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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.9 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 50 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by JCGuthrie on 10/14/2023 & rated 95 points: An absolutely stunning bottle. Right away, a deep, deep nose of red fruit, truffle, leather and umami. Just as vibrant on the palate, with hints of cooked mushroom joining mixed red berries. One of those wines I could just sit and smell. (309 views) | | | Tasted by crewald on 2/13/2021: Drank on 28th anniversary. Double decanted. Absolutely delightful. Powerful ephemeral whiff of red fruits on opening. Touch of tobacco. Held up over the evening. (1691 views) | | | Tasted by JCGuthrie on 2/2/2020 & rated 93 points: Quick decant for sediment, then back into the bottle and open for an hour before dinner. Red fruit, earth, mushroom and leather on the nose. Slightly more tired than the last bottle, which was from a prior purchase, this was nonetheless a great example of aged Napa cab. I saved about half a glass and vacuum sealed overnight; it was still holding up on day 2, but was definitely better on day 1. (1976 views) | | | Tasted by pepmi on 12/15/2019 & rated 92 points: Conn Valley Vineyards at its greatest -- the early nineties. No fuss, marketing or cigar swirling machismo. Gus and Phyllis on their back porch overlooking the vineyards. Pure expression of cabernet -- subtle fruit, earth tones, round and balanced in the mouth. A pleasing finish meant to accompany food and conversation. My last bottle... (2011 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 6/2/2019 & rated 93 points: Very dark red/purple color. Drank a small glass over an hour. Double decanted for 30 minutes and 90 minutes slow-O. Drank in a flight with a ’93 Dunn Napa and a ’93 Anderson’s Conn Valley Estate. Boy this really drinks young too. Dense and full bodied, cassis, blackberry, supple mountain fruit, satiny texture so smooth and with great balance. I would love to check in on this every 3 to 5 years for the next decade. 93+pts. (2554 views) | | | Tasted by JCGuthrie on 5/20/2019 & rated 94 points: Decanted 30 minutes and then open another 90 minutes at the restaurant. This was outstanding, besting (in my opinion) a 1993 Dunn NV. Beautiful red fruit on the nose and palate, with plenty of depth and nuance. 94+ (2139 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 6/12/2018 & rated 93 points: Another great showing for this 25 years old California Cab! (2143 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 2/18/2017 & rated 93 points: A gorgeous mature California Cab example! (2583 views) | | | Tasted by odds on 2/7/2016: Okay, the results from the previous night were sufficiently confusing that a decision was made to test the bottle again. Coravin'd one glass @ 8:00, a slight PnP and tested over three hours or so.
I think it reached a peak around 90 minutes of decanting, On that point it had great taste on palate, lots of earthy notes that did not overdominate the palate, and kept space for the fruit. That said, it did not hold as strong and as long into the third hour+. I agree with other tasters that the nose is certainly evolved, and so are secondary notes. But, imho it is somewhat in a decline stage.
Summary: At 90 minutes or so 91+.
It is possible that it is a bottle variation (especially after two decades in a bottle). If you have a bottle that you've personally stored since release and can 'trust' I would say it's worth checking. My second bottle though I know its previous storage conditions was not stored by us all the years.
(Coravin, ~1 glass to share. To date, ~2 glasses from the bottle) (3186 views) | | | Tasted by odds on 2/6/2016 & rated 90 points: It was nice, but it did not reach the bar set by the Corra '04. I should have looked into the previous notes I wrote" The nose was more balance (notably) the second night. Indeed the following morning the nose was much better. The finish was bitter compared with ACV '90, and compared with the Corra '04 (abit on the stronger bitter side, imho). Now that I had a chance to revisit it twice a year apart, I would say-- it needs more decanting, but I do not think it would need more time , aka- I am not certain it would improve with additional time. I would still recommend it , but I would suggest finishing them (maybe over the peak). It is somewhat surprising (As the '90 still feels like it has some time ahead)
~90
(From coravin, ~1 glass shared) (2944 views) | | | Tasted by odds on 3/13/2015: We drank this one over two nights in comparison to the '90 ACV. The nose was more balance (notably) the second night. My surprise is that the '93 ACV did not perform as well as the '90 one (given the recent reviews). Detailed notes will follow (overall on second night we ranked it at ~90-91 and the '90 at 91-92). IMHO, still needs something (time/decanting, or both). Recommended but I'd open an older vintage first (3471 views) | | | Tasted by vanpe003 on 1/10/2015 & rated 95 points: Fairly evolved on the nose, secondary notes suggesting age and perhaps the early stages of decline. Thankfully, that's not the case. On the palate, very much alive, if fully resolved. A bit of minerals / Dentyne highlight the flavor profile and give the wine an unusual complexity. Great balance between fruit and acidity. Tannins have faded to a large degree, though some fine / faint expression is still present. Long finish.
I've had this a number of times before, and while I liked it, I didn't love it to this degree. Another example of "right bottle, right time". (3219 views) | | | Tasted by christopher marlowe on 12/20/2014 & rated 94 points: The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like red currant. It tastes like red currant and black currant (cassis). The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity. (2578 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 5/10/2014 & rated 91 points: BORDEAUX LIKE NOSE WITH LEATHER, EARTHINESS, AND BLACKERRIES. FLAVOR LIKE THE NOSE WITH A MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH. (1046 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 5/8/2014 & rated 90 points: Sadly, a little bit corked so 1-2 pts down because of this, but otherwise a gorgeous aged California Cab. (2516 views) | | | Tasted by rplumbo on 12/14/2013 & rated 94 points: Part of an old cab tasting with quite a few from this period. Stood out. Nicely aged. No alarm bells ringing, but now is a great time to drink. (2980 views) | | | Tasted by vanpe003 on 5/8/2013 & rated 92 points: Pop/pour. Initially very funky on the nose....e.g. earthy and musty as another recent reviewer noted. Becomes more balanced and alluring with time in the glass, adding notes of leather and sweet spices. On the palate, it is the leather note that strikes me along with balanced sweetness and a bit of pencil lead. For me, there's still a relatively prominent tannic influence on the finish.
I would like to think that the tannins and acidity that remain would provide structure for further aging, but worry a bit that the fruit, which good now, may tail off. Two bottles left for me. Might save one for a longer term experiment, and drink the other one relatively soon given tonight's performance. Strong auction QPR at $38. (3135 views) | | | Tasted by kerv22 on 2/15/2013 & rated 92 points: - Brick color. It's somewhat balanced with a medium body. Narrow texture with a medium finish - Dark garnet with a thin clear edge; very earthy/musty
(ie French smelling funk...yumm), notes of tobacco, cassis, pencil shavings, and almost a slight hint of floral smell. Still a touch of tannins on the mid pallet. I would've expected that to be gone by now. Very nice wine. It started off a bit harsh and acidic; however paired with a peppercorn and espresso encrusted filet mignon, the balance was perfect. The after dinner with about two hours of decanting the wine has really opened up. This is a beautiful wine, it just took a while. I'd suspect that its near the end of its life, but based on the balance its carrying right now you may be able to sneak another year or so out of it. (3453 views) | | | Tasted by rexmerlot on 1/5/2013 & rated 90 points: Clear garnet in colour. Clean nose of cassis, floral, and earth. Dry, med acidity, med body, smooth tannin, on palate cassis, mushroom, and floral. Not a long finish. This wine is definitely reaching the end of its life. Drinking well, but needed some time in decanter to open up. If you have this, drink it up. (3083 views) | | | Tasted by no leashes on 11/24/2012 & rated 91 points: Elegant, delicious dark cherry, tobacco, earth and cassis. Smooth, drinking beautifully. Old world style. (2692 views) | | | Tasted by redwhiteandrich on 6/15/2012 & rated 93 points: this followed a 2007 long shadows feather cabernet, and had about an hour of air on it, tremendous. (2799 views) | | | Tasted by redwhiteandrich on 5/10/2012 & rated 92 points: Wow bordeaux-esque. Probably wouldnt have the longevity but damn good. Earthy and funky. (2399 views) | | | Tasted by cellardrinker on 1/29/2012 & rated 95 points: Very dark hue. Clear rim. Beautiful nose of dark fruit and oak. Soft, nicely resolved tannins. Incredibly smooth. Complex, opening slowly in the glass after a few hours. Long finish. Still not fully mature. (2521 views) | | | Tasted by Opusone99 on 8/1/2011 & rated 94 points: Le vin titre 13%. Robe très foncée pour un vin de 18 ans. Superbe nez sur des notes de cèdre, petits fruits rouges, framboises bleues, vanille et sous-bois plus en retrait. En bouche, c'est parfaitement intégré et la texture est incroyable. Finale très intéressante et de belle longueur. Le vin a encore beaucoup de coffre en bouche et pourrait être gardé encore quelques années sans problème. Splendide bouteille! Dommage que ce domaine ne soit pas importé au Québec. (2856 views) | | | Tasted by vanpe003 on 6/10/2011 & rated 94 points: No detailed notes, but....this is drinking very well with a nice degree of secondary character starting to develop. Best after an hour decant. (2839 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Producer website
Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Winery is managed and operated by Todd Anderson and his wife, Sarah. Both of whom share an immense appreciation for fine wines and their creation. Todd's passion and expertise for producing world-class cabs and bordeaux-style blends, however, did not come overnight. Since 1984, when he began staking-out the vineyard's trellis system with his father, Gus Anderson, Todd has been involved with every phase of planting, growing, harvesting and crushing their estate grown grapes as well as vinification - the transformation of grapes into wine. The Anderson Winery staff also includes chief vintner, Mac Sawyer, who was recruited to spend a year in France mastering the fine art of wine making at the Superior School at Montpellier. He studied the Bordeaux, Provence and Alsation wine making styles and is the second American to ever attend this school. Mac's assistant, Cuko, continually tests and re-racks vintages so only the finest barrels of our wine are bottled. Traci, the office manager, keeps shipments moving and the office running like a Swiss watch. During the fall harvest, dozens of part-time laborers pick the grapes while Miguel and Cuko help Todd and Mac to crush the harvest and to process tons of grapes into juice.
BACKGROUND: Since 1983 Conn Valley Vineyards has been family owned and operated by the Anderson's, and since their first release in 1987, Conn Valley Vineyards has been dedicated to producing world class wines. The 40 acre Estate is located just south of Howell Mountain in Conn Valley. When you visit, they provide a personal and highly educational experience. Located just 3 miles or 10 minutes east of downtown Saint Helena, you'll feel worlds away from the hustle and bustle of busy tasting rooms.
TODD ANDERSON: After graduating from University of Pacific in Stockton, CA with a degree in Geology Todd went to work for a small geophysical firm that was on the cutting edge of technology for seismic oil and gas exploration. Todd soon realized the corporate world was not for him. Although he loved the industry he was in, he continually had thoughts of the outdoors and getting back in touch with the soil. These thoughts, along with the mention from his parents of starting a “small vineyard”, are what led to the creation of Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards.Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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