Site Contents | Recent Tastings | Wine Touring | Cellars | What's New

Notes and impressions from a Cabernet tasting, held Saturday, October 5, 2002, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty wines were poured for a tasting fee of $30.

Overall impressions: another nice flight of '99 Cabs, with some of the wines strikingly higher in quality than others in the flight. Among my favorites, the Tench Vnyd bottling by Nickel & Nickel was outstanding - and, definitely superior to their Carpenter Vnyd bottling. The Ladera was equally as stunning. Other notables included the Opus, Lail, Franus, Harrison, and Dominus. But, the real value wines here were the Larkmead, the Lewelling, the Chappellet, and the Sterling. Each of these wines, at about $35 or less, were excellent. Most of the lower priced offering performed about as expected. However, the intriguing Honig and Columbia Crest Reserve were very solid wines - especially for the prices.

No real surprises, or even disappointments here. Just some very nice wines from what is turning out to be an excellent vintage.

Tasting Notes

1999 Fife Scarlet Meritage - Napa Valley. $31.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Moderate cassis and light oak aromas in the nose. Nice mouthfeel, very good flavors, and an enjoyable claret-like finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Beaulieu Vnyds Tapestry Meritage - Napa Valley. $29.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Nicely integrated - almost prefumed nose of cassis, black cherry, and toast. Slightly sweet-sour fruit, very good balance, with a nice mid-palate, becoming somewhat more acidic on the back end, and getting just a bit tart on the finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon - Columbia Valley. $10.99. Medium dark garnet color. Although not corked, the wine seemed a bit muddy, stinky, and mushroomy in the nose. Moderate mouthfeel, a bit chalky and grainy from mid-palate to its midium-long finish.
Aroma score: C+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Villa Mt. Eden Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $17.99. Dark ruby color. Somewhat restrained in the nose, with moderate aromas of perfumed cassis and oak. Very fruity mouthfeel, with good acid balance,and a long finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - Washington. $22.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Moderately fleshy and macerated scented nose. Fleshy mouthfeel, with good balance, and a surprisingly long tasty finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $23.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Rich, moderately herbaceous nose of cassis, black cherry, sage, kalamata olive, and minty eucalyptus. After the in-your-face aroma, the mouthfeel is surprisingly light and claret-style, with a moderate punch of fruit at mid-palate, and medium-long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $28.99. Dark garnet color. Lovely nose of black cherry, cassis, hardwood shavings, rosemary, and cracked pepper. Sweet mouthfeel, with flavors of freshly macerated black cherry, toast, and a light anise quality, with fine-grained tannins showing through the long very tasty finish. Made by Phil Titus.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon - Diamond Mtn, Napa Valley. $33.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Nose of cassis, oak, mint, with kind of a herbal-bark background note. Somewhat soft and velvety mouthfeel, with very fruity core, and a long, soft yet slightly grainy finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B Overall score: B+

1999 Lewelling Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley . $34.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Fabulously integrated nose of black cherry, cassis, toast, licorice, and a hint of vanilla. Sweet mouthfeel, with lots of cassis, toast and vanilla flavors, and an interesting texture - something like polished mahogany. Long tasty finish that shows just a touch of heat.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $35.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Very integrated nose of Black and red cherry, toasted grains, herbs and vanilla. Sweet and smooth mouthfeel, fabulous balance, slightly herbed black cherry flavors, and a very long finish.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Franus Cabernet Sauvignon - Rancho Chimiles, Napa Valley. $35.99. Dark garnet color. The barest hint of rubber band is the only distraction in an otherwise beautiful nose of ripe black cherry, cassis, toasted woods, and vanilla. Delicious mouthfeel, lots of fruity flavors,and a lip-smackingly long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

Favorites - In Order of Preference
1999 Nickel & Nickel Cabernet - Tench Vnyd, Napa. $49.99.
1999 Ladera Cabernet - Lone Cyn, Napa. $54.99.
------------------
1999 Larkmead Cabernet - Napa Valley. $35.99.
1999 Opus One - Napa Valley. $119.99
1999 Lail Vnyds Cabernet J. Daniel Cuvee - Napa Valley. $74.99
1999 Franus Cabernet - Rancho Chimiles, Napa Valley. $39.99.
1999 Harrison Cabernet - Napa Valley. $49.99.
1999 Dominus - Napa Valley. $ 89.99
1999 Lewelling Cabernet - Napa Valley. $34.99.
1999 Nickel & Nickel Cabernet - Carpenter Vnyd, Napa. $49.99
1999 Far Niente Cabernet - Napa Valley. $79.99.
1999 Chappellet Cabernet Signature Series - Napa. $28.99.
1999 Sterling Cabernet -Diamond Mtn, Napa Valley. $33.99.
------------------
1999 Honig Vineyards Cabernet - Napa Valley. $23.99.

1999 B.V. Tapestry - Napa Valley. $29.99
1999 Fife Scarlett - Napa Valley. $31.99
1995 Grgich Hills Cabernet - $56.99
1999 Columbia Crest Cabernet Reserve - Washington. $22.99
1999 Villa Mt. Eden Cabernet - Napa Valley. $17.99
-------------------
1999 Chateau Ste. Michelle - Washington. $10.99

1999 Harrison Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $49.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Nose of sweet black cherry, licorice, and burnished hard woods. Moderately full mouthfeel, lots of very nice fruit, very good balance, smooth long finish.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Nickel & Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon - Carpenter Vnyd, Napa Valley. $49.99. Dark ruby color. Nose of cassis, oak, and herbs, with a nice vanilla/caramel background note. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, tasty fruit, very good balance, long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Nickel & Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon - Tench Vnyd, Napa Valley. $49.99. Dark ruby color. Dense aromas of black cherry, licorice, vanilla and toast, coupled with an intriguing touch of mint. Sweet and succulent mouthfeel, smooth from front to back, with excellent balance, masses of vanilla-laced black cherry fruit, and a long toasty finish. Significantly richer and more fleshy than the N & N Carpenter Vnyd bottling.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A Overall score: A

1999 Ladera Cabernet Sauvignon - Lone Cyn Vnyd, Napa Valley. $54.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Fabulous nose of cassis, herbs, licorice and vanilla, with an herb and euclyptus background note. Dense sweet black fruit on the palate and chewy mouthfeel. Smooth and somewhat fat, this wine is built for comfort, rather than speed.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A Overall score: A

1999 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $79.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Big rich nose of cassis, chocolate, and toast. Very full mouthfeel, plenty of chocolate-infused black cherry fruit, with a smooth finish - yet odd aftertaste.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Dominus - Napanook Vnyd, Napa Valley. $89.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Nose of cassis, black cherry, chocolate, toast and mint. Full and chewy mouthfeel, very good balance, rich fruit, long if slightly chalky finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Lail Cabernet Sauvignon, J. Daniel Cuvee - Napa Valley. $74.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Lovely ripe nose of cassis, licorice, and vanilla, with an interesting Worcestershire and soy background note. Rich macerated and crunchy mouthfeel, chewy and concentrated flavors, excellent balance and very long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Opus One - Napa Valley. $119.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Beautiful nose of cassis, black cherry, peppermint, sage and vanilla. Excellent balance - not overfilled or too ripe, chewy and smooth texture, very long tannic finish. Pretty much textbook.
Aroma score: A Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1995 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon - Tench Vnyd, Napa Valley. $49.99. Dark garnet color. Nice bottle bouquet in the nose, with aromas of cassis, licorice, and toasted oak. Somewhat raw and harsh on the palate, good balance of acids and fruit, but a rather coarse finish. If the oak resolves, this wine may come along fine with more time.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B Overall score: B+


Site Contents | Top of page | Recent Tastings

Copyright © 1993 - 2004, Eric Anderson - All rights reserved
No original material may be reproduced without written consent
Mail & Comments
- Eric Anderson