WTN: '97 Sequoia Grove cab & a '00 Savary Chablis

2000 Francine & Olivier Savary Chablis
Nice straw color with a bit of nuttiness and somewhat surprisingly something akin to grapefruit and lime on the nose. This wine is just about in its' sweet spot, the minerality is still present with refreshing acids, but the wine has filled out in the mid-palate to give lots of lemon rind and a lingering finish. Delightful... and a joy at the close-out in price of $9. Excellent QPR even at the full retail if $18.

1997 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon
A friggin joy to drink!
I have been more than slightly disappointed with most of the 1997 Napa Cabernets I've pulled from the cellar lately. I found this orphan (I don't recall buying it) under a pile of stuff and figured I'd better pull the trigger. Glad I did as this is at peak (don't you love it when you time things right). Black cherry, eucalyptus/mint, restrainded acidity and integrated tannins. NJ, she of the great palate, said it reminded her of the first breath of a cool Minnesota morning. I guess I'd call this balanced, but regardless, it was a fine sip on a cool autumn evening. Drink 'em if you got them as I don't think they'll improve much.
BP

I've been hearing for 3-4 years that I should drink up my 97 Cali Cabs. When I was first told that, I pulled one and found that it still had some hefty tannins, so I let the rest slide a bit more, opening one every few months, each time finding that they still had lots of life.

Well, I opened the last one abou two weeks back, a 97 Gallo Stefani. Alas, it was not merely over the hill, it wsa 6 feet under. So yes, drink 'em if you got 'em.

On the other hand, a Sterling CS from the maligned 98 vintage that I opened Friday was quite lovely. Too bad it was my last bottle.

Opened a Stag's Leap Wine cellars' Fay Vineyard a couple of weeks ago, and it was drinking pretty nice.

I had a half case of Raymond Generations 1998-which last year was quite rich and voluptuous (almost port-like), and the fruit has now dropped out of it.

Hi Red,

My brothers and I had a Cab tasting in August and the wine I brought was a 2002 Seqouia Grove Cab. It was not ready to drink when opened and it changed so much from the time opened to the actual tasting (about 2 hours) that I did not recognize it. It went from a fruit dominated Cab to a much more nuanced Cab during that air time, with nice herbal notes added to the dark fruit notes that we really liked. It was a joy to taste and the ever crictical Brother Bob really liked it too, although it did not have a classic cab profile. At about $30 I would buy it again.

2000 Francine & Olivier Savary Chablis
Nice straw color with a bit of nuttiness and somewhat surprisingly something akin to grapefruit and lime on the nose. This wine is just about in its' sweet spot, the minerality is still present with refreshing acids, but the wine has filled out in the mid-palate to give lots of lemon rind and a lingering finish. Delightful... and a joy at the close-out in price of $9. Excellent QPR even at the full retail if $18.

1997 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon
A friggin joy to drink!
I have been more than slightly disappointed with most of the 1997 Napa Cabernets I've pulled from the cellar lately. I found this orphan (I don't recall buying it) under a pile of stuff and figured I'd better pull the trigger. Glad I did as this is at peak (don't you love it when you time things right). Black cherry, eucalyptus/mint, restrainded acidity and integrated tannins. NJ, she of the great palate, said it reminded her of the first breath of a cool Minnesota morning. I guess I'd call this balanced, but regardless, it was a fine sip on a cool autumn evening. Drink 'em if you got them as I don't think they'll improve much.
BP

Thanks for the notes, RW. Savary's not a producer I'm familiar with, but sounds like one worth seeking out. As for the Sequoia Grove: thanks for the update. I was quite impressed with it upon its release (I think that I may have tasted it at the Indy Wine Fest back in '00 or something) and opened my only bottle a couple of years ago, at which time it was quite appealing but still quite primary. Good to hear that it's doing so well.

Mark Lipton

Savary's not a producer I'm familiar with, but sounds like one worth seeking out

Imported by Kermit Lynch, so you can combine seeking it out with visits home.

Hi Red,

My brothers and I had a Cab tasting in August and the wine I brought was a 2002 Seqouia Grove Cab. It was not ready to drink when opened and it changed so much from the time opened to the actual tasting (about 2 hours) that I did not recognize it. It went from a fruit dominated Cab to a much more nuanced Cab during that air time, with nice herbal notes added to the dark fruit notes that we really liked. It was a joy to taste and the ever crictical Brother Bob really liked it too, although it did not have a classic cab profile. At about $30 I would buy it again.

Tom,
I tasted the 2002 S. Grove down at the shoppe a few months back and recall the fruit forward profile you mention along with some substantial tannins. The bottle was "thinderbirded" in short order, so we never got to see the impact of a few hours of breathing as you did...sigh!
FWIW, Sequioa Grove changed winemakers with the 2001 or 2002 vintage IIRC. Mike Trujillo of Karl Lawrence fame is now in charge of winemaking.
Bill

Thanks for the notes, RW. Savary's not a producer I'm familiar with, but sounds like one worth seeking out. As for the Sequoia Grove: thanks for the update. I was quite impressed with it upon its release (I think that I may have tasted it at the Indy Wine Fest back in '00 or something) and opened my only bottle a couple of years ago, at which time it was quite appealing but still quite primary. Good to hear that it's doing so well.
Mark Lipton

Mark,
As Rashaan points out this is a Kermit Import and I picked it up at Hamilton Beverage a couple of years ago at one of their "buy one at full price and get the second one for a penny" sales. I suspect that with that store now under new ownersahip (United Package) those promotions will be a thing of the past.
RW

Doug and Brian,
Thanks for the reminder to check in on my 1998's...I've been very negligent in that regard and have seen a number of posts suggesting the time may be right.
BP

I'm a Savary fan, but don't see locally. Premier Cru periodically has at good prices.

Correction - my 98 was a Kendall-Jackson, not the Sterling (which is a 2000).
I had been considering the Sterling, so it was in my mind when I typed.

Mark,
As Rashaan points out this is a Kermit Import and I picked it up at Hamilton Beverage a couple of years ago at one of their "buy one at full price and get the second one for a penny" sales. I suspect that with that store now under new ownersahip (United Package) those promotions will be a thing of the past.
RW

Ah, yes, those "penny wines" sales. I got 6 bottles of the '99 Ch. St. Martin de la Garrigue and the '99 Dom. du Gros Noré Bandol from those. Was it only Kermit Lynch wines that they'd put there? (more likely is that they were the only ones I took any notice of) So, does the sale mean that Rod is no longer running the show?

Mark Lipton

...So, does the sale mean that Rod is no longer running the show?
Mark Lipton

I haven't been there since the sale to UPL. I heard that the staff was offered a chance to stay on, but I doubt that offer was extended to owners, but I could be very wrong about that. I need to go to that part of town later this week and will try to drop by.
BP

...So, does the sale mean that Rod is no longer running the show?
Mark Lipton

I haven't been there since the sale to UPL. I heard that the staff was offered a chance to stay on, but I doubt that offer was extended to owners, but I could be very wrong about that. I need to go to that part of town later this week and will try to drop by.
BP

That's a shame. Rod was the only member of the staff IME who knew much about wine. But it was his relationships with J et R and a few other importers that really meant a lot to me: they had some great tastings and I could always count on finding J et R imports (and KL imports) there. *sigh*

Mark Lipton