Blind tasting (Bag #)
Spring Mountain (1)
Ch. Montelena (2)
Joseph Phelps Backus (3)
Robert Mondavi Reserve (en magnum) (4)
Stefan Zellerbach (5)
Simi Reserve Alexander Vly (6)
Durney Carmel Vly Reserve (7)
Freemark Abbey Bosche (8)Heitz Martha's Vineyard (9)
Clos du Val Reserve (10)
Stag's Leap Cask 23 (11)
Mayacamas (12)
Ridge Montebello (13)Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill (14)
Beringer Private Reserve (15)Joseph Phelps Insignia (16)
Joseph Phelps Eisele (17)
Torres Black Label Reserve (18)
Also:
Caymus Special Selection Late Harvest
Johannisberg Riesling
Alphabetical order:
Beringer Private Reserve (15)
Ch. Montelena (2)
Clos du Val Reserve (10)
Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill (14)
Durney Carmel Vly Reserve (7)
Freemark Abbey Bosche (8)Heitz Martha's Vineyard (9)
Joseph Phelps Backus (3)
Joseph Phelps Eisele (17)
Joseph Phelps Insignia (16)
Mayacamas (12)
Ridge Montebello (13)Robert Mondavi Reserve (en magnum) (4)
Simi Reserve Alexander Vly (6)
Spring Mountain (1)Stag's Leap Cask 23 (11)
Stefan Zellerbach (5)
Torres Black Label Reserve (18)
Vote not available yet, but according to my vote count:
- Torres Black Label Reserve
- Stag's Leap Cask 23
- Clos du Val Reserve
Attendees: Kirk, Marty, Diane, Jeff, John, Nancy, Shelby, Michael, Caroline, Mike, Ivy, Jean, Bob, Bob, Bob, plus ?, A. DavidMy tasting rating (0-10): 8
Notes: '78 Cabernet Sauvignon was stellar in California and this tasting showed nothing but seasoned elegance. The word that comes to mind is FRUIT! For a 22 yr old bottle of California cab, you would expect either a bourbon-ized old geezer or a tasteless over-the-hill, one-foot-in-the-grave member of Leisure World. But noooOOOoooo, most of these had FRUIT!
Spring Mountain - Unremarkable, somewhat bourbonized
Ch. Montelena - Very disappointing. Expected this one to show a little staying power. Just very good.
Joseph Phelps Backus - Very good. Showing mature black fruit flavors. Reminiscent of aged Bordeaux. The only one with the Bordeaux barnyard nose which blew off with swirling.
Robert Mondavi Reserve (en magnum) - Very good, but expected magnum to show better. Still had classic Mondavi reserve mint thing.
Stefan Zellerbach - Very good. Best fruit in first flight of 6 wines. Ready to drink now.
Simi Reserve Alexander Vly - Bourbonized old geezer, but if you like that sort of thing, it was great.
Durney Carmel Vly Reserve - Weird nose and palate that can only be described as fishy. Literally. Fruit was there, but you had to swab the deck of a fishing boat to get to it. Also had a rust after taste. Not my cup of tea.
Freemark Abbey Bosche - Very good to excellent. Nice mature fruit flavors, long finish.
Heitz Martha's Vineyard - Excellent. Great fruit, balance, structure. They don't make them like this in CA anymore. My number 2 choice of the tasting.
Clos du Val Reserve - Very good, but unremarkable. Ready to drink.
Stag's Leap Cask 23 - Excellent. Fantastic fruit. Still has tannins. Could go another 3 to 5 yrs easily or drink now.
Mayacamas - Very good, unremarkable. Ready to drink.
Ridge Montebello - Very good, but dropped off fast after being poured. Became washed out after 15 mins.
Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill - Excellent. Big, ripe black fruit flavors, nice balance. Ready to drink.
Beringer Private Reserve - CORKED! Too bad.
Joseph Phelps Insignia - Excellent. Great fruit, nice acid. Ready to drink.
Joseph Phelps Eisele - Very good, but unremarkable.
Torres Black Label Reserve - Wow, what a surprise. I'll never trust John & Jeff again. At least John. This Spanish wine had coconuts on the nose and on the palate that is very uncharacteristic of CA cabs. But it was a pleasant wine with nice fruit and great balance. It was my number one wine of the tasting as it was for four other participants. I suspect so many of the other wines were very good, but unremarkable that this one kind of stood out from the crowd. If this reasoning were applied to politics, RuPaul would be our next president.
Wow, must have had a good time!
(Click on thumbnail for full-sized image.)
