07 Napa Cabs settling down?

WINE TALK
21

Thoughts on ETA for 2007 Dominus?

22

Also had a 07 Spottswoode two weeks ago that was nice after 2-3 hour decant, but lost head to head against an 08 Pride that was fantastic.

23

'07 Match Butterdragon Hill is great without any decanting. Pop & pour. It does get a little better in a few minutes in the glass.

'07 Hourglass seems to just be entering a nice period. The '03 and '04 are more open and about perfect right now.

'07 Arrowood Lasseter is booming now - HUGE black fruit flavor! However, their '07 Smothers-Remick Ridge is very acidic, so much so it’s terribly astringent.

Mostly drinking older Cabs now so I can’t contribute any more to this thread.

Never drank the '07, but did have the '04 and '97 on the same night. Both were good, but the '04 was not quite as polished as the '97. If I were wagering, I’d bet that your '07 might be just getting to a happy place. Might want to hold off a year or two though.

24

Thanks, Fred! The 2007 is in a great place now, I agree. Unfortunately, my supply is dwindling. Lots of life left in that one, though. Just this morning I was moving around my magnum library (in preparation for Tuesday’s bottling of the 2013s) and I inventoried 3 magnums of that 2007. Those will be fun…

25

Many 01s are only now at peak, I suspect the '07s may take as long.

26



Has the 2007 Spottswoode ever been open??

(question only somewhat rhetorical)

27

Imo, they’re vastly different vintages and the best 2001s will continue to age and improve for quite some time. I think of 2007 as being more like 2002, delicious yet without the structure of a 2001 (or 2005, 1999, 2009, 2010 etc.).

28

Some '01s still need 4 or 5 years, and others are on the downslope.

29

I know it’s not Napa, but the 07 Ridge MB showed really well last night. Upon opening the nose was rocking, but the palate was unyielding. 4 hours of slow ox with another 4 in a decanter did wonders. No hurry, of course…

30

And specific examples of those would be . . . ?

Which did you like on release more than you like now?

31

We did 07 Snowden Reserve a few weeks ago and it was wonderful.
I think Diana did a great job with the vintage.

32

Fading fast:

  1. Caymus Special Selection. The dust is coming out of suspension, and when that happens a Rutherford Cab loses its charm IMO. The '04 is in a perfect spot right now. Usually I want a resolved Cab but not one from Rutherford. Tried a '95 Caymus SS and it was disappointing. Mentioned before that there was an almost Port-like amount of sediment.

  2. Corison. Seemed like it needed a little air at first, but fell apart a couple hours later. Would be a good bottle to open a half hour before dinner with another couple or two, as long as it was gone by the end of the meal. To me, that’s a sign it’s past its prime.

Still needs 4 or 5 years:

  1. Arrowood Reserve Speciale. Tried one bottle out of the case last year and it was still too tannic. Arrowood is one Cab that gets better and better as it ages (see: TN: 1995 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers) and a fully resolved Arrowood is one of my favorite wines no matter what the variety.

  2. Shafer Hillside Select. It’s still too tight. Both the '04 and '00 are in a much better spot, albeit not as much potential. Even the '02 drank much better. It’s my belief a year or two would benefit that bottle also.

There weren’t any '01s I liked on release because it was such a huge year. Great fruit, but quite a bit of tannin (in general, not as bad as '97 though) There is no substitute for age, especially with Cabs made back then. The problem is finding exactly how long to lay down each bottle. We all know it’s a guessing game. Winemakers now are crafting Cabs to be more approachable young so there’s less importance placed on proper aging. Quite a few '12s have been excellent from release.

33

I have 7 2007 Napa Cabs in my cellar. If you’re to believe CellarTracker, the drinking window closes between 2016 and 2033 on my bottles.

EMH '16
Sojourn Howell Mtn '17
Ghost Horse Shadow '21
Rob Craig Affinity '24
Lewelling '26
ACV '28
Lewelling Wight '33

I realize that each bottle needs to be reviewed on its own. I recently drank the Sojourn, and it was singing. I drank the EMH at a Superbowl party and it was whistling a happy tune.

I know how holders of the regular bottling of the Lewelling feel. [wink.gif]
Thoughts on the bottles above?

34

Hang on a little longer. It’s in a better position now than shortly after release. I’ve had about 5 or 6 of them since release, at decent intervals, with the most recent about 4 months ago. It’s coming into a good spot, rich, with really great scorched earth notes. Most recently I thought it had fattened up a bit and lost some of the edge it previously had. I’d hold for a couple more, and then start hitting them at 10 and older.

35

Where do the CT windows come from?

36

You can click on the window and see the source :slight_smile: It’s either community (average of user’s entering drinking windows), or professional reviews/subscriptions, or the user’s entered windows. If I recall correctly, the latter will ‘trump’ any other window available for the wine, but you can click on the window and it will open a new window with all potential ‘drinking windows’ and their sources. [cheers.gif]

I’ve uploaded an example using EMH '07
exampleemh.jpg

37

Had the 07Caymus a few weeks ago. Beautiful bottle with loads of fruit and no tannin. Of course I do like fruit in my wine.

38

Enjoyed a 2007 Vineyard 29 Aida Estate over Memorial Day weekend and it was singing beautifully. Opened one the summer prior that was also great, but the extra ~10 months has done this wine well.

39

I had the 07 Beau Vigne Reserve the last two nights. First Beau Vigne so I don’t have a beat on what is typical. This was big and a little hot even with some air. Lots of components that I liked but I think I will wait a while on the next bottle.

Scott - I didn’t see a CT note on the Snowden Reserve. Looks like there a lot of notes that say it needs a lot of air or a few years. How much air did you give it?

40

2007 Buccella Merlot - 5 hours air. Still huge and tight
2007 Switchback Ridge Cab - 2 hours air. Good to go.
2007 O’Shaughnessy Veeder - 3 hours air. In a great place right now.
2007 Paul Hobbs Stagecoach - All day decant. Needs time.
2007 Abreu Capella - Overnight decant. Still hard as nails…
2007 Abreu Rothwell Hyde - 1 hr air and good to go today.
2007 Pride Cab - Love where this is right now with an hour of air.
2007 Beau Vigne Reserve - Drinking great now pnp or 1 hour.
2007 Pott Neruda - 3 hrs air. Drinking really great right now.
2007 Harris Treva - 4 hours air. Still strong but excellent with a decant.

I like younger Napa cabs with a heavy decant. Heavy tannins don’t bother me. Take that into account. Cheers!