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Notes and impressions from a Cabernet tasting - Saturday, October 13, 2001, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty-four wines were poured for a tasting fee of $35.

Overall impressions: what a surprise! Here I was fully expecting to find a lot of thin, maybe flavorless '98 Cabs, especially in this mixed lineup of '97 through '99 vintages. But instead, the majority of the '98s were very nice - AND, ready to drink. There's no question that '98 was indeed "...a difficult vintage." But, some winemakers clearly had successes, and many of these wines appear to be among the more successful Napa Cabs of the vintage. And interestingly, even with the mix of a few '97s and '99s, these '98s still look good. I felt about half of the wines tasted rated 90 pts or better, with the rest rating in the high 80s. There wasn't a whole lot of separation here, with the lower ranked wines just a little less forthcoming in taste/texture.

Any bargains here are obviously relative. The prices for the '98 vintage are all over the place - from reasonable to very high. Without doing an historical price analysis of each of the labels represented here, it's hard to say whether or not these prices reflect a reduction due to any perceived quality of the vintage. From the pricing, however, it does appear that some wineries feel their Cabs are as good as the '97s, or that the wines should hold their value regardless of what's in the bottle. Meanwhile, other wineries felt a price reduction was probably warranted.

Tasting Notes

1999 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $35.99. Medium-dark garnet ruby color. Nice nose, but vigorous swirling is needed to reveal the oak, black cherry, toast, and anise. Slightly lean and a bit tart on the palate, the wine has obvious fruit, it just seems a bit underripe.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Lewis Cabernet Sauvignon. $53.99. Very dark ruby color. Very nice nose of toasty oak, cassis, vanilla, and anise. Slightly chewy off-sweet fruit, touch of vanilla and licorice, smooth long finish that gets a bit soft on the end.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Washington. $19.99. Dark garnet color. Very toasty, with charred oak, cassis, and almost a maple bacon note in the nose. Tasty mouthfeel, nice balance flavors, it just seems a bit light on the palate.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B+

1998 Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry - Napa Valley. $32.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Nose of cassis, toast, and vanilla. Nice enough mouthfeel, but a bit lean on the palate, with a tart and puckery finish that shows more oaky tannins than most.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B+

1998 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $64.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Nose of cassis, toast, and new oak. A little barnyard-tasting on the palate, with obvious oak flavors that make it a little rough and tannic, with long finish and nice aftertaste. This one seems a little rough and funky right now, but may stand the best chance of improvement in the long term.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Arns Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $59.99. Dark garnet color. Nose of toast, cassis, ink, oak. Full and somewhat chewy mouthfeel, good fruit, and smooth tannins, yet a real mouth grabber that also picks up a bit of tartness with its slightly oaky finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Merryvale Profile - Napa Valley. $69.99. Dark garnet color. Nice sweet oak and cassis, with a touch of vanilla and anise in the nose. Toasty oak and cassis flavors, nice mouthfeel, very good balance, with a smooth long oak-driven finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Joseph Phelps Insignia - Napa Valley. $81.99. Very dark ruby garnet color. Sweet nose of toast, cassis, and cheddar. Somewhat soft and fat mouthfeel, fresh and grapey flavors, seems to lack some grip through finish. The nose is really nice, but is this a flabby fruit bomb, or a shy late bloomer? At 82 bucks, neither one is particularly satisfying.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B Overall score: B+

1998 Opus One - Napa Valley. $109.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Bright and floral nose of cassis, pomegranete, toast, and rhubarb. Sweet mouthfeel, with a touch of smooth oak through mid-palate, and a slight oak-induced grip at latter palate. Wants for a little more fruit.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $99.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Nose of toasty oak, cassis, ink, and cheddar. Big mouthfeel, very nice cassis fruit and toasty oak, nice smooth tannin finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Georges de Latour - Napa Valley. $69.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Big, somewhat herbaceous nose of oak, cassis, and toast. Full body, slightly coarse mouthfeel and tart fruit, with a relatively short finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B Overall score: B+

1998 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $89.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Slightly herbaceous nose, with healthy dollop of oak, and a definite toasty - almost weedy quality. Slightly sweet, toasty, big and chewy mouthfeel, generally smooth across the palate, with a long somewhat tight finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Dominus - Napa Valley. $89.99. Medium garnet color. Very nice nose of oak, cassis, and toast. Flavors of sweet oak, anise, cassis, and cocoa, moderate mouthfeel, and long finish. Unusual for a what I'd expect from Dominus - more to a lighter style, and seemingly very correct.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Pine Ridge Andrus Reserve - Napa Valley. $89.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Lightly herbaceous nose of sweet toasty oak, ink and anise. Sweet toasty mouthfeel, very nice cassis fruit through mid-palate, fruit seems to drop off just a bit on the long finish. I'd become accustomed to vegetal notes in this label. But, this is one of the better Andrus Reserve's I've had.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

Favorites - In Order of Preference
1997 Spring Mountain Reserve - Napa Valley. $79.99.
1999 Lewis Cabernet Sauvignon. $53.99.
1998 Merryvale Profile - Napa Valley. $69.99.
1998 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $99.99.
1997 Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series - Napa Valley. $56.99.
1998 Dominus - Napa Valley. $89.99.
1998 Pine Ridge Andrus Reserve - Napa Valley. $89.99.
1998 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - Napa Valley. $109.99.
1997 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon Hommage - Napa Valley. $59.99.
1998 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $64.99.
1998 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $89.99.
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1997 Clos du Bois Marlstone - Sonoma County. $27.99.
1998 Arns Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $59.99.
1998 Opus One - Napa Valley. $109.99.
1997 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $67.99.
1998 Joseph Phelps Insignia - Napa Valley. $81.99.
1999 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $35.99.
1997 Camelia Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $28.99.
1997 Cosentino Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $52.99.
1998 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Georges de Latour - Napa Valley. $69.99.
1997 Stonestreet Legacy - Napa Valley. $69.99.
1997 Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon. $39.99.
1998 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Washington. $19.99.
1998 Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry - Napa Valley. $32.99.


1998 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - Napa Valley. $109.99. Very dark garnet ruby color. Slightly restrained nose of oak, cassis, barnyard, rubber, and anise. Huge smooth mouthfeel, nice melding of oak and fruit, and long finish. Very similar to Napa bottling, but with more guts. But, $45 more guts? I don't think so.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1997 Clos du Bois Marlstone - Sonoma County. $27.99. Light-medium garnet color. Sweet, complex almost Rhone-like nose of oak, toast, and anise. Light-medium mouthfeel, tasty fruit, but seems a bit light through medium-long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1997 Camelia Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. $28.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Nose of cassis, sharp oak, and ink. Sweet dense mouthfeel, very good balance, nice compliment of oak, fruit gets a bit tart on long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1997 Cosentino Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $52.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Inky nose of cassis and toasty oak, with a light sharp/sour note. Of-sweet slightly tart mouthfeel with lots of flavors, and long finish. Seems somewhat overripe, yet tart as well.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1997 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Napa Valley. $67.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Very sweet toasty nose of cassis, anise, and a touch of ink. Initially full mouthfeel, with nice flavors and balance, but starts to flatten out just after mid-palate.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

997 Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series - Napa Valley. $56.99. Dark ruby red color. Very nice nose of toasty oak, cassis, and anise. Off-sweet mouthfeel, very nice balance and fruit, and long finish. Very tasty.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1997 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon Hommage - Napa Valley. $59.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Sweet and toasty nose, with cassis, black cherry and vanilla aromas. Full mouthfeel, slightly oaky and a bit pinched, with long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1997 Spring Mountain Reserve - Napa Valley. $79.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Sweet herbaceous and toasty nose, with cassis, black cherry, and cheddar aromas. Huge mouthfeel, oaky and tannic, with big core of fruit, excellent balance, and very long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1997 Stonestreet Legacy - Napa Valley. $69.99. Medium-dark garnet ruby color. Beautiful cassis, black cherry, anise, and slightly oaky nose. Mass of oak seems to smother the other wise nice cassis fruit. Long oak-driven finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B Overall score: B+

1997 Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon. $39.99. Medium-dark garnet ruby color. Overripe and slightly medicinal nose, with a cheesy chalky quality. Chalky and dry on the palate, the wine seems overly oaky at present, with a cocoa powder taste and long dry finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B+

     

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