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"Cabernet
Sauvignon over $20"
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November
11, 2002 • Murphy Bank
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 In
spite of popular coups attempts, first by Chardonnay and
then by Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon still reigns after
more than 30 years as the general wine aficionados'
favorite variety. To the consternation of all wine
drinkers, save the excessively-well-heeled, prices for
this varietal have gone ballistic. In search of examples
that balance good flavors and reasonable prices, we tried
eleven nominees. There was overall consensus that these
wines were very good and in no way disappointing. In
particular, we noticed how well the two wines from Lodi
fared, showing strong varietal characteristics and no
signs of warm growing area origins. Could it be that wine
pricing often reflects excess ego and greed, rather than
consumer value and an honest profit margin?
Brand
Varietal /
"Type"
Vintage, Appellation,
Vineyard
TASTING
NOTES:
Color; aroma; flavor; body;
balance; finish. Alcohol. Varietal
composition
(if known). Summary. ($
paid)
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Wines are considered
Equal Quality
Within Categories of Recommendation
(Listed
Alphabetically by Brand)
consensus
terms appear in bold
(possible flaws? are in brackets)
* indicates a second or third party
WEBSITE
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VERY HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED
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 Domaine
Napa
Cabernet
Sauvignon 2000 Napa
Dark ruby;
warm berry cobbler, cherry, peach,
vanilla, cedar, cinnamon, mint, olive,
dill, caramel and alcohol aromas (slight
volatile acidity?); ripe, sweet red fruit
flavors, cherry, earth with
well-integrated toasty oak,
vanilla; light body, supple, mellow,
silky texture, slightly rich, viscous, good
mouth feel; good balance (flabby?);
soft, light to moderate tannins; somewhat
quick finish. 12.5% alcohol. Although one taster
thought the vanilla element was over-the-top
(more than half remarked on it) and the varietal
character is subtle, the wine has appealing
mouth feel and is very nicely structured for
current enjoyment. ($21 - available in
restaurants only) WEBSITE
n/a
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 Z
D
Cabernet
Sauvignon
1999 Napa
Valley
Dark ruby with
a brick edge; complex, very distinct
Cabernet aroma with plum, cassis, spice,
vanilla, anise, black pepper, cedar, tobacco,
flint, tar, oak, alcohol and a hint of onion;
ripe, sweet fruit flavors, cherry, mint,
very well-integrated with some earth,
oak, lees; medium body, light to
medium tannins; excellent balance;
harmonious, fairly long finish. 14.2%
alcohol. While the flavors at present seem
rather straightforward and dull compared to the
classic nose, this is an exemplary and complete
wine and should be a very good choice for two or
three years in the cellar. ($37.50)
WEBSITE
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HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED
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 Chappellet
Cabernet
Sauvignon
1999 Napa
Valley "Signature"
Dark ruby;
initially closed-in, tight, bright fruit, berry,
candied, herbal, spice, smoke and earth
aromas also suggest new leather, caramel,
paraffin, terpene and Graham cracker; young,
clean, attractive, deep, fruity, juicy, berry,
cherry, cedar, char and tar
flavors, deep and layered; medium to full
body, fat, slightly rich; nice mouth
feel, round, very smooth and very
well-balanced with soft tannins;
slight heat in the long finish. 14.5%
alcohol. While the nose is moderately
attractive, this wine's excitement is loaded
into its flavors, balance and richness. ($34)
WEBSITE
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 Mettler
Cabernet
Sauvignon 2000
Lodi
Very dark
violet, magenta-purple; complex, young,
fresh, clean, sweet, bubble gum, floral,
violet, perfume, spice, eucalyptus, gobs of
ripe fruit, grape, cherry,
blackberry, pear aromas with roasted spices and
oak vanillin; clean, ripe,
sweet, cherry, extracted flavors
with some earthiness, cigar box, smoke and
charred oak; full body, mouth-filling;
balanced, slightly tart with soft,
dusty tannins; tannic, flavorful,
slightly hot and long finish. 14.6%
alcohol. Very much the "fruit bomb" of
the flight, with clean, correct varietal aromas
and flavors, good balance and plenty of
intensity and complexity. ($20) WEBSITE
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RECOMMENDED
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 Cherryblock
(by
Sebastiani)
Cabernet
Sauvignon 1999 Sonoma
Valley
Dark
ruby-garnet; attractive, clean, ripe, fruity,
cassis, currant, faintly eucalyptus,
green olive, mint, cedar, oak and musty aromas
remained closed-in through the tasting; sweet,
chocolate, port-like, light fruit flavors with
green olive, toast, tarry oak (too
much?); light body, slightly astringent,
light tannins; fair balance, a
little flat, low in acid; finishes
tannic, faintly bitter. 13.8% alcohol.
Overall aroma impression, while varietally
correct, is somewhat more subtle than the other
wines in the flight and its fruit is
simple and lacking depth. ($23)
WEBSITE
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 Eberle
Cabernet
Sauvignon
1999 Paso
Robles
Ruby
with a garnet or brick edge; a little
closed-in initially, but soon reveals
clean, ripe, distinct Cabernet
aroma, black cherry, red fruit, berries,
vegetal, cedar, cinnamon, caramel and
oak with a slight earthiness; big,
ripe, bright, fruity, grape, blackberry,
black cherry and oaky, tarry flavors;
light body (thin?), firm, somewhat
chalky, astringent tannins;
good balance; slightly hot, very long
finish. 14% alcohol. Slightly tight and
restrained with well-integrated flavors of fruit
and oak; probably a cellar-worthy candidate to
gain harmony and smoothness. ($22)
WEBSITE
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 Justin
Cabernet
Sauvignon
2000 Paso
Robles "Unfiltered"
Dark
ruby-purple with a garnet edge; light, ripe
fruit, some berries, grape preserves, anise,
cedar, tobacco, chocolate, vegetal, pepper, red
meat and black tar aromas; pleasant,
simple, ripe, fruity, cherry, raspberry,
almond, eucalyptus and moderately oaky
flavors; medium body, soft, mildly astringent
tannins; good balance, slightly tart;
medium-long finish. 13.5% alcohol. Nice wine,
all elements in place, no flaws, but simple,
with little to make it stand out in a crowd.
($20) WEBSITE
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 Mayo
Cabernet
Sauvignon
1999 Sonoma
"Los Chamizal"
Dark ruby,
amber-brick edge; complex, jammy,
blackberry and currant fruit, cassis,
cola with eucalyptus, vegetal, dill,
earth, dust, meat, leather, lees, smoke
and oak aromas (Brettanomyces?);
pleasant, clean, sweet, dried or Bing
cherry, black currant and dusty, earthy,
barnyard and cedar flavors; light body, mild
tannins; well-balanced, slightly tart;
medium-length finish, faintly tannic,
bitter. 13.4% alcohol. Elegant, claret style
wine. ($45) WEBSITE
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 Raymond
Reserve
Cabernet
Sauvignon 1999
Napa Valley
Dark purple;
ripe to overripe fruit with
characteristic licorice, spearmint and
cedar aromas and some initial volatile acidity
(ethyl acetate?) and funkiness (sulfur?);
good flavors mix berry, black
cherry, mint and oak; medium-full body,
snappy, quite tannic; round, good
balance; moderately long finish. 13.8%
alcohol. After revealing the identity of this
wine, there was general agreement that we would
like to try another bottle, since this one
seemed unlike other Raymonds we've had and on
the borderline of being flawed by oxidation.
($35) WEBSITE
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 Westbrook
Wine Farm
Cabernet
Sauvignon
2001 Lodi,
"Peterson Family Vineyard"
Very
dark magenta-garnet; young,
sweet, bubble gum, perfumed, rose
and a "fruit bomb" of grape,
cherry, raspberry and blackberry
pie aromas with hints of cola, vanilla, mint,
dill, cedar, oak and mustiness; clean,
sweet, fruity, grapey, cherry and
faintly dusty flavors (medicinal?); medium body,
somewhat soft tannins; good balance;
long finish is slightly astringent.
13.75% alcohol. Another very good wine with
plenty of Cabernet personality, flavor appeal
and a Lodi appellation. ($25) WEBSITE
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TASTED
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 Smith-Madrone
Cabernet
Sauvignon
1999 Napa
Valley
Dark
ruby-purple; big, pungent, perfumed, herbal,
green, vegetal, dill, beet, briary,
weedy, eucalyptus, dusty, earthy, cedar, burnt
toast and oak aromas (sweat sock?);
strange, dill, briary, perfumed,
barnyard, eucalyptus, vegetal and oaky flavors
with some cherry fruit poking through; medium
body, chewy, very astringent, drying
tannins; balanced, but lacks fruit
flavor; slightly hot finish. 13.6% alcohol.
Very different flavors would add nice
complexities and "terroir" identity to a core of
varietal fruit aromas and flavors, but as the
central theme, they come off as odd, strange.
This wine also borders on the too-tannic. ($38)
WEBSITE
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This
Panel
included Regulars Mark, Deanna, Bob, Roy,
Jon, Ray, Tammy, Jim L., Ron and Jim V. and
Guest Peter
About
Cabernet Sauvignon
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