Some notes from a horizontal of mostly 2006 Northern California Cabernet Sauvignons. All the reds came from my dad’s cellar. The wines were blind for the guys in the group, though it was pretty obvious that we were drinking U.S. Cabernet Sauvignons.
We started and ended with blind whites.
2017 Weingut Hirsch Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein (Austria, Kamptal)
The group is not all that familiar with Austrian wines, so it was not surprising when a few of the guys called out Alsace. That said, I have not had a recent vintage Alsatian Riesling this level of delicacy in quite a while. Crisp fruit, a touch of that petrol, and a long stony finish made this a nice welcome wine, as it engaged the senses without overpowering. I finished it off last night with some Thai Papaya Salad, and the match was very fine.
On to the Cabernets! They were all opened about two hours before we started tasting them but were not decanted.
2006 Ruston Family Cabernet Sauvignon ‘La Maestra’ (Napa Valley, St. Helena)
My dad had been a long-time buyer of Ruston wines, but somehow I had never tasted any of them. That will of course change, but this was the first bottle for me. Good first impression, as it had settled into a middle-aged state with still clear fruit, but also an integrated presentation. Tannins were not notable until the very end. Felt like it could go on for another 5-10 years as it glides into full maturity. Not at all in the overblown style, at least at age 17+. Extremely popular with the group, as they scored it 18/20 on average.
2006 Ramey Wine Cellars ‘Claret’ (Napa Valley)
This is the most basic of the Ramey Cabernet-based wines, but it certainly showed that it can stand the test of time. Not quite as much fruit on the nose as the Ruston, but a deeper mid-palate presence more than made up for it. It did not surprise me at all that this wine showed a classic balance. It’s time to drink this, but no worries about it falling off a cliff any time soon. I would be happy to drink this with dinner any night of the week. Almost as well regarded by the group as the Ruston, with 17.7/20 on average.
2006 Chateau Montelelna Cabernet Sauvignon ‘The Montelena Estate’ (Napa Valley)
I should not complain that somehow my dad ended up with a boatload of this wine in this specific vintage. After a slightly shaky start when I opened it prior to the tasting, it woke up and dominated the night alongside the final wine. Best aromas of the night – just powerful cassis and deep earthiness, along with a touch of spice. Beautiful to smell. I was not particularly objective, but I didn’t need to be, as everyone loved it from the first sip. Approachable now, but there’s still structure to resolve, so another five years would serve it well, and then drink over the ensuing 30! Tied for top wine of the night with 18.9/20.
2006 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (70% Napa/30% Sonoma)
Started much more effusively fruity than the Montelena, with a strong black cherry aroma that carried through to the palate. Given the reputation of the producer, that was not at all shocking, but beyond that initial wave of fruit there was excellent balance, and good background structure. More complex the longer it sat in the glass, this was the wine that made me wish I had at least double decanted the reds. Given that 2006 was deep in the “bigger is better” phase for California Cabernet, I expected this wine to be a caricature, but it was not. Perhaps 17 years tamed it. This ended up ranked third for the night with 18.4/20.
2006 Fidelitas Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux VIneyard (Horse Heaven Hills, Washington)
A ringer, but as it fit the 2006 theme I decided to include it just to break things up a bit. It didn’t. It showed similarly to the California Cabernets, but (along with the next wine) had the misfortune to follow the strongest pairing of the evening. I ended up having the rest of it the next evening, and on its own I enjoyed it even more. Solid fruit, good underlying structure, and a very pretty herbacious note on the finish. Tied for last place, but the average was 16.4/20, so still very strong.
2006 Lamborn Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Vintage IV’ (Napa Valley)
Immediate blast of eucalyptus on the nose, and later also a hint of spruce. We had Jasper Hill Farms ‘Harbison’ cheese, which is wrapped in spruce bark, and the cheese and this wine were a match made in heaven. This was another bottle that felt very classic in style, with moderate fruit ripeness, and well-balanced underlying structure. Along with the Fidelitas, this showed even better the next night, away from the bright lights of the Montelena. In retrospect I wish I had served these two wines before the Montelena and Pride, but that’s just how it goes. Tied with the Fidelitas at 16.4/20.
2006 David Arthur Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Elevation 1147’ (Napa Valley)
The deepest and darkest of all the wines, this was the only one that felt like a “bigger is better” era wine. Plummy, verging on overripe, and showing more alcohol than all the rest, I can’t figure out how it scored higher than the prior two wines other than placement. Not really my thing, which is unfortunate, as my dad bought a lot of David Arthur. Group average 17.3/20 to place sixth.
2006 Joseph Phelps ‘Insignia’ (Napa Valley)
Also a bigger wine than most in the tasting, but in all respects a balanced wine. Every component was in the correct spot. Dark fruit, but not overripe – just in the cassis and blackberry rather than red cherry vein. Foundational tannins that kept everything in place, but never dominated the wine. A very long finish that promises a much longer life, even if this is not a “big” Insignia. Happy to drink it now. Happy to have more. I don’t see Insignia being worth a premium over Montelena, but given the stylistic differences I can see where others might have a different calculation. Still, this was utterly delicious, and tied for wine of the night with the Chateau Montelena. Group average of 18.9/20.
While we were tallying up the scores we shared a bottle of 2022 Loersch Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Auslese (Mosel) that was clear, crisp and rich. Didn’t seem to have much botrytis, but did have a lot of flavor, and balanced acidity. Glad to have more.