WCC 1990s California Cabernet Sauvignon
at Dorato's Restaurant, Guilderland, NY (6/4/2015)


My regular Albany-area group met to taste California Cabernet from the 1990s blind. Dinner began a little after 7:30pm and ended around 10pm.


Flight 1: 1995
Bread & Butter.
  1. 1995 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages - USA, California, Sonoma County
    Dark smoky nose. Young, tannic, black fruit. A long tannic finish. The tannins are softening over time and getting sweeter. Lovely stuff. Just beginning its drinkability, I think. (94 points)
  2. 1995 Whitehall Lane Merlot Reserve Leonardini Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double-decanted at 11am.] Black fruit and cinnamon nose. Lush and silky in the mouth. Expansive. An excellent wine. No one guessed it wasn't Cab. Maybe the lush softness should have been a hint, but it wasn't enough. Group WOTN. My WOTF. (95 points)
  3. 1995 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double decanted for 2 hours.] Sweet black fruit nose. Lush up front with tart tannins in the finish. Still young. (93 points)

Flight 2: 1999
Pork & Wild Mushroom in Pastry with a Raspberry Habañero Sauce.
This was the best dish of the evening.
  1. 1999 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
    [Decanted for about 9 hours.] Smokey black fruit nose. Thick and rich, but also tannic and musty. Just a little off? (92 points)
  2. 1999 Michel-Schlumberger Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
    [Double decanted at 5:30.] Ripe juicy red fruit. Long and ripe but bitter on the finish. Jared thinks it's corked. Maybe. NR
  3. 1999 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain
    [Decanted for 3.5 hours.] Nose of minerals and red fruit. Yummy, rich, long, tannic, but loads of ripe fruit make it delicious. Should drink well for many years. (94 points)

Flight 3: 1997
Grilled Lamb Chops with Duchess Potatoes and Rosemary Bordelaise Sauce.
  1. 1997 Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double decanted for one hour.] Expansive and ripe red fruit and spice. Appealing, but short. Good, but not in the same class as most of the other wines tonight. (91 points)
  2. 1997 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double decanted for 2 hours at 4:30.] Tasted non-blind after 1 hour in decanter: Nose of tar, licorice and black fruit. Intensely structured on the palate. Riveting finish lasts for minutes. Simply amazing wine. Still very young.
    As part of the blind tasting: Muted black fruit nose. Juicy red fruit in the mouth. Complex, but still very young. Licorice in the finish. Should continue to improve for 5-10 years. (95 points)
  3. 1997 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double-decanted at 11am.] Ripe, sweet, fragrant red fruit nose. A touch of cedar. Others think it may be a Bordeaux ringer. I think it is Dominus! [pat myself on the back] Group #2 WOTN. (95 points)
  4. 1997 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages - USA, California, Sonoma County
    [Opened at 1pm for 1.5 hours.] Licorice and black fruit. Long complex ripe licorice finish. Very tasty wine! Group #3 WOTN. (94 points)

Flight 4: 1994
Cabernet-Braised Beef Rib with Barley Risotto.
  1. 1994 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
    [One member got stuck at work, so neither he nor his wine made it to the dinner.]
  2. 1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double decanted and filtered (due to broken cork) at 2:30pm.] Rich, tart, smokey. Really tight. Hard to judge. One of the youngest tasting wines tonight. (93-? points)
  3. 1994 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double decanted for one hour.] Tarry red fruit nose. Tart, ripe sour. (92 points)
  4. 1994 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double decanted and filtered (due to broken cork) about 5:30 pm.] Big smokey nose. Fabulous, ripe, tannic, but one of the more flamboyant wines tonight. Very drinkable. (94 points)

Dessert

Conclusion

I suggested this theme after our 2005 California Cab tasting because I thought those were all to young. These too still seem young to me, but are closer to maturity. A lot of delicious wines to drink with steak.


Notes posted from CellarTracker.


WOTN Voting (3pts each for #1, 2pts for #2, 1pt for #3)

RankPtsWine
1151995 Whitehall Lane Merlot Reserve Leonardini Vineyard
2121997 Dominus Estate
3111997 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages
4(tie)61999 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill
4(tie)61994 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red
4(tie)61994 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection
7(tie)31997 Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Reserve
7(tie)31997 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
921999 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon
10(tie)11995 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages
10(tie)11995 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon


People Photos

Click on an image with a border for a larger view of that image.
The Wine Fairy with his halo.

Waiting for wine.

Thinking and pouring.

Discussing.

Tasting.

Serious.


The last supper.

 

 

 


All original content © Ken Vastola