TN: Cabernet Based Wines

The theme of this month’s blind tasting wine lunch was wines that were at least 50% cabernet.

2022 Terravista Vineyards Sparkling Brut En Terre Vineyard – a blend of pinot noir and chard, this was fresh and clean. Decent B.C. bubbly.

2017 Caliza Winery Roussanne 30 Month Barrel Aging – More colour, very soft and a mild oxidative note in the nose plus buttery popcorn.

1983 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – now light redwith a whiff of age to it, a bit of cedar, and blanced and clean, if finishing just a tad short.

2005 Tenuta Sette Ponti Maremma Toscana Poggio Al Lupo – dark ine with tapenade notes in the nose, good dark fruit and good length.

1996 Argiano Solengo Toscana IGT – my wine. Dark colour, black currant jam nose, nicely developed, very long and smooth finish.

2020 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407 – very dark, with a toasted nut (cashew?) nose with vanilla. Oak was there but seemed more French than American.

2006 Zeitgeist Cabernet Sauvignon – a new one on me. Dark wine with a nose of berries and good fruit in the medium length finish.

2010 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate – dark wine, sweet nose of red fruit and toasted nuts, good length – quite tasty.

2008 Château Ormes de Pez – another quite dark wine, this one with a nose of freshly made cocoa, and hints of mint Good length but early days yet – it should improve even more with time.

With cheese:

2005 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Haut-Lieu – lovely wine with good acidity and balance, less sweet than I expected. Light amber colour. I usually buy Foreau rather than this wine but it was excellent!

[David M. Bueker]

Wait…a Dunn that was fully mature and maybe a little beyond? Say it isn’t so!

Yes, that Dunn was 'done'. But it still had a lovely reminder of the old Napa style even though it was on its way down. Maybe not perfect storage conditions somewhere down the line? But I enjoyed it.

The BC sparkling was well done. There is certainly an improving sparkling scene in BC now. The 2017 Caliza Winery Roussanne showed its extended barrel age and there wasn't a lot of acid, but it was enjoyable.

The two Italian Bordeaux blends were very interesting. 2005 Tenuta Sette Ponti Poggio Al Lupo was a very nice wine that spoke of both cabernet and the herbal side of Tuscany. The 1996 Argiano Solengo was also nice, drinking at its peak now I would think, with a smooth texture.

The 2020 Penfolds Bin 407 was a bit of a shock after the 1996 wine. Brutally young and disjointed right now; it needs 10-20 years.

The two Napas were interesting. I had never heard of the 2006 Zeitgeist Cabernet Sauvignon before, but it was right in the zone with great balance and quite classy now. I brought the 2010 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Reserve Cab, and it was a bit more exuberant: a rich, ripe Napa cabernet from 'The Todd', who was infamous for Ghost Horse and over the top marketing. But the wine was not too over the top, and the tannins gave it structure.

The 2008 Château Ormes de Pez was, as Bill said, a little too young yet, but still nice now.

Quite a variety of cabernets on show! Nothing really leaped into greatness, but I enjoyed the two Italians and the first Napa wine the most.

[David M. Bueker]

I rescued a bunch of 2011 Conn Valley from dad’s cellar. Not the best vintage, but could be interesting.

I have often been surprised by how well older Calcabs even from a so-so vintage have done when well cellared. If you open one, let us know how it performs.

[David M. Bueker]

Will do when I do.

Silver Wines Tre Figli Santa Barbara. 50% CS, 45% Sangiovese, 5% CF. Cherries, Menthol, tobacco, some earthiness. Very smooth with a good acid balance. Owner says "bottle when I have time!" Buyer thinks 6 to 8 yrs in cask?

I have often been surprised by how well older Calcabs even from a so-so vintage have done when well cellared. If you open one, let us know how it performs.

Part of the issue IMO, Bill, is that the critics generally laud the riper, lower acid, years and pooh-pooh the colder years in which you end up with more structured wines. As a result, I find I get much more pleasure out of the "lesser" years there, though the occasional year such as '74 managed to combine ripeness with structure.

I have often been surprised by how well older Calcabs even from a so-so vintage have done when well cellared. If you open one, let us know how it performs.

Part of the issue IMO, Bill, is that the critics generally laud the riper, lower acid, years and pooh-pooh the colder years in which you end up with more structured wines. As a result, I find I get much more pleasure out of the "lesser" years there, though the occasional year such as '74 managed to combine ripeness with structure.

That's quite true - 'critical' scores from many critics are often high for the sort of bloated sweet wines I don't like and lower for the 'classical' style that lasts much longer. You really have to know the reviewer before following what they say. I have 7+ cases of Calcabs from 1995 and before and when RP was reviewing in the old days it was safe to follow his lead.

[David M. Bueker]

To be fair, prior to 1997 it wasn’t easy to make the over the top wines.

Of course then once 1997 happened that is all a lot of wineries made. It wasn’t just Bob Parker. Laube laid on the points for big boys as well.