Great Cult Tasting

WHITES

• 1998 Trevor Jones Chardonnay Virgin - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
  Creamy and soft. Pleasant wine, but lacking acidity. (86 pts.)
• 1997 Neyers Chardonnay Carneros - USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
  Spicy apples and a good, if not simple, level of fruit. Very nice wine. (90 pts.)
• 1997 Treana White Mer Soleil Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast
  Very perfumey, with the Viogier making it's presense quite known. Flowers and minerals. Lots of character, and a decent finish. (90 pts.)
• 1992 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Clos Windsbuhl - France, Alsace
  Big spicy, ginger. lychee nut nose. Thick on the palate. Nice finish. Excellent, muscular wine. (94 pts.)
• 1995 Marcassin Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Big nose of tropical fruits, apples, lessy, and a lot of smoke. Big and muscular, with perhaps a bit too much oak for some people's taste. I though it was pretty impressive. (93 pts.)
• 1994 Marcassin Chardonnay Gauer Upper Barn - USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley
  A bit muted on the nose. Nice citrus and minerals, but lighter than I expected. (91 pts.)
• 1996 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Awesome example of White Burgundy. Terroir driven, but a solid core of ripe apple-like fruit. Citrus, spice, minerals... very complex, no perceptible oak. Awesome. (95 pts.)

BRYANTS

• 1993 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor Grown Pritchard Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Sweet fruit, but not as lush as the 94 or 95 versions. A bit of a distracting tartness. (92 pts.)
• 1994 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Lush, rich, popcorn, caramel, cassis flavored fun juice. (94 pts.)
• 1995 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Super nose that just kept getting better with air. Buttered caramel popcorn, cassis, spice, wow! Thick, sweet, plump, and juicy fruit. Loads of fun here, perhaps too big for food. (95 pts.)

COLGINS

• 1993 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Medium extraction. A bit closed. A second bottle showed much better. Nice, but a bit harsh in the tannins. (90 pts.)
• 1994 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Big wine. Awesome extractio, rich, lush fruit. Some hints of dill, which added comlexity. Lovely, Turley-style wine. (95 pts.)
• 1995 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Cassis liquor, with a hint of dill. Thick, juicy, wonderful, fun wine. Lots of action going on here. The purity of the sweet fruit is amazing. (95 pts.)

HARLAN

• 1992 Harlan Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Bordeaux-like. Complex and elegant, but the fruit does not seem as rich as I would have expected. The tannins also seemed a bit on the harsh side. Nice, but not mind-blowing. (90 pts.)
• 1993 Harlan Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Medium extraction, medium ripeness. A bit closed. A bit harsh. Nice wine, but slightly dissappointing. (88 pts.)
• 1993 Harlan Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Duplicate bottle brought to the same tasting on 9/25/1999. Similar notes. (88 pts.)
• 1994 Harlan Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  OK, I had this wine before, and it showed a lot better. This wine was not decanted, which did not help much. Obvious concentration of fruit, but the tannins seemed a bit rough. Is palate fatigue setting in? Is this wine closed? (90 pts.)
• 1995 Harlan Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Showing much better than the 1994 tonight. Syrupy, sweet fruit. Nice extraction. Excellent wine... but did not seem very structred... I think lack of decanting and palate fatigue is preventing a good evaluation. (93 pts.)

DOMINUS

• 1990 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Good complexity and structure, but the tannins are a little rough. Typical earthy Dominus profile. (90 pts.)
• 1991 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  A bit of a herbal streak, which I did not detect in the past. Good fleshy fruit, soft texture. Nice. (92 pts.)
• 1992 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Hard, tannic wine, with black fruits that are framed with nice herbs. Pleasant wine, but perhaps a bit too rough? I just think it needs time. (90 pts.)
• 1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Strong, Bordeaux-like wine. Earth, and dusty cassis. Strong palate presence, and very complex finish. Excellent. (94 pts.)

MISC

• 1993 Abreu Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Wonderful wine. Black fruits, earth, truffles, minerals. Nice concentration with balanced structure. Excellent. (94 pts.)
• 1995 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Powerful wine, that maintains it's elegance. Explosion of lush, velvety, sweet fruit. Silky tannins, and a caressing finish. Awesome. (96 pts.)
• 1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Great as always, although the tannins are starting to clamp down on the fruit. While it may be starting to close down, the great cassis fruit cannot be denied. Lovely wine. (95 pts.)
• 1993 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Fine wine. Cassis and a hint of herbs. Good concentration, nice mouthfeel, very nice. (92 pts.)
• 1994 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
  More structured than the 1993 version. Big fruit and great complexity. Hints of chocolate and minerals. Great finish, with well integrated oak. Killer. (96 pts.)
• 1993 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
  Soft, elegant rich, creamy Cab fruit. Ready to go. Light on structure, but this is great tasting California style Cabernet. (94 pts.)
• 1990 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
  Rich ripe cassis fruit, with hints of minerals and fruit. Great mouth feel. Still has the tannins to keep going. Excellent wine. (93 pts.)
• 1990 Dalla Valle Maya - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
  Obvious concentration, but quite shut down. Great mouthfeel, but the tannins are clamping down. Needs lots of time. (94 pts.)
• 1977 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California
  Cedar, dried cherries, leather. Some fruit, but it's mostly drying out. Did not get better with air. OK. (85 pts.)
• 1995 Seavey Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Sweet fruit, balanced, but a bit more fruit concentration would be nice. (90 pts.)
• 1990 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
  Fine wine, but not my style. Dark and brooding with black fruits, but a bit too much herbs for me. (88 pts.)
• 1992 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
  Seems to have good fruit extraction, but the herbal elements are a bit too much for me. (87 pts.)
• 1990 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
  Great cassis mixed with dusty minerals and earth. Complex and a lush gorgeous wine. Wonderful finish. Starting to show some secondary flavors. Excellent stuff. (95 pts.)

DESSERT

• 1986 Navarro Vineyards Riesling Cluster Select Late Harvest - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
  Wow! Not bad.... White Raisens, sweet white fruits, minerals, and good balancing acidity. Seems like it could still keep going. Awesome new world Riesling. (94 pts.)
• 1994 Philip Togni Black Muscat Ca' Togni - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
  Honey herbal tea. Sweet red candied fruit, but balanced with nice acidity. Very nice. (94 pts.)
• 1985 Dow Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
  Raisins, and walnuts. Good complexity, and not too much sweetness. Very nice port. (93 pts.)
• 1976 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  Honied apricots and peaches, but the acidity and complexity was a bit lacking. Would have expected more power from d'Yquem. Still nice, though. (90 pts.)