...or actually, at buddies Jeff and Lynette's house on Friday night. They just built a gorgeous house up the street, and Gary and Dorothy have lived in this neighborhood for six years. We're all about the same age and we all moved here, quite coincidentally, from the same small California beach town with wine collections in tow. As good a reason as any, and better than most, to play pool on a Friday night and pull some corks.
1993 Kenwood Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma
Slightly cloudy garnet color plus a bit of stewed prune in the nose suggest imperfect storage somewhere along this wine's path, and a bit of oxidative flavor toward the bottom of the glass says the wine's had better days.
1994 Cuvaison Merlot, Napa
Better and more satisfying than the Kenwood with a minerally black currant nose and leathery scents. Getting tired, though: low acid and a faint madeira flavor in the finish suggest it's at the end of it's useful life.
1999 Carmenet "McNab Ranch" Merlot, Mendocino
My contribution and a bit of a disappointment. The wine has lost it's herb-and-black fruit acuity without any gaining any of the interesting secondary development which I would have expected six years out. Not even a hint. I'd rather drink the Cuvaison.
