Eight recent wines were tasted. All wines were tasted blind. I knew which 8 wines I was tasting, but I didn’t know which was which. Following are the notes associated with each wine. First let me say that all 8 of these wines were very, very good and I’d be happy to serve any of them at a wine tasting.
1998 Silver Oak Alexander Valley (RP: 87, WS: 87): Wow---amazing red bright fruits on the nose. Candied raspberries, deep fruit smells, light red fruits on the palate. Medium bodied with subtle tannins. Would almost guess a full bodied pinot rather than a cabernet. Tad bit acidic. First impression: 89-91
2000 Lewis Cabernet Napa Valley: Much more earth than the Silver Oak. Slightly darker in color. Still deep red/black fruits on the nose. Darker black fruits on the nose---again medium body. Not a blockbuster. Great nose though somewhat mineral/earth on tasting. Unremarkable finish. First impression: 89-91
1997 Cardinale Cabernet Napa-Sonoma: Dark ruby color. Hints of cedar on the nose. Rich fruit flavor. Smooth and balanced flavor. Still not too much tannin. Great jammy fruits, plum, jam. Reminds me of my most recent Monte Bello Tasting. First impression: 91-93
1997 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sonoma Mountain: Dark heavy bouquet. Sweet ripe fruits. More full bodied good balance of acid and tannin. Amazing taste! First Impression: 92-94
1999 Stags’ leap SLV: Dark red. Difficult to coax out the nose. More mineral than fruit but still that sweetness that comes with great cab wines. Wow! Great balance, fine wine. Very sweet, wonderful finish. Best wine so far. First impression: 93-96
1999 Bryant Family Cabernet (RP: 95 WS: 97): Dark red. Another muted nose but with hints of cedar and tobacco. Not as much of a blockbuster as the SLV but well balanced. Somewhat of a short finish. Seems young. First impression: 90-92
1999 Phelps Insignia (RP: 91 WS: 94): Dark red. Most unusual and fascinating nose of the tasting. Not so jammy but dark fruits, blackberry, plum, soil. Wonderfully smooth. Nothing acidic or tannic. Incredibly smooth finish. I could drink this the rest of the night! Sweet Syrup. First impression: 93-96
1998 Shafer Hillside Select (RP: 94): Most closed nose. Earth and dark fruits. Not quite as sweet but wonderfully integrated tannins. This is a brilliant wine with a beautiful finish. First Impression: 93-96
After revealing the wines I re-tasted them and I think I would put them in this order: 1998 Shafer Hillside Select (my WOTN) 1999 Stags’ Leap SLV 1999 Phelps Insignia 1997 Cardinale Cab Napa-Sonoma 1997 Laurel Glenn Cab Sonoma Mountain 1999 Bryant Family Cabernet
2000 Lewis Cabernet Napa Valley 1998 Silver Oak Alexander Valley
I would put the last two wines just a notch below the other six, and I could re-arrange the top six in several different ways. The only consistency was the ’98 Shafer. I defy anyone to taste this wine and then tell me that the ’98 vintage was a complete failure. This was one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted.
I would expect the Bryant to take a place up towards the top in a few more years. It wasn’t showing terribly well at this tasting. It’s very tight and closed.
It's a shame that most of these wines are so expensive. They're great, but I'm not willing to spend that much money on a regular basis.
I had the '99 SLV last week, and instead of finding the nose difficult to coax, I found it downright impossible. Copiuos swirling began to help, but this wine wasn't giving up anything without a struggle. Front and mid-palate I could sense that this had all the goods, but as I swallowed, the flavor disolved into mediocrity. I scored it an 88, with a note to re-try in 3-5 years. I thought this one needs to sleep for a while.
Posts: 1644 | Location: CONNECTICUT | Registered: Oct 19, 2001
Thanks for the wonderful notes! The only one of the bunch that I have tried is the 1999 Insignia and I too was impressed with the seamlessness of it. Nothing harsh or awkward. I was just swept away by the rich fruit and round tannins through the long velvety finish. Maybe I need to break out the VISA card to try a few others.
Stood up and tried to focus I hoped I wouldn't have to look far I knew I could use a bloody mary so I stumbled next door to the bar
Posts: 220 | Location: San Francisco | Registered: Dec 17, 2001
The same people that wrote off '98 vintage entirely is going to do the same with '00 vintage. I'd say let them, I'll be happy hunting for some gems at 50% off later on this year.
--------------------------- How 'bout a game of 8-ball for a nice bottle of Cab...
It should not be surprising that another 98 did well in a blind tasting. Although the 98's are better with food, the fact that there is more structure and complex flavor profile in many 98's, means they show better younger.
Good producers make good wines during all types of vintages. I prefer the hillside 98's, the broader flavors and firm acids really shined with the vintage. Try Von Strasser, a excellent "old world" style.
JimmyV, The '99 SLV was my close 2nd choice. But I have to say that I'm glad I tasted these blind, simply because I'm heavily biased against Stags' leap. I remember moving to California in 1996 and I could get the FAY and SLV for $35 from the local store (known for being pricey). Just 3 or 4 years later both of those wines were $100. I had vowed never to buy from them again.
But it was showing exceedingly well and was a favorite of most of the people tasting it. You may want to try it again sometime if you're so inclined. But (as with almost all of these wines), they're still quite young. If I had owned these wines myself, I wouldn't be opening them for a few more years.
I heard a story about the '98 Hillside that I don't know if it's true or not. But apparently there was uneven ripeness in the vineyard that year (I can believe that part) and that for the Hillside Select they actually picked out the unripe grapes from each bunch!
If nothing else, it makes for a good story.
Steven, I'll check out the Von Strasser. I haven't ever had it...sounds like it could be a gem.
You know it's been a good tasting when you can still taste the wine 1/2 hour later on the drive home.
And speaking of driving, I had to dump a lot of these after the tasting so I could drive home. But I just couldn't toss the Bryant, Shafer, Insignia and SLV! It was difficult enough to throw the rest
