TASTING NOTE: The vineyard is in the cooler, western part of the AVA, and the wine opens with a promising blast of white pepper. Turns rich, full-bodied and complex, with an array of blackberry, plum, coffee, cigar tobacco, spice and oak notes. The tannins are fairly thick and astringent, suggesting lamb, pork tenderloin or similar fare.
Score - 92.
(Steve Heimoff,
Wine Enthusiast,
April 1, 2005)
BENZIGER CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE 2002 Sonoma County 29546
(XD) 750 mL $61
TASTING NOTE: Dark, brooding berry fruits, earthy note, smoky oak. Powerful, dense wine, intense cassis, lively acidity, charry oak on mid palate, long. 2-10 years. Recommended.
Score - *** out of 5.
(www.decanter.com,
Jan. 2006)
CONIGLIO SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2002 Napa Valley 39859
(D) 750 mL $63
Started in 2001, this is only the second vintage for this California Boutique winery. Purchasing grapes from the well respected Wurtele Vineyard in the Spring Mountain District, the total production for this wine is only 600 cases. Packed with flavours of ripe mountain cassis, cedar and spice, with a wisp of smoky oak. The palate is rich and concentrated with silky tannins. Though tempting to drink now, it will not show its best for at least two or three more years.
DARIOUSH SIGNATURE Napa Valley CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2003
29454
(XD) 750 mL $92
The Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine awarded this wine a score of 92. (August 2006)
TASTING NOTE: An exciting 2003. Ripe, rich and vibrant, with juicy plum, currant and blackberry flavors that are supple and harmonious, revealing layers of fruit complexity and finishing with a long, lingering aftertaste. Drink now through 2012.
Score - 90.
(James Laube,
www.winespectator.com,
Oct. 31, 2006)
DELOACH FORGOTTEN VINES ZINFANDEL 2004 Sonoma County, Single Vineyard 18846
(XD) 750 mL $39
TASTING NOTE: Lush, dark, sweet, and elegant. Quite balanced with fresh acidity and spices - a real quaffer.
(Monty & Sara Preiser,
www.sallys-place.com)
DOMINUS ESTATE 2003
Napa Valley 703736
(XD) 6000 mL $1450
TASTING NOTE: The 2003 Dominus has turned out even better than I thought from barrel. There are 4,800 cases of this 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot blend. A big, sweet nose of roasted coffee, Provencal herbs, black currants, cherry jam, plums, allspice, and forest floor is followed by a spicy, rich, full-bodied, fragrant, intense wine. The tannins are sweet, but noticeable in this beautifully complex, strikingly aromatic 2003. It has much more similarity to a great Bordeaux than anything from Napa Valley. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. (Robert Parker Jr.,
www.erobertparker.com,
Dec. 2005)
DOMINUS ESTATE 2003
Napa Valley 703686
(XD) 3000 mL $615
TASTING NOTE: The 2003 Dominus has turned out even better than I thought from barrel. There are 4,800 cases of this 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot blend. A big, sweet nose of roasted coffee, Provencal herbs, black currants, cherry jam, plums, allspice, and forest floor is followed by a spicy, rich, full-bodied, fragrant, intense wine. The tannins are sweet, but noticeable in this beautifully complex, strikingly aromatic 2003. It has much more similarity to a great Bordeaux than anything from Napa Valley. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025.
Score - 95.
(Robert Parker Jr.,
www.erobertparker.com,
Dec. 2005)
Hitching Post Generation Red 2005 Santa Barbara County (Hartley Ostini) 36723
(D) 750 mL $27
Htiching Post is a restaurant/winery that was featured in the movie 'Sideways'. This Cabernet Franc dominated blend includes portions of Merlot and Syrah. Fruit forward and ripe, this red is made in a crowd-pleasing style that makes it an ideal choice for casual gatherings.
Hitching Post Highliner Pinot Noir 2005 Santa Barbara County (Hartley Ostini) 36715
(D) 750 mL $57
Only the the best barrels from the best vineyards are blended in this top-of-the-line bottling from Hitching Post. Its full body, intense dark fruits, white pepper spice and earthiness are all tightly wound in a seamless package that is sure to give more and more as it opens with age. A compelling expression of Pinot Noir from the region.
HITCHING POST SANTA MARIA PINOT NOIR 2005
Santa Maria Valley (Hartley Ostini) 36681
(D) 750 mL $47
Since the movie 'Sideways', this winery no longer flies under the radar. It used to be that only die-hard Pinot fans even knew about Hitching Post though the restaurant and the wines have been around a whole lot longer than all of those other upstart Santa Maria producers. This wine is a testament to the knowledge and skill of Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley. Perfumed with forest floor aromatics, this Pinot offers exotic spices and rich red fruits. Delicious now but will reward cellaring over the next eight years.
Hitching Post St. Rita's Earth Pinot Noir 2005 Sta. Rita Hills (Hartley Ostini) 36699
(D) 750 mL $47
And what great earth it is! Here's a crowning achievement of Santa Rita Hills' unique terroir which is superbly suited to Pinot Noir. Located on the hills of the coastal mountains, the ever- present ocean breezes moderate the temperatures creating the perfect meso-climate for Pinot Noir. Tasty now with its delicious and plentiful black fruit and fine balance but it will continue to improve over the next two to three years.
L'AVENTURE OPTIMUS 2004
Paso Robles 683409
(D) 750 mL $64
Though the 2004 Optimus had not yet been reviewed at publication, few wineries can boast such a consistent level of high praise as L'Aventure. Stephan Asseo, the winery's French founder and resident winemaker, uses Bordeaux and Rhône varietals in this wine to capture the unique character of Paso Robles.
PAHLMEYER MERLOT 2004 Napa Valley 978023
(XD) 750 mL $125
TASTING NOTE: Shows seductive aromas of rich currant, with mocha and espresso bean oak. Deep, complex, intense and concentrated. The long, full, persistent finish has firm, ripe tannins and lays the fruit and oak out in spades. Drink now through 2012.
Score - 92.
(James Laube,
www.winespectator.com,
May 15, 2007)
PINE RIDGE STAGS LEAP DISTRICT CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2002 Napa Valley, Stag's Leap District 38067
(XD) 750 mL $107
TASTING NOTE: My favorite, the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District, boasts a dense ruby color as well as a terrific perfume of cedar, spice box, black currants, and sweet cherries. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, pure, and rich, it should drink beautifully for 10-15 years. Drink 2006-2021.
Score - 91.
(Robert Parker Jr.,
www.erobertparker.com,
Dec. 2006)
RAVENSWOOD 'OLD HILL' ZINFANDEL 2004 Sonoma Valley 684571
(XD) 750 mL $76
TASTING NOTE: Ravenswood's Old Hill Ranch bottlings are typically the winery's toughest and least overtly fruity when young, yet this release is more forward in fruit than is common, and its balanced, claret-like style lends it a certain unexpected accessibility. That said, it is still a wine that is built to improve for a number of years, and the glimmers of complexity and layering that it presently shows are but precursors to better things yet a half-decade or so down the line.
Score - 90.
(Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines,
Jan. 2007)
RENWOOD GRANDMèRE ZINFANDEL 2003 Amador County, Sierra Foothills 742700
(D) 750 mL $37
The 2003 Grandmère Zinfandel has a deep garnet red colour with brick tones on the edge. It has aromas of blackberriy and holiday spice cake. On the palate, it is soft and silky with rich berry flavours intermingled with light spices and hints of vanilla on the finish.
(Winemakers note)
ROBERT MONDAVI RESERVE Napa Valley CABERNET SAUVIGNON 1998
954289
(XD) 750 mL $169
TASTING NOTE: Soft and succulent blackberry and cassis fruit upfront, framed by squeaky clean tannins and solid oak elements. This is most notable for its voluptuous, velvety texture, which coats the palate with sweet flavors. It’s not a big wine but a balanced, harmonious one, and a success for the vintage.
Score - 92.
(Steve Heimoff,
Wine Enthusiast,
Dec. 1, 2001)
ROBERT MONDAVI Napa Valley CABERNET SAUVIGNON 1998
17996
(D) 750 mL $39
This 1998 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet offers a great oppurtunity to try a mature Californian wine at a reasoable price. This complex wine offers flavours of red currant and dark cherry intermingled with earth, tobacco and meaty notes with soft, fully evolved tannins.
ROBERT MONDAVI SLD Napa Valley CABERNET SAUVIGNON 1998 Stags' Leap District 962241
(XD) 750 mL $64
TASTING NOTE: Purists will find it thin and tannic, but it also defines the iron-fist-in-a-velvet-glove quality of Stags Leap. Dry and structured, with intricate tannins, its initial impression is austere. Then you start to think about it, and royal complexities are revealed.
Score - 91.
(Steve Heimoff,
Wine Enthusiast,
Dec. 1, 2001)
TANDEM SANGIACOMO VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2003 Sonoma Coast 686816
(D) 750 mL $61
TASTING NOTE: Again I really see the French connection in this wine. It is full of cherry, milk chocolate, blackberry, strawberry and smoke. It tastes like a rustic Pommard, a wine style that I happen to be very fond of. The palate has a bushel of red fruit, bright plumy acids and one hell of a finish.
(Alan Kerr,
www.gangofpour.com)
White
Table Wine
GRGICH HILLS Napa Valley FUMÉ BLANC 2005 Estate Grown 346296
(XD) 750 mL $38
TASTING NOTE: As this latest example reaffirms, Grgich Fumes are rarely wines of enormous size and substance but embrace brightness and cleansing freshness as the way to success. Mildly herbal in scent and charged with plenty of grass and green-melon fruit in the mouth, the wine is sleek and slightly tangy in taste with bracing acids bringing up the rear. If admittedly a little wiry in style, this one has the clear capacity to keep, yet it will drink famously in the near term with luncheon dishes such as cold salmon dressed with herbed aioli. It is a lot of wine for the money. Good value.
Score - 91.
(Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines,
Feb. 2004)
U.S.A. - Oregon
Red
Table Wine
AMITY VINEYARDS PINOT NOIR 2003 Willamette Valley, Single Vineyard 589697
(XD) 750 mL $40
TASTING NOTE: Light red. Fresh, juicy red berries on the nose, along with a suggestion of tar. Quite fresh, and the brightest of this set, with nicely balanced flavors of wild strawberry and raspberry that offer a refreshing, tangy quality. I'd drink this attractive midweight over the next couple of years.
Score - 89.
(Josh Raynolds,
International Wine Cellar,
May/June 2006)
EVESHAM WOOD 'CUVÉE J' PINOT NOIR 2004
930727
(XD) 750 mL $51
TASTING NOTE: Ruby-red. Intriguing bouquet of smoky, musky strawberry and raspberry, with notes of minerals, rose, violet and star anise. Plump and sweet, the red berry flavors developing a darker quality with air and picking up riper notes of bitter chocolate and coffee. But this is energetic and fresh, not at all roasted, with good heft and richness. Very persistent finish features a note of creme de mure Give this some air, or serve it in big glasses to allow its splendid, sweetly floral aromas room to stretch out.
Score - 91(+?).
(Josh Raynolds,
International Wine Cellar,
May/June 2006)
