term with
savory roasts and chops.
1 T I $30.00
ORGANIC WINE WORKS Proprietor’s Reserve 2001
Mendocino County. Distracting touches of sourness in the nose
surface as adjuncts to diffuse smells of vaguely cherry like fruit
here, and the wine sports a curious sweet-and-sour edge to its
ripe, but loosely formed flavors. Never specific as to Cabernet
and relatively developed for a wine of its tender years, it does
not encourage lengthy keeping.
O B D $19.50
** jn Joseph PHELPS Backus Vineyard Oakville 2000
** jm PAHLMEYER Red Wine Napa Valley 2000
Napa Valley. Those who would damn the vintage as producing
nothing but anemic wines will think again when facing this big,
complete, compellingly deep Cabernet. From its extravagantly
oaked aromas to its long and chewy flavors and lengthy, fruitfilled finish, it has varietal currants to spare and a genuine sense
of succulence. While fairly tannic, it is not defined by toughness,
and its altogether classic structure suggests that it will develop
famously for a decade or more.
1 B A $150.00
73% Cabernet Sauvignon; 16% Merlot; 5% Malbec; 5% Petit
Verdot; 1% C. Franc. If simply labeled as red wine, Pahlmeyer’s
blend of Bordelaise varietals is anything but a simple effort, and
from first sniff forward, it conveys layer upon layer of deep and
optimally ripened currants, black cherries and rich oak spice.
Showing a sense of substance that appears only in the very best
Cabernets of the vintage, it is full and fleshy on the palate while
remaining surprisingly well-balanced and only minimally tannic.
It is rather more open and accessible by dint of structure, yet it
has room to grow and comes with expectations of another four
to six years of improvement.
1 B A $90.00
* iu QUINTESSA Napa Valley 2000
Here is a wine that works within the framework imposed by the
vintage, and if is never boldly extracted or built with especially
big-boned tannins, it is keyed on incisive fruit and hits the mark
in its aim for polish rather than potency. Lovely sweet oak spice
is the clear and present partner to its central themes of cherries
and cassis, and, while a little dry to close, it ends with the kind
of sustained fruit that argues convincingly for another four to
six years of patience.
1 B A $110.00
** jm Gianni PAOLETTI Napa Valley 2000
6% Merlot; 4% Malbec; 2% Cabernet Franc. The 2000 vintage
may not be everyone’s ideal, but it is the rare year in California
that does not find a batch of vineyards outperforming the trend.
And, so it is with the grapes that have been used to create this
very enjoyable bottling. Its aromas deliver a complex and layered
mix of ripe black currants, roasted vanilla beans, cocoa and cola,
and its youthfully compact flavors provide good varietal focus
with the same reach and richness. If things get a bit tight in the
finish, that is the way of bold, young Cabernet and time in bottle
will go along way in providing the cure. 1 B A $40.00
** jm RAMEY Diamond Mountain District 2001
Napa Valley. 66% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Merlot; 12% Petit
Verdot. The ripest of the Ramey lot, this imposing, full-bodied,
palate-coating effort is long on chocolate and oaky spice, yet it
also sports a wealth of deep, black cherry fruit and lots of the
loamy, black-earth complexities of serious Cabernet Sauvignon.
Richness rather than refinement is its first concern, and, if that
richness comes at the cost of some toughness and latter-palate
heat, the wine is as well packed at the end as it is at the start,
and it will grow for years.
1 B A $56.00
PEACHY CANYON De Vine Paso Robles 2000
Cut from slightly coarser cloth yet keyed on fully ripened fruit
and creamy oak, this fat but slightly tough-edged wine shows
hints of leather, brush and woodsy spice along its way. Despite
its gruffer, somewhat rustic finish, its shows sufficient depth to
warrant a bit of optimism, and a few years of rest in the cellar
should find it in better form.
O B A $50.00
* it RAMEY Claret Napa Valley 2001
56% Cabernet Sauvignon; 27% Cabernet Franc; 17% Merlot.
Yet another solid and substantial wine from Ramey, this one is
*** jq RAMEY Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley 2001
45% Cabernet Sauvignon; 36% Merlot; 19% Cabernet Franc.
Deep, concentrated and conveying a fine sense of potency in its
complex, richly oaked and optimally ripened black cherry and
currant aromas, this big, broad-beamed opus is positively plush
on the palate with a wealth of well-extracted fruit that is met
step for step by lots of lovely sweet oak spice. While a touch of
last-minute heat proves a slight distraction just now, the wine
has the relentless fruit and stunning sense of depth to make it
an all but guaranteed bet for aging, and it looks good to go for
another eight to ten years.
1 B A $85.00
26
awash in rich oak and just a touch short in conveying the kind
of fruity depth and range shown in its pricier partners. It gets a
little dry at the finish despite the fact that its tannins are held in
check, and, if moderately fruity throughout, it is anything but
moderate in its scene-stealing oak.
O B I $36.00
barely finds enough fruit to reach mid-palate. Tough, phenolic,
drying qualities get the better of it in the latter half and leave it
gasping for vitality.
O B I $25.00
V. SATTUI Morisoli Vineyard Napa Valley 2000
This Morisoli bottling exhibits a similar lack of central fruit as it
mate from Suzanne’s Vineyard, and, if anything, it is drier and
more blunt in its progression across the palate. The 2000 vintage
is far from perfect, but this Sattui duo seems to have endured
greater hardships than most.
O B I $35.00
RIDGE Santa Cruz Mountains 2000
Montebello Vineyard. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon; 28% Merlot;
8% Petit Verdot. Not to be confused with the Ridge’s marquee
Montebello bottling, this firm, woodsy, tannin-framed effort is
short on charm and attenuated in fruit. More stiff than supple
and wanting for a bit more meat on its bones, it may age into
suppleness, but time will not bring the additional stuffing that it
requires for real success.
1 B A $30.00
SAUSAL Alexander Valley 2001
More often than not, we find things to like in the Sausal Zins in
our tastings, but there is not a lot special about this ripe but dry
and barky, chocolatey, vaguely earthy Cabernet that is low in
fruit and high in disappointment.
1 T D $26.00
* it ROSENBLUM Yates Ranch Reserve Mt. Veeder 2000
Sporting all of the sweet oak spice that we have come to expect
from the folks at Rosenblum, this ripe, mildly chocolately look at
Cabernet is a touch dry at its edges, but it is also fairly well-filled
with black cherry fruit, and it seems capable of growing past its
nominal tannins.
O B A $30.00
* iu SCHERRER Scherrer Vineyard Alexander Valley 2000
Pushed along by its ripeness and lots of sweet, slightly creamy,
vanilla-tinged oak, this generously filled and fairly open wine is
full and viscous on the palate with juicy streaks of currants and
cherries at its heart. Its nominal tannins provide a proper bit of
grip as it goes, and, while always quite ripe in tone, it never gives
in to heat or dryness.
O B I $40.00
ROSENTHAL Newton Canyon Malibu 1999
So intensely vegetal as to make moot its generous complement
of underlying fruit, this supple and rather well-balanced wine
cannot overcome its bias to greener things, and only forgiving
fans of the style need apply.
O B I $34.00
SCHERRER Alexander Valley 2000
Although showing a slight familial tie to the wine above by way
of its ripeness and obvious oak, this offering struggles to find a
similar sense of inner fruit and fundamental richness, and it only
hints at berries and cherries before fading away to a dry, slightly angular, acid-edged finish.
O B I $30.00
* it RUDD Red Wine Oakville Estate Napa Valley 2000
9% Cabernet Franc; 5% Petit Verdot. A wine that will have its
fans, this one raises the ripeness bar in no uncertain terms. It is,
of course, rich, dense, complex and a touch dry at its heart, but
it is also supple, fleshy, broad and oaky, and all of that adds up
to a wine that will find a home with savory meats like mutton
chops or grilled ribeye steaks.
1 B I $100.00
SHENANDOAH ReZerve Shenandoah Valley 2000
18% Cabernet Franc. Counting heavily on very sweet oak for
much of its outgoing appeal, this firmly structured wine shows
a leaner line of fruit to its flavors and veers to acidity at the end.
It wants for a bit more stuffing but should benefit from a few
years of softening.
O B A $24.00
* is RUTHERFORD RANCH Silverado Trail Vineyard 1999
Limited Release Reserve. Napa Valley. Rutherford Ranch exists as
a value-oriented brand, and even with these vineyard-designated
releases, it maintains that approach. Yet, in spite of the winery’s
admirable direction in pricing, it has too often fallen short in the
qualitative end of the equation. This bottling takes a giant step
forward for the brand, and if it is not the highest rated Cab in
this issue, so too does it at least represent one of the best values
available in a vineyard-designated bottling from the Napa Valley.
This wine, our preferred of the pair, is ripe and moderately deep
albeit not especially juicy or succulent in its focus on black cherry
varietal character.
O B I $25.00
** jo SIGNORELLO Padrone Napa Valley 2000
8% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc. Long on extract, full in body,
and heaped high with creamy oak, this very deep and decidedly
brooding young Cabernet is a sturdy wine with plenty of mass
and muscle to go along with its impressive if still nascent fruit. It
invites early drinking at entry with a supple and slightly rounded
feel, but it takes a certain turn to tannic toughness in a way that
speaks to a need for extended cellaring, and five or six years of
patience seems the minimum wait. O B A $75.00
RUTHERFORD RANCH Stagecoach-Krupp Vineyards 1999
Limited Release Reserve. Napa Valley. Drier than its mate above
and picking up an herbal, almost green bean intrusion, this one
never quite makes the cut, and its tough, tannic finish reinforces
the notion that its center is hollow. O B I $25.00
SILVERADO Single Vineyard Selection 2000
Stag’s Leap District. Napa Valley. Accessibility and easy-going
fruit are the story here, and, true to what is becoming the norm
for lesser wines of the vintage, this medium-bodied offering is
a touch underfilled and light on extract. Still, it makes good use of
sweet oak in supporting its straightforward message of cherrylike fruit, and it will make a pleasant partner to simply roasted
meats over the next few years.
1 B I $65.00
* it ST. FRANCIS Nuns Canyon Reserve Sonoma Vly 1999
Rich, ripe, outgoing, chocolatey and very lightly tarry in style, this
full-bodied, fleshy offering delivers everything for aging except
deep and still developing fruit. Instead, what fruit it has stands
only in support of its richness, and it is that richness which now
propels the wine past a fairly tannic edge in the finish. Its tough
side notwithstanding, we would drink this personality-filled wine
now and over the next few years.
O T D $45.00
* iu SIMI Reserve Alexander Valley 1999
7% Petit Verdot. Enriched by sweet oak but relying first on middensity curranty and black cherry fruit, this ripe but well-balanced
bottling follows through handsomely on the palate with a supple,
nicely rounded entry and plush, cedary, caramelly and ripe fruit
flavors. Less fleshy at the finish but long and focused, it asks for
only a few years of cellaring.
1 B I $75.00
V. SATTUI Suzanne’s Vineyard Napa Valley 2000
Initially suggesting currants and oak, then veering towards bark
and shoe leather, this wine comes apart in the mouth where it
27
Cabernet Sauvignon
does the vestigial note of prune in the background. Enjoyable
now, it can age for several years yet. 1 B I $30.00
Rodney STRONG Alexander’s Crown 2000
Alexander Valley. Limp and wholly unconvincing fruit is soon
overtaken by drying elements of leather and cedar in the nose
here, and the wine’s tannin-toughened flavors follow suit with
wispy notes of ripe cherries fading as a bit of leather and leafy
herbaceousness come to the fore.
3 B I $28.00
* is SNOQUALMIE Reserve Columbia Valley 2000
With the roundness, slight succulence and ripe-cherry qualities
of good Merlot, this polished and eminently accessible Cabernet
is just the thing for impatient bibbers. Its liberal dose of sweet
oak lends a distinctly vanillin cast to its ample fruit, and while a
long way from being tannic, the wine finds structure enough to
keep well for several years.
1 B I $23.00
TERRA VALENTINE Wurtele Spring Mountain District 2000
Lightly herbal and hinting variously at leather and cherries in the
nose, this rounded, relatively open wine starts out well enough,
but its flavors show a bit of greenness that leads to an almost
tinny quality in its very dry finish.
O B I $50.00
SNOQUALMIE Columbia Valley 2000
If showing the same sense of inviting immediacy and friendly
accessibility as the wine above, Snoqualmie’s basic Cabernet is
never quite so deep in fruit nor does its recipe show as much
creamy oak sweetness. It drifts from fruit to tannin in a bit of a
hurry, but its fills the bill as a likeable, relatively inexpensive and
generally useful middleweight, and it is especially attractive when
its moderate price becomes part of the considerations.
GOOD VALUE
1 B I $14.00
* it TREFETHEN Estate Napa Valley 2000
12% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc. Likeable elements of cherries,
raspberries and vanilla-bean oak in the nose are echoed in kind
if not in immediacy by the slightly drying, tannin-framed flavors
of this still evolving youngster. A little too tough and just a wee
bit stiff at the finish, it nonetheless conveys a reasonable sense
of fruity substance, and, given a few years of quiet, it can easily
bloom into better.
3 B A $40.00
SPRING MOUNTAIN Elivette Napa Valley 2000
10% Merlot. Despite its very ambitious price, this tough, coarse,
patently charmless wine is absent any convincing fruit, and its
early sensations of glyceriney softness give way to genuinely dry
and gritty astringency.
1 B A $90.00
* iu VIADER Napa Valley 2001
Napa Valley. Bright, buoyant and nicely filled with youthful fruit
that smacks of both blackcurrants and cranberry, this gracefully
oaked and nicely polished wine shows a bit of Cabernet’s loamy
side and offers glimpses of complexity to come. It is firmed at
the finish by both tannin and evident acidity just now, and, if
hardly a bruiser that demands a decade of age, it is sure to gain
in richness for several years.
3 B A $45.00
55% Cabernet Sauvignon; 45% Cabernet Franc. Among the alltime leaders in our Cabernet ratings, Viader has produced a ripe
and concentrated bottling this time out, and it is that very same
concentration that is both the wine’s strength and its downside.
For all of the deep, dense, “purple fruit” qualities and rich oak
on display here, there is a distinct leaning towards chocolate and
Ruby Port that simply takes the wine past the norm for Cabernet.
Its tough, gritty latter palate tannins do it no favors either, but,
with a little faith in its future, one could easily set the wine aside
for a decade of softening.
1 B A $80.00
* is STRATFORD Knights Valley 2001
VINA ROBLES Estate Paso Robles 2001
* iu STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS Artemis 2001
Plentiful oak serves to lift and enrich the fairly direct, cherry-like
aromas of this open and accessible offering, and the wine is as
friendly in the mouth with a sense of tactile polish and easy-totaste flavors of oak-sweetened cherries. It is temperate in tannin
and firmed in the finish by a twist of closing acidity, and, if not
quite filled up from front to back, it fills the bill nicely as a fairly
likeable middleweight Cabernet.
O B I $19.00
A little on the soft and rounded side for Cabernet of its tender
age, this wine earns a nod of acceptance because it is easy to
drink and has more than a touch of the variety’s curranty, briary
character. It also carries a bit of a floral, simple quality that adds
to its “drink now” personality.
1 L D $20.00
* iu STELTZNER Stag’s Leap District Napa Valley 2000
Nicely ripened black cherry fruit is teamed with carefully placed,
lightly creamy oak throughout the length of this rich and slightly
juicy wine, and, while late-arriving tannins do manage to make
themselves known, there is a genuine sense of suppleness and
polish about this one. We like its fruit, we like its depth and we
like its continuity, and we expect that we will like it even more
after five or six years have passed.
1 B I $32.00
WENTE Livermore Valley San Francisco Bay 2000
While showing loose notes of candied cherries and a smattering
of brushy spice, there is little about this one that conveys a clear
sense of Cabernet. Light, clean and a little lazy in terms of any
real energy, it is ready to go and should not be counted on for
any further growth.
3 L D $13.00
* it STERLING Reserve Napa Valley 2000
* is WHITEHALL LANE Reserve 2000
5% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot. Unmistakable notes of vanilla and
milk chocolate go a long way in sweetening the stylish, lightly
herbal, black cherry aromas of this neatly polished wine, and its
flavors fall in line with creamy oak, a constant companion to ripe
and open fruit. Smooth and supple and untroubled by much in
the way of closing tannins, it is a rather pretty and somewhat
elegant offering whose best face should show with but a year
of two of age.
1 B I $70.00
With its relatively full-scaled aromas of ripe currants and vanillin
spice making for a fairly promising start, this well-ripened, but
never-quite-concentrated wine lets up a little on the palate. Its
oak keeps on going and lends a decided degree of richness and
satisfaction, but its fundamental fruit drops away just a bit early
and leaves us wishing for more.
1 B I $65.00
* is ZAHTILA Georges III Rutherford Napa Valley 2000
Medium volume aromas of black cherries, currants and berries
are met by notes of dark chocolate and quiet oak, and the wine
follows with a slightly fleshy, soft entry and direct, somewhat
bright fruit. There are quiet intrusions of heat and tannin in the
finish, and a few years of cellaring are all that will be required to
see this one to its best.
O B I $40.00
* it Rodney STRONG Alden Vyds Alexander Valley 1999
5% Merlot. The preferred of the Strong brace in this issue, the
Alden bottling is a ripe, deep, fairly concentrated wine much in
the manner of the 1999 vintage. Its black cherry fruit and loamy
and rich, dark chocolatey overlays speak to its concentration as
28
CHARDONNAY
More than at any time we can remember, there
is a struggle going on for the hearts and palates
of California’s upscale Chardonnay drinkers.
On the one hand, we find those who would make
Chardonnay into as big and as ripe a wine as its fruit could possibly
take. On the other hand is found those who find ripeness and oak to
be out of control is too many California efforts with the grape. Fortunately, the grand Chardonnays in this issue will make all camps happy.
despite an impression of smoothness and an early suggestion of
oiliness to its palatefeel, it is essentially shy on fruity basics in its
flavors as well.
O F D $40.00
* jl ARTESA Reserve Carneros 2001
Ripe and sweet in its first aromas with wisps of Meyer lemons
set against deeper smells of Fuji apples, honey and creamy oak,
the wine starts out with a fair bit of flesh on the palate but then
turns towards acidy narrowness in the middle and at the finish.
Withal, it is moderately deep and nicely constructed for those
who would like a bit of nerve to their Chardonnays, and it will
age well for a couple of years.
O l I $40.00
COLUMBIA Wyckoff Vineyard Yakima Valley 2001
If trying for the richness of its partner from the Otis Vineyard,
this one stays on the underconcentrated side from first sniff to
skimpy, stony, vaguely brittle finish. It may be fairly full in body,
but it is shy in heart.
1 F D $19.00
ARTESA Napa Valley 2001
COLUMBIA Columbia Valley 2001
Lacking both the sweet fruit of its Reserve partner and less lively
on the palate as well, this dryish, ripe but ragged customer will
please only those who enjoy full-bodied, fleshy Chardonnay but
do not demand an adequate measure of enlivening fruit. Bottle
age would seem little help here.
O C D $18.00
At its very inviting price, this clean, mild effort may not offer as
much to sink one’s teeth into as the previous bottling, but it has
enough richness and buttery character that it impresses as a wine
to which one could turn when a less costly bottle is in order.
GOOD VALUE
3 F D $13.00
* it BABCOCK Santa Barbara County 2002
* jl CUVAISON Estate Selection Carneros 2001
Napa Valley. Led by citrus and green apple scents in the nose,
this ripe and rich wine finds itself somewhat given over to oaky,
crème brulée notes as it airs, and it delivers much the same story
on the palate where its solidly fruited flavors dive a bit behind
distinct barrel influences. Decently balanced if leaning slightly to
the fleshy side of things, this very amply stuffed effort shows a
touch of last minute heat, and, all in all, the wine will show best
with flavorful chicken dishes.
1 C I $34.00
Mild, lightly floral and suggesting a sweet, honeyed quality, this
carefully oaked bottling is consistent from first engaging sniff to
clean, restrained finish. Intended to be a wine for the here and
now, it is a reliable Chardonnay at every stop and will hold up
well in bottle for a year or two.
1 F D $18.50
BENZIGER Reserve Sangiacomo Vineyard 2001
Carneros. Competing elements of sweet oak, tropical fruit and
background herbaceousness vie for attention in the ample, but
not quite focused aromas of this one, and the ensuing flavors
are similarly rich yet never clearly define themselves with regard
to fruit. If a touch soft to start, the wine comes up a bit coarse
and given to grapefruit at the finish. 1 l D $27.00
* it DESTINO Napa Valley 2001
Sweet nicely ripened fruit is joined by a balanced bit of vanillin
oak and subtle touches of lees in the well-formed aromas and
accessible flavors of this rich, moderately full-bodied effort. If
finished with a coarsening streak of lemony acids, the wine is
never short on essential stuffing and its ragged edges are sure
to be smoothed by a year in bottle. 1 l D $32.00
BENZIGER Carneros 2001
Rich oak sets the pace early on here, and fruit always lags a step
behind whether in scent, flavor or finish. Rounded in feel, but a
little on the watery side as well, the wine is fairly quick and shy
on brightness, and it finds an unneeded edge of oaky bitterness
at the close.
1 l D $16.00
DOMAINE CHANDON Carneros 2001
Matchsticky pungency and the smell of underripe apples make
for a less than promising start here, yet this lean and lively wine
rebounds a bit in the mouth and offers a hopeful look at oaky
spice and a touch of youthful fruit. Interrupted by a biting note
of heat at the finish just now, it cannot but benefit by a year of
further smoothing.
3 l I $19.00
* is CHARLES CREEK Las Patolitas Sonoma County 2002
Its bright, somewhat simple, candied apple fruit gets a needed
assist from creamy oak in nose and mouth, and this fairly frontal
and extra ripe wine finds itself pulled back into contention by its
firm, bright underpinnings. It ends a little on the crisp side, and
it will probably be at its most enjoyable if served with dishes like
savory-seasoned baked oysters.
1 l I $20.00
* it DRY CREEK VINEYARD Reserve 2000
Russian River Valley. Fresh, ripe apple smells are teamed with a
bit of sweet and slightly toasty oak that shows again as a quiet
partner to apples and hints of lemons in the clean, mid-density
flavors of this firmly balanced youngster. Never a big wine, it is
nonetheless nicely focused from front to back and finishes with
a pleasant bit of stony crispness.
1 l D $22.00
** jn CHATEAU ST. JEAN Belle Terre Vineyard 2001
Alexander Valley. Lightly leesy top notes and a bit of mild oak
spiciness serve as accents to fresh, Gala Apple fragrances in the
engaging aromas of this well-scrubbed youngster, and it takes a
similar tack in the mouth with long, nicely fruited flavors that
are focused on crisp apples. Medium-full-bodied and carefully
balanced from beginning to end, it is light on winemaking and
long on fruit, and, even if easy to like right now, it should keep
well for several years.
1 l D $22.00
** jm FRANCISCAN Cuvée Sauvage Napa Valley 2001
Here is a member of the “higher acidity” club about which we
wrote in the opening text above. This one is a full-blown, ripe
and rich Chardonnay with creamy oak and spicy notes much in
evidence throughout. Yet, it plays off its depth of character and
oily palatefeel against an enlivening streak of acidity and a long,
firm and still fruity finish. Its interesting bits of complexity augur
well for the wine’s future development with cellar aging, and it
should improve for several years.
3 l I $35.00
COLUMBIA Otis Vineyard Block 6 Yakima Valley 2001
Easily the richest, smokiest of the trio from Columbia, this one is a
bit skimpy underneath that good beginning in its aromas, and,
29
CHARDONNAY
of the “Dobles Lias”, they can be rich and deep yet impeccably
balanced. Moreover, when they are composed with a solid base
of bright fruit, they have proven to be long aging as well. This
wine’s ripe apple, sweet pear and minerally center is expanded
comfortably by creamy and roasted nut notes, and if a touch of
acidy stiffness creeps into the finish, it is nothing that a bit of
bottle age cannot cure.
O l I $45.00
FREEMARK ABBEY Napa Valley 2002
There was a time when Freemark Abbey Chardonnays were our
clear favorite among the California offerings, but those days are
now long gone, and this middling effort, while clean and wholly
presentable does not go far enough. Its apple and citrus tones,
while continuous, are underplayed, and its oaky enrichment does
not make up for the missing pieces. 1 F D $18.00
* is MERRYVALE Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley 2001
Expansive in aroma from its rich, creamy start to its caramel and
hardwood overlays to compact fruit, the nose delivers a stylish
beginning that is never quite matched on the palate. A smooth
and rounded entry leads to ripe but not especially fruity flavors,
and the wine trades almost exclusively on richness from middle
to somewhat hot finish.
O L D $29.00
HENDRY Blocks 9 and 21 Napa Valley 2001
As fond as we are of Mr. Hendry and of the very fine wines from
his property, we must say that these two Chardonnays are not
among them. Both sport a fair measure of rich, creamy oak,
and this one has a nice bit of flesh and oiliness, but they both
run out of fruit before they finish.
O C D $25.00
* iu MORGAN Santa Lucia Highlands Double L Vyd 2001
Toasty oak and slightly quiet but energetic fruit scents make the
early going here, and the nicely rounded entry flavors reiterate
the twin themes of vital fruit and creamy, somewhat caramelly
oakiness. The wine’s ripe apple focus tends a bit to narrowness
at the finish, but its acid brightness is not out of line and directs
the wine to uses with flavorful seafood dishes like sea bass with
a lemon beurre blanc.
O l I $30.00
HENDRY Blocks 19 and 20 Napa Valley 2001
Less rich, less fleshy and decidedly more narrow in fruit from first
pass to firm and pinched finish, this wine is a smaller version of
its mate and lacks even that effort’s minor attractions. For the
nonce, stick to the Hendry reds.
O F D $25.00
* is MORGAN Santa Lucia Highlands Rosella’s Vyd 2001
* iu Paul HOBBS Walker Station Vineyard 2001
There is complexity here in spades, but it brings a waxy, nutty,
almost corn silk note into the mix, and regardless of the wine’s
expressive personality, its focus is never especially on point. Give
it high marks for a supple, balanced and rich passage across the
palate, and reserve it for service with herb-laced preparations of
chicken and the meaty fishes.
O L D $30.00
Russian River Valley. Mr. Hobbs’ hand is all over this wine from
its faintly hazy visual appearance to the pushy oak and honeyed
notes in its aromas. The wine is less deeply endowed with fruit
however, and its depth of character is pretty much without any
layering or reserve. Still, the wine is not heavy or plodding and is
likely to serve well with savory chicken or fish stews or even a
light-handed bouillabaisse.
O L D $60.00
MORGAN Monterey 2001
In our October issue, we praised the Morgan 2002 Metallico, a
Chardonnay made without oak, but we remember not liking the
2001 version of that wine. And, perhaps the reason was that its
base wine was as lean and unforthcoming as this 2001 that has
seen some oak aging. This effort is stiff and citrusy at the front
and lemony juicy in the finish.
3 F D $20.00
** jm KUNDE Reserve Sonoma Valley 2001
Leaning towards the toasty barrel end of the spectrum in its oak
regimen, this bottling is very suitably and comfortably endowed
with a confident core of ripe appley fruit. Its handsome aromatic
beginnings are echoed in mouthfilling flavors that are as fruity
as they are oaky, and the wine’s balance and vitality are near to
perfect. In short, this is Chardonnay in a California-typical style
both as to filling and as to energy.
O l I $35.00
** jo PATZ & HALL Napa Valley 2002
Sweet, slightly candied apples are the central theme of both the
aromas and flavors of this lightly oaked and nominally ripened
wine, and, if hardly showing the range and extra winemaking
contributions that its “reserve” designation might predict, it is a
wholly likeable, mid-sized effort.
O l D $25.00
A more open and obvious wine with softer edges and an easier
finish than its partner below, this slightly hazy effort is as rich as
they come. Its overriding oak and roasted nut characteristics get
picked up comfortably by appley and citrusy fruit tones in both
nose and mouth, and if the wine is not quite as energetic as its
partner above, it is so well-stuffed and accessible that we would
drink it over the next year or two while waiting for the Woolsey
Road to open up.
1 C D $33.00
* jl MARIMAR Torres Estate Dobles Lías 2001
** jm PATZ & HALL Woolsey Road Vineyard 2002
* is MacROSTIE Reserve Carneros 2000
Russian River Valley. Slightly hazy in appearance, in the manor
of some “modern” Chardonnays, this edition of Woolsey Road
Russian River Valley. The Marimar Torres wines are maddeningly
inconsistent from year to year. At their best, as with this version
*** js Paul HOBBS Cuvée Augustina Dinner Vyd 2001
Sonoma Mountain. Ripe, concentrated and loaded with a wealth
of caramelly oak, the outgoing, expansive aromas are brought
into balance by sweet, pulpy, appley smells, hints of honey and
a note of underlying minerality that emerges as the wine airs. It
is full-bodied and unctuous in feel with an oily texture that tilts
to heaviness but never crosses that line because of the depth and
energy of its central fruitiness. Its very size and intensity make it
head and shoulders above most of the competition, and you
can feel confident in drinking this opulent bottling right away or
setting it aside for a few years.
O L I $75.00
30
60
starts off with toasty, leesy, nutty top notes filling out lively fruit
aromas of ripe apples and roasted lemons. Background hints of
nutmeg and cinnamon add further range to the nose, and the
wine is similarly deep, rich, layered and energetic in the mouth.
Fleshy but never heavy and still a bit youthfully ragged around
the edges, this one has the concentration and balance to grow
with time in the cellar.
O l I $38.00
Chardonnay is both fleshy and alive at the same time. If a touch
frontal on the palate, it maintains its basic fruit and creamy oak
stance throughout even as a touch of heat rises at the end.
GOOD VALUE
1 F D $15.00
STUHLMULLER Alexander Valley 2001
Colored with hints of honey, apple and ripe melon in the nose
and following with firm, nominally fruited flavors that echo the
same basic mix of qualities, this solid, mid-sized Chardonnay is a
little shy on intensity but hits all the varietal marks. Its slight bias
to closing crispness makes it a fine choice for service with meaty
fish preparations.
1 l D $23.00
* iu PATZ & HALL Durell Vineyard Sonoma Valley 2002
With a similar slightly hazy appearance as it siblings, the Durell
bottling starts off in the same rich and ripe direction as it mates
above. If it comes up somewhat shorter on depth than them, it
is still very attractive for its creamy, nutty overlays to tart, appley
fruit. The wine is structured for growth, and laying it away looks
to be a good option, but the absence of compelling fruit leads
us to think that it will show at its best in the next couple of years
rather than over an extended period. O C D $38.00
SULLIVAN BIRNEY Carneros 2001
On the positive side of its ledger sheet, this fat and fleshy wine
counts a good degree of ripe, slightly tropical fruit and a decent
dose of creamy oak. It stumbles a bit later and shows a faint but
evident edge of finishing sharpness, but it is saved in the end by
its fundamental richness, and it will serve nicely with the likes of
tuna tartare.
O l D $25.00
* jl Joseph PHELPS Ovation Napa Valley 2001
Loads and loads of lovely oak comes close to stealing the scene
here, yet, for all of its layered vanillin, cream and sweet toast
qualities, the wine never wanders far from fruitiness. Rich in feel
as well with a slightly oily, palate-coating texture, it is enlivened
by just the right degree of acidity, and only the faintest edge of
grapefruit and a scant bit of last-minute stiffness hold it back
from even higher rank. It is delicious now, but it will be better a
year or two hence.
1 l I $44.00
** jm TREFETHEN Harmony Napa Valley 2000
Keyed on attractive elements of juicy apples, citrus and underplayed, lightly creamy oak in the nose, this bottling surprises a
bit with ripe, richer-than-expected flavors that are bigger than
advertised. Medium-full-bodied with a touch of glycerin lending
palatal roundness, it finds a flare of heat at the finish but has
more than enough compensating richness to tame its alcohols.
Tag it for service in the relatively near term with dishes such as
salmon in a savory sauce.
O l D $36.00
** jo RAMEY Hyde Vineyard Carneros 2001
Napa Valley. Here is a wonderfully refined offering whose poise
and careful sense of composition comes with no dearth of fruity
depth and compelling richness. Smelling of green apples, toast
and minerals, it is long and layered on the palate with insistent
impressions of nervy young fruit punctuated with notes of stony
spice and laced with vanillin oak. Always lively and light on its
feet, it promises to grow with time and should serve famously
with richer seafood recipes.
1 l D $56.00
** jm VINE CLIFF Proprietress Reserve Napa Valley 2001
The San Francisco Chronicle, in its very admirable wine section,
recently wrote that Napa Valley Chardonnay, as a class, was fat,
dull and plodding. Apparently the paper’s tasting panel never
came face to face with this lovely whose aromas are redolent of
luscious appley and pear-like fruit filled out by layers of creamy
oak, sweet butter and caramel. Fairly full in body and unctuous
in feel, this compelling Chardonnay will never be confused with
a light and vibrant bottling, but so too does it prove counter to
the findings of the local fish wrap.
O l I $50.00
STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS Arcadia Vineyard 2001
Napa Valley. A bit on the underplayed side but showing focused
glimpses of pears, apples and lightly candied fruit in the nose,
this medium-full bodied wine turns to angularity and acid-edged
stiffness in the latter palate. Lean and decidedly citric, it perhaps
wants a bit more roundness.
O F D $45.00
WENTE Arroyo Seco Riva Ranch Reserve Monterey 2001
* is STEVEN ROSS Bien Nacido Vineyard 2001
Hints of tropical fruits, minerals and a whiff of greens somewhat
akin to spearmint are highlighted in the medium-volume aroma,
and the wine favors the minerally, slightly green side of things
in the mouth as well. It turns a bit stiff in the finish and wants a
touch more fruit overall.
3 F D $17.00
Santa Maria Valley. Subdued suggestions of green apple fruit
are secondary to prominent smells of oak and butter in the nose
here, yet fruit manages to emerge as a more central player in
the wine’s moderately rich, oak-buttressed flavors. Although a
bit of late-arriving heat and coarseness work against immediate
enjoyment, the wine has stuffing enough to commend it for a
few years of keeping.
O l I $25.00
Robert YOUNG Alexander Valley 2001
Mild, minerally, somewhat pear-like in its low-key fruit and very
much underplayed throughout, this seemingly ambitious effort
reaches its desired level in price but not in character. What little
soft-edged fruit shows up on the front of the palate dissipates
by the time the wine finishes.
O F D $35.00
* is STRATFORD Russian River Valley 2002
Slightly floral in direction with gala apple notes adding to its nicely
crafted aromatic mix, this priceworthy version of Russian River
*** jq RAMEY Hudson Vineyard Carneros 2001
Napa Valley. Gorgeous oak serves as a constant counterpoint to
the intense ripe apple themes that drive this captivating wine,
and, while quite rich in every respect, the wine is also carefully
composed, neatly balanced and never close to being overblown.
It tends to a bit to firmness in the latter going, but its persistent
citrusy ending suggests that increased complexity and further
expansion will await those whose exercise a few more years of
patience before pulling its cork.
1 l I $56.00
31
Best of the Year 2003
December 2003 Index
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
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AMUSANT Napa Valley
S. ANDERSON Stags Leap District
ARNS Napa Valley
ARTESA Reserve Napa Valley
ARTESA Alexander Valley
ARTESA Napa Valley
ATLAS PEAK Consenso Vyds
BARNWOOD Santa Barbara
BEAULIEU Latour Private Reserve
BEAULIEU Reserve Dulcet
BEAULIEU Tapestry Napa Valley
BEAULIEU Rutherford Napa Valley
BELL Napa Valley
BLACK & WHITE Topanga Vyds
BLACK COYOTE Bates Creek Vyd
BONTERRA North Coast
August BRIGGS Napa Valley
BUEHLER Estate Napa Valley
CARMENET Lake County
CATON Sonoma County
CAYMUS Napa Valley
CHARLES CREEK Sonrisa/Tecolote
CH. ST. JEAN Cinq Cepages
CH. STE. MICHELLE Canoe Ridge
CH. STE. MICHELLE Cold Creek
CH. STE. MICHELLE Meritage
CH. SOUVERAIN Wnmkr’s Reserve
CHIMNEY ROCK Res Stags Leap
COLUMBIA CREST Reserve
COLUMBIA CREST Walter Clore
COLUMBIA WINERY Sagemoor
COLUMBIA WINERY Columbia Vly
CONN CREEK Anthology
CONN CREEK Limited Release
COSENTINO Napa Valley
Robert CRAIG Howell Mountain
Robert CRAIG Mount Veeder
CRANE FAMILY Don Raffaele Est
DELECTUS Cuveé Julia Napa Valle
DIAMOND CREEK Red Rock Terr
DIAMOND CREEK Volcanic Hill
DIAMOND CREEK Gravelly Mdw
DOMAINE LA DUE Napa Valley
DRY CREEK VYD Endeavor
DUCKHORN Monitor Ledge Vyd
DUCKHORN Estate Grown
DUCKHORN Patzimaro Vyd
DUTCH HENRY Argos Meritage
EBERLE Paso Robles
EDGEWOOD Estate Vyd
EDGEWOOD Frediani Vyd
EDGEWOOD Reserve Napa Valley
EDGEWOOD Lewelling Vyd
EDGEWOOD Napa Valley
Volker EISELE Terzetto Napa Valley
Volker EISELE Chiles Valley/Napa
EMILIO’S TERRACE Reserve Napa
ESTANCIA Meritage Alex Valley
FRAZIER Memento Napa Valley
FREEMARK ABBEY Napa Valley
FREEMARK ABBEY Bosché
FREEMARK ABBEY Sycamore Vyd
GALANTE Blackjack Pasture
GALANTE Red Rose Hill
GALANTE Rancho Galante
GEYSER PEAK Kuimelis Vyd
GIRARD Red Wine Napa Valley
Joel GOTT California
2001
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1997
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* GV it Robert HALL Paso Robles
2001
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Robert HALL Meritage Hall Ranch 2001
* GV it HESS ESTATE Napa Valley
2000
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is William HILL Reserve Napa Valley 1999
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Paul HOBBS Hyde Vyd Carneros
JUSTIN Isosceles Paso Robles
KENDALL-JACKSON Grt Est Napa
KENDALL-JACKSON Grt Est Alxndr
KENWOOD Artist Series
KENWOOD Sonoma County
KUNDE Drummond Vyd
KUNDE Sonoma Valley
J.LOHR Cuvee Pau Paso Robles
J. LOHR Hilltop Vyd Paso Robles
MARKHAM Napa Valley
MARSTON Spring Mountain
MAZZOCCO Sonoma County
MERRYVALE Profile Napa Valley
MERRYVALE Reserve Napa Valley
MOON MOUNTAIN Reserve
MURIETTA’S WELL Vendimia
NAPANOOK Napa Valley
NERO Cuvée Speciale Napa Valley
NEWTON Unfiltered Napa Valley
NEWTON Le Puzzle Napa Valley
ORGANIC WINE WORKS Prop Res
PAHLMEYER Red Wine Napa Valley
Gianni PAOLETTI Napa Valley
PEACHY CANYON De Vine
PEACHY CANYON Westside
PEZZI KING Estate Bottled
Joseph PHELPS Backus Vyd
QUINTESSA Napa Valley
RAMEY Jericho Canyon Vyd
RAMEY Diamond Mountain
RAMEY Claret Napa Valley
RIDGE Santa Cruz Mountains
ROSENBLUM Yates Ranch Reserve
ROSENTHAL Newton Canyon
RUDD Red Wine Oakville Estate
RUTHERFORD RANCH Silverado Trl
RUTHERFORD RANCH Stagecoach
ST. FRANCIS Nuns Canyon Reserve
V. SATTUI Suzanne’s Vyd
V. SATTUI Morisoli Vyd
SAUSAL Alexander Valley
SCHERRER Scherrer Vyd
SCHERRER Alexander Valley
SHENANDOAH ReZerve
SIGNORELLO Padrone Napa Valley
SILVERADO Single Vyd Selection
SIMI Reserve Alexander Valley
SNOQUALMIE Reserve Columbia
SNOQUALMIE Columbia Valley
SPRING MOUNTAIN Elivette
STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS
STRATFORD Knights Valley
STELTZNER Stag’s Leap District
STERLING Reserve Napa Valley
Rodney STRONG Alden Vyds
Rodney STRONG Alexander’s Crn
TERRA VALENTINE Wurtele
TREFETHEN Estate Napa Valley
VIADER Napa Valley
VINA ROBLES Estate Paso Robles
WENTE Livermore Valley
WHITEHALL LANE Reserve
ZAHTILA Georges III Rutherford
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MacROSTIE Reserve Carneros
MARIMAR Torres Dobles Lías
MERRYVALE Dutton Ranch
MORGAN Double L Vyd
MORGAN Rosella’s Vyd
MORGAN Monterey
PATZ & HALL Napa Valley
PATZ & HALL Woolsey Road
PATZ & HALL Durell Vyd
Joseph PHELPS Ovation
RAMEY Hudson Vyd
RAMEY Hyde Vyd Carneros
STAG’S LEAP WN CLRS Arcadia
STEVEN ROSS Bien Nacido Vyd
STRATFORD Russian River Valley
STUHLMULLER Alexander Valley
SULLIVAN BIRNEY Carneros
TREFETHEN Harmony Napa Valley
VINE CLIFF Proprietress Reserve
WENTE Arroyo Seco Riva Ranch
Robert YOUNG Alexander Valley
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CHARDONNAY
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ARTESA Reserve Carneros
ARTESA Napa Valley
BABCOCK Santa Barbara County
BENZIGER Reserve Sangiacomo
BENZIGER Carneros
CHARLES CREEK Las Patolitas
CH. ST. JEAN Belle Terre
COLUMBIA Otis Vyd Block 6
COLUMBIA Wyckoff Vyd
COLUMBIA Columbia Valley
CUVAISON Estate Selection
DESTINO Napa Valley
DOMAINE CHANDON Carneros
DRY CREEK VYD Reserve
FRANCISCAN Cuvée Sauvage
FREEMARK ABBEY Napa Valley
HENDRY Blocks 9 and 21
HENDRY Blocks 19 and 20
Paul HOBBS Cuvée Augustina
Paul HOBBS Walker Station
KUNDE Reserve Sonoma Valley
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YEAR IN REVIEW continues with your faithful editors’ selections
for the best wines we have tasted this year. Chardonnay returns to
claim its fair share of spots, and Pinot Noir keeps up its drumbeat of
seductive offerings. Cabernet Sauvignon is somewhat less successful,
primarily because the 2000 vintage has produced so few *** wines.
There are a fair number of wineries that have stayed on the list, and
the admirable wines from newcomer (to this list) David Ramey show
again why his Ramey Wine Cellars is our Winery Of The Year.
STEPHEN ELIOT -- The Top Ten Wines of 2003
Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Windsor Gardens 2000
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Cuvee Augustina 2001
IO Syrah Ryan Road 2001
Lewis Chardonnay Barcaglia Lane 2001
Ojai Syrah Roll Ranch 2000
Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Jericho Canyon 2001
Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 2000
Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Montebello 2000
Talley Pinot Noir Rosemary’s Vineyard 2000
Von Strasser Zinfandel Monhoff Vineyard 2000
Best Of The Rest
Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Monitor Ledge Vineyard 2000
Rosenblum Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard 2001
Morgan Chardonnay Metallico 2002
Ravenswood Zinfandel Old Hill Ranch 2001
JC Cellars Syrah Rockpile Vineyard 2001
CHARLES OLKEN -- The Top Ten Wines of 2003
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Cuvee Augustina 2001
Peter Michael Chardonnay Belle Côte 2001
Ojai Syrah Roll Ranch 2000
Pride Mountain Viognier 2001
Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Jericho Canyon 2001
Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard 2001
Rosenblum Zinfandel Maggie’s Reserve 2001
J. Schram Sparkling Wine 1997
Siduri Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard 2001
Talley Pinot Noir Rosemary’s Vineyard 2000
Best Of The Rest
Delectus Merlot Stanton Vineyard 2000
Domaine De La Terre Rouge “Ascent” Syrah 2000
Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Monitor Ledge Vineyard 2000
Gary Farrell Chardonnay Rochioli-Allen 2001
JC Cellars Syrah Rockpile Vineyard 2001
Connoisseurs’ Series
Offered this month are ** Whitehall Lane Reserve Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 and the ** Robert Stemmler Sonoma
County Chardonnay 2000. For more information about the
Connoisseurs’ Series wine-of-the-month program, please call the
California Wine Club at 1-800-777-4443.
Write to us at PO Box V, Alameda, CA 94501. Our phone is 510-865-3150.
Fax: 510-865-4843. Email: [email protected]. Web: www.cgcw.com.