Tanzer 2005 WA Cabernets and Blends

Palace Ballroom, Seattle, WA
Tasted Sunday, July 24, 2011 by timbuk2 with 913 views

Introduction

Episode 4 of annual event.

Flight 1 (3 Notes)

Cab Blends (except Bel Canto)

  • 2005 Long Shadows Wineries Chester-Kidder 90 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 1/4 with 05 Cadence Bel Canto and Betzi. This was one of the more unusual wines of the night. Maybe it is the 40% Syrah. I teasing asked Gilles if this is why he makes wine in the US and not France - because in france you could not put this blend together in most places. He was a very pleasant guy, adding more PVerdot to the blend now. He prefers the 04 and the 06 to the '05. This one I'd like to try again and over the entire night because I love Syrah and love Cab, not sure I love them together. Very dark fruit, with loads of tannin and acid and paired better with the food.

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  • 2005 Cadence Bel Canto 90 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 1/4 with 05 Chester-Kidder and Betz. Lovely cab franc nose, but a bit lighter in the mid-pallet and loads of acidity on this wine. The only non-cab sauv of the night and really an unfair pairing with the Betz.

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  • 2005 Betz Family Le Parrain 97 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 1/4 with 05 Chester-Kidder and Cadence Bel Canto. This was drinking wonderfully well. Third time I've had this wine, but it has been a couple of years. Tbe room's wine of the flight and my WOTN. Informally it was WOTN overall as it kept getting mentioned and was the first to go empty after the tasting. Had the sweetest, ripest tanniins I've probably ever tasted. Just beautifully ripe red fruit and exotic spicey notes. Tanzer called it hedonistic and I cannot agree more. Just fabulous. Don't know how it will age because the softer tannins are so atypical to my experience with cab, so I need to make sure I enjoy some of it young.

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Flight 2 (3 Notes)

Cab Blends

  • 2005 Grand Rêve Vintners Collaboration Series I Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 2/4 with 05 Delille and Soos Creeki. This was a tannic monster after 2 hours of decanting. Complex nose and loads of potential, but way too young.

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  • 2005 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate 92 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 1/4 with 05 Grand Reve and Soos Creeki. Lighter ruby in color and lighter tasting than either of the other two wines, but very flavorful. Loads of acidity and tannin and a good food wine. Well made and enjoyable. Probably best enjoyed over a long period to see how it evolves.

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  • 2005 Soos Creek Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 2/4 with 05 Grand Reve and Delille Chaleur. This was drinking wonderfully well. Probably the most fruit of any wine of the evening, just burstingly open and inviting. Softer tannins than most so probably best enjoyed young, now, in fact. Lovely wine. WOTF for sure.

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Flight 3 (3 Notes)

Cabs

  • 2005 Corliss Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 3/4 with 05 Januik and Edouard de Rollat. I would place bets that this will be the best wine of the night in 20 years. Has everything you want, balance, fruit, tannin, acid. This one was aged 4 years in barrel, the longest of the night and I think that shows. This needs a lot more time.

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  • 2005 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 3/4 with 05 Corliss and Januiki. No score because I really focused on the other two wines which I liked much much better.

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  • 2005 Chateau Rollat Cabernet Sauvignon Edouard de Rollat 94 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 1/4 with 05 Corliss and with Januik. First time I had this was 3 years ago at this event. Was a revelation at that time and it did not disappoint this time. Much different style than the Corliss. Lovely nose with flowers and earth, cooler toned fruit, not as big, or as tannic as the Corliss. More old world in style, but very approachable, but given the progression, this has many years left.

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Flight 4 (3 Notes)

More Cabs

  • 2005 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 4/4 with 05 Abeja Reserve and Leonetti. This was drinking my least favorite of the flight and low for the evening. No score due to palate fatiigue. Seemed just too acidic, tannic and and liquerlike to enjoy right now. All out of balance to me.

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  • 2005 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley 91 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 4/4 with 05 Abeja Reserve and Leonetti. This was a hard wine to figure. Thick, full wine on the palate with sweet red fruit and very thick tannins. Overall a tasty wine, but a bit muddy in the flavors. It probably has the structure to evolve and resolve, but it wasn't singing tonight. Clearly high in alcohol. High aciity as well, but that didn't come through for me.

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  • 2005 Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 95 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Tanzer 2005 WA CABs - flight 4/4 with 05 QC and Leonetti. This was drinking wonderfully well. Purest cab profile in the nose and close to wine of the night. Lovely chocolate notes along with a dark ruby color and backberry. Only potential criticism is that the tannin structure was a bit lighter than others and wonder if will age as long. So, don't age it. Drink and enjoy it.

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Closing

Overall, all wines were very well made and seemed to be able to go a few years. Tanzer suggested we do it again in 5 or 10 years with the same wines. I thought that was a great idea.

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