I was expecting a lot more here. IMHO, the '01 is a far better bet for the long run. This had a slight porty taste to it. Blueberry, prune, mocha, creosote, low acid (possibly too low as it had a flat/flabby character), and moderate tannins. Full bodied, moderate/long finish. Very much expressive of the vintage character. Not my favorite Araujo. Maybe it needed more decanting? 93 pts.

I had this in a blind tasting last fall and I don't recall it possessing any overripe characteristics. I thought that it was very well balanced with sharp focus and enormous complexity. It was clearly superior the Caymus SS, Joseph Phelps Insignia and Peter Michael Les Pavot and slightly better than the Paul Hobbs To Kalon. The only wine it could not beat that night was the Robert Foley which is monumental IMO.

You should try the Araujo again, if fact we would gladly open a bottle with you in Marin.

Thanks for the great offer Cab Chris! I just might have to take you up on that.

Maybe I wet a bit too far to say porty. It had a dry port-like feel to it. Mostly b/c I think the acid level isn't there to uplift this wine and give it some freshness/vibrancy. I've had nearly every Araujo except the '94, '96, and '00, and to me, while it is a very nice wine, it's not top notch. Maybe we had an off bottle, although I don't think so. I'm going to check back in on it tonight as there is about 1/3rd of the bottle left. Will report back...

Night two on the Araujo was no better. Worse in fact. Slightly more disjointed and tasting out of balance between flabby fruit and alcohol. This and the Les Pavots make two high scoring Parker wines from '02 that I just don't get?

quote:

Originally posted by dr.darkrichandbold:
I've had nearly every Araujo except the '94, '96, and '00, ...

Looks time for an Araujo vertical when I am back, I have all those and prior ones.
I am glad I didn't buy any 02 except for the syrah.