Just got back from the winery and thought people may be interested in my notes.

1999 - WS 95 - Very deep, dark, ruby color. Very big nose with cherry and mocha, full bodied with a dark chocolate finish. Lots of tannins at the end which makes me think this will age well - great wine!

1998 - WS 88 - The least impressive of the group. The color was nowhere near as deep and dark as the 99,97, and 96. The nose was pleasant, although not amazingly impressive. Definitely the lightest of the group - medium bodied, but with a soft, nice finish. It is drinking well now, but not sure how much it will improve with time.

1997 - WS 96 - Beautiful color, really impressive nose - deep chocolate and dark cherry/blueberry smell. Full bodied and is drinking quite well, soft, long finish. I think this wine still has some aging potential and will continue to improve with time in the bottle. Without a doubt, this was the top wine of the tasting -- at least at this point in time.

1996 - WS 95 - Deep and dark color with an amber tinge, very nice nose, yet not as impressive as the 97. Medium-Full bodied, still a great deal of tannins, suggesting that more age is still necessary. Really a nice wine -- and it keeps getting better

All in all, this was a really awesome tasting, and all these wines are impressive.

Also tried the 2000 Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir, which I thought was excellent. Extremely complex and deep for a Pinot. Really flowery, perfumy aroma, deep complexity and a great finish...definitely my favorite CSJ Pinot in the last few years.

The 1999 Estate St. Jean Cab Franc was also poured at the tasting. Wow! Really great wine overall...the nose was less impressive than the Cinq Cepages certainly, but really smooth, medium-full bodied, and delicious finish. Probably could still use quite a bit more bottle age, but was drinking well now as well.

Would you say the 96 is ready now or will it improve anymore with age? I'd guess it is probably in its drinking window, but I would appreciated your opinion.

Opened a bottle of the '95 cinq cepages this weekend, so I'll add on here to extend the vertical. Drunk (side by side with an '82 La Jota Howell Mtn) over 4 hours with a veal T-bone in a sherry reduction sauce and blanched baby bok choy.

Complex nose of plums and musty earth, not corked musty and not unpleasant, but more rhone or burgundy than cabernet. Dense, dark fruit, cherry, plum, and more earth on the palate. About as complex and delicious as wine gets for $25. Tanins resolving, soft but still present. Went the distance for 4 hours with no sign of fading. Probably at its peak now but should last for at least several more years. OW94.

In my opinion, the 1996 definitely will still improve with more time. I will not be opening any of my bottles for at least another 3-4 years. But, certainly it is drinking well now, so it is really a matter of personal choice.

Just out of curiosity, what are you all paying locally for the '97 Cinq C'epages? I picked a bottle up for $58, but have seen them as high as $200 online. I have yet to taste this wine. Is it worth waiting until my wedding to open?

Kyle,

When I picked mine up(3 total), it was between $60 - $70 each.
Local grocery has a bottle left at $80.

Opened one last November on my b-day and another one just a few weeks ago, wasn't a wow for me both times. I would suggest give it more time to develop in the bottle.

A search on winesearcher.com has several retailers still offering the 1997 Cinq Cepages for around $100.

Thanks for the information. If you all could name your favorite cab, that I can pick up for $100 or less to open at said wedding, what would it be??

Local shop in NJ is releasing few bottles at a time - retails at $70 but with 10% case discount (you do need to buy 10 other bottles!), you get it at $63. Already picked up a few.

I ordered the 1997 off a restaurants wine list in Michigan 2 months ago for $80.

VM

[ 10-24-2002, 02:03 PM: Message edited by: Vino Me ]

Thanks for the progress report forumites...I have a small vertical ('95-'96-'97).
Sounds like its' not time yet.

Kyle:
I have had a few bottles of the 97 Cinq Cepages, and while I think it will improve, it wouldn't be a bad choice. You also failed to mention your wedding date.

If it were me, I would try to track down a bottle of the 1992 Beringer Private Reserve Cab. It is fabulous. If you do a search for this in the tasting notes section here, there are a couple of threads. I think it is going for about $130 on the auction sites, but would be worth the few extra sheckles to insure a lifelong memory.

Congrats and good luck on the wedding.

[ 10-24-2002, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: Dave Mci ]

Adding to the Vertical -

1993 Cinq Cepages. Big Dang Fruit Bomb. Initially hot but the alcohol has blown off and now its just a big mouthful of jam and leather. There is an unfortunate metallic undertone on the finish which kind of reduces my enjoyment of this one. I would not set this one down for much longer. It is ready to drink now and will start to decay over the next couple years.

[ 10-24-2002, 11:12 PM: Message edited by: Bent ]

Thanks, Bent. Until I weaseled a '97 out of DaveMci , the '93 was the only one I had. I think I paid about $24 for it. They are 2/3 of my huge CA Cab collection.

Kyle, I have a few for you! '94 Mondavi Res. cab ($80-$100 on winebid)...just drinking awesome right now, absolutely text book Cab., perfect balance! '90 Ridge Montebello ($80-$100 on wine bid)...bigger than the Mondavi, again just unbelieveable balance! I agree with DaveBCI on the '92 Beringer Res Cab and winebid almost always has one or two up for auction. I have paid as little as $70 before buyers premium!! You can't go wrong with any of these!! LNJ