Our blind tasting group enjoyed a fun and educational evening in the home of one of our members with a wine theme of new world Cabernet Sauvignon from areas including South Africa, California, Washington state, Chile, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina from 2010 or younger with the added request that all be decanted in advance which probably occurred for less than 1/2 of the wines.
Surprisingly, we had wines from all of the aforementioned regions except from NZ and Australia.
We had 1 flight of 4 and 2 flights of 5 starting with those from 2010 and moving forward with younger ones in each successive flight. All bottles are brown bagged; each person has their own score sheet and ranks wines for each flight and then we share conversation and impressions and then vote to determine flight placement.
First flight of 4 blind 2010 Cabs in order of voting:
#1- 2110 CHIMNEY ROCK ESTATE YOUNG VINES CLONE 7 CABERNET SAUVIGNON STAGS LEAP DISTRICT NAPA- this was my #1 as well as the groups and it deserved such as it gave generously, often and continuously; the inviting aromas of fresh dark fruit with distinct black cherry notes were followed by cedar and eucalyptus accented black cherry/ berry with a touch of sweetness; this full bodied and nicely balanced beauty was smooth and easy on the palate and had a substantial underlying tannic structure that should ensure longevity.
#2- 2010 MOUNT VEEDER MAGIC VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON MOUNT VEEDER NAPA- also my #2 in the flight, this was the biggest and most full bodied of the 4; it had a massive dark fruit profile with super ripe black cherry and black currant most evident along with an enhancement of a strong dose of dark chocolate; this has a long time to go to reach its apex and has the stuffing to get there and sustain.
#3- 2010 CUVAISON CABERNET SAUVIGNON MOUNT VEEDER NAPA- this bottle had similar notes to #4, but it was really dry and astringent from the mid palate on; licorice, chocolate and black cherry peeked through the green bell pepper notes. My #4.
#4- 2010 MOUNT EDEN VINEYARDS ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS- I had it #3, but not by that much over my #4 and those 2 were decent but outshined by a couple of really good bottles; most of the fruit comes from cuttings Emmett Rixford purportedly sourced from Château Margaux in the 1890s; this bottle had some greenness and that Isopropylmethoxpyrazine character with green peas/ asparagus notes, but gave some nice dark fruit with black cherry prevalent; 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
Second blind flight of 5 with varying vintages from 2012-14:
#1 tied- 2012 JOSEPH PHELPS INSIGNIA NAPA- my #1 with no tie, this is made with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 10% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc; it was superlative from the nose through the tail; it gave and gave and I was thankful for all of its gifts which included gentle aromatics of sandalwood, cedar and milk chocolate infused black currant, blackberry and plum fruit; it had a soft and smooth mouthfeel, lots of flavorful depth and complexity and yet lots of finesse as it worked it’s way to the back end; the hallmark may have been its beautiful balance; a great wine, showing and judged accordingly.
#1 tied- 2014 VENGE SILENCIEUX CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA- 95% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot; my #3 tied; the nose was somewhat muted, but there was an abundance of flavors once tasted; slightly sweet blackberry/ cherry prevailed with some not yet integrated oak influences; it was smooth and easy, but faded past mid palate and lost a lot of energy at the end.
#2- 2012 COLUMBIA CREST RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON COLUMBIA VALLEY- my #3 tied; sweet chocolate laced black cherry dominated the nose and taste profile with an emphasis on the sweetness; too much so IMHO.
#3- 2013 TERRAZAS de los ANDES SINGLE VINEYARD LOS AROMOS CABERNET SAUVIGNON MENDOZA- 15% abv; my #2; the nose had smoke and oak which continued on to be joined by black cherry/ berry fruit with dark chocolate accents; it was soft and smooth, had lots of layered depth and serious complexity; so why do I not have this #!? it needs time to evolve, integrate and out balance the oak component which is dominate now.
#4- 2013 LA VOIX ECTASY OF GOLD CABERNET SAUVIGNON SANTA BARBARA COUNTY- the only thing that kept this from coming in 5th was that there was a tie for 1st and this was my bring and decanted 6 hours ahead; made by friend Steve Clifton of Palmina and Brewer-Clifton fame, I tasted this in barrel and again soon after bottling and it was really good; I`m not sure what has transpired since, but this bottle was pyrazine punch with bell peppers on top of bell peppers; somewhere in between was a touch of eucalyptus, leather, and sweet black cherry; there was also a “sour” note that persisted throughout.
The blend comes from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon from Baehner Fournier Vineyard in Los Olivos District and Vogelzang Vineyard in Happy Canyon, 10% Merlot from Honea Vineyard in the Los Olivos District, and 10% Malbec from Rancho Sisquoc in the Santa Maria Valley.
Third blind flight of 5 from varying vintages from 2015-17:
#1 tied- 2015 L`ECOLE 41 CABERNET SAUVIGNON COLUMBIA VALLEY- my #2 tied; following its deep, dark vibrant purple color came nice aromas that one would associate with the variety; sweet and graphite laden plum, blackberry and black currant abounds while being delivered in a smooth, lush, silky texture; the sweet oak component is very pronounced and not yet integrated which is the only reason I placed it 2nd instead of 1st.
#1 tied- 2016 SPIER SEAWARD ANNO 1692 CABERNET SAUVIGNON W.O. COASTAL REGION (Cape Town and Stellenbosch) SOUTH AFRICA- my #1 as well and my first ever Cab from S.A. that I can recall; the key is this is damn fine wine; the color was an inky dark purple; the nose had a serious invitation to something outrageously good forthcoming and that was confirmed once tasted as it gave generous amounts of cedar infused blackberry, black currant and plum that unfolded in layers; it kept expanding and past mid palate, it just exploded with flavors and yet had finesse and lots of charm; I overheard it came from Total Wine for ~$20; this is a deal and 1/2.
#2- 2016 WILLIAM HARRISON ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON RUTHERFORD NAPA- my #3; some Merlot and Petit Verdot is blended in; sweet, oaky, smoky and coffee accents are found inside the dark fruit profile with bell pepper coming in late and the woodiness dominating at the end.
#3- 2017 BRANDER ESTATE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON LOS OLIVOS DISTRICT- my #2 tied; nice aromas and flavors abound in this wine with slightly sweet black raspberry and black cherry most evident; it had good balance, some depth and complexity with soft tannins; showing well early on especially to the delight of our host who made the wine and was responsible for getting the appellation recognized. Although known for Sauvignon Blanc, Fred has made some good Cabs over the years.
#4- 2015 HARAS de PIRQUE HUSSONET GRAN RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON MAIPO VALLEY CHILE- my #4 or last place; the nose was really weird and not very cordial with a heavy hit of Isobutylmethoxpyrazine bell pepper notes which unfortunately were joined by Isopropylmethoxpyrazine green peas and asparagus along with super sweet dark fruit, carrots, celery and broccoli {not really}; this bottle had more issues but being the final wine of 14, I rated it last and did a water rinse of my glass and my mouth.
Highlights of this tasting were the 10 Chimney Rock, 10 Insignia, 15 LEcole, 16 Spier Seaward from S.A. and Branders 17` Reserve.
Love the blind tasting format.
Cheers,
Blake