Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
97 Napa-retrospective
Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent
Tasted September 26, 2015 by jkoenen with 781 views
Introduction
This 10-person group of Napa-holics brought together a wonderful line-up, including the occasional ringer.
All wines served blind to the group. I was organising, so notes are brief and did not taste blinded.
Flight 1 - Getting started (6 notes)
White - Sparkling
N.V. Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) Champagne
89 points
Lovely, sappy and inviting, made in an easy-to-like, commercial style. Big bucket of yellow fruit, some minerality, some yeasty dough-like action. It's all there. Very correct, very tasty, not very cerebral.
White - Sparkling
2006 André Robert Champagne Grand Cru Le Mesnil
92 points
My first encounter with this producer left me wanting more... Creamy, nutty, very nice, juicy, open and generous. But there's enough focus, stony minerality and structure to keep its balance. Nice to meet you, Mr. Robert!
White
1997 Barnett Vineyards Chardonnay Spring Mountain District
91 points
Toffee, cognac, cappuccino, orange, peach marmelade, good balance. Very mature, but still much alive!
White
1997 Saintsbury Chardonnay Reserve
93 points
Compact, very lengthy and complex, a marvelous wine. Butterscotch, baked peaches, tropical flowers, sweet citrusfruit, hazelnuts. What a surprise!
White
1997 Kistler Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
91 points
Flinty fireworks, hint of oxidation, popcorn, butter, vanilla. Very powerful and looking for balance at this moment. Maybe still young??
White
2003 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
93 points
Fabulous, oily aromatics on the palate. The bouquet is slightly less expressive at the moment. Clearly from a hot vintage, this showes hot rubber, lots of alcohol, but it's very tasty and heartwarming and delicious. No oxidation, enormous concentration and power. A wine for the ages, maybe going into hibernation?
Flight 2 - Main course (19 notes)
Red
1997 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve
93 points
Slightly reticent nose, but the palate is very ripe and full of luxury. Macerated fruit, floral nuances, rosehip, modest use of oak. Seems quite young, might benefit from a few more years of cellartime.
Red
1997 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill
96 points
Classically tailored wine, lots of layers and complexity. Black cherries, spice, prunes, cedar and leather. Extremely classy and elegant, yet full of obscure power and tension. Wonderful notes of chocolate in the endless finish. Wow. ( My #6; group #8; scores 93-97)
Red
1997 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points
Lovely, comfortable sense of rusticity in this wine, campfire, leather boots, dung, dried herbs, roasted meat. Besides that the core is still rich and fruity, cherry-like. Quite bordeaux-like. I really liked its slightly rugged character.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1997 Opus One
95 points
This one benefitted from extensive aeration. Also classically composed. Great forest fruit / forest floor mixture. A wine of great stature and class. Very complete, wonderfull balance. Delicious. (My #9; group #6; scores 92-98)
Red
1997 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
91 points
Lots of bandaid in the nose. Very medicinal, not too attractive I might say. Palate and structure seem extremely youthfull, tannic, yet very ripe, tight, unyielding, slightly drying finish. Dump-phase?
Red
2000 Errazuriz Viñedo Chadwick
89 points
Jammy, sligthly candy-like nose. Sweetish entry in the mouth, very commercial style, easy to like, not much depth of flavors. Red fruit, mixed spice, bacon. Clipped finish. A nice wine, but not very distinct.
Red
1997 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
87 points
Very soupy, leafy, boiling vegetables, slightly reductive on the nose. Green herbs and rosehip on the palate, drying finish. Too old, already?
Red
1997 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon
95 points
Very open and generous, although the tannins are still slightly rugged. Very warm and ripe, deep, dark and brooding, I found this very typical 'traditional Napa', yet not very 'typical Togni'. Seductive macerated black fruit in the mouth, sandalwood, cigarbox, damp earth. Complete, complex, very very long. Super delicious. (My #8; group #12; scores 91-95)
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1997 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points
Sweet and sultry, this has a slightly liquor-like fruit-bomb nose of canned black cherries (amarena), but showes excellent breed, class and persistence on the palate. Fresh forest fruit, lifted acidity (made me think Italy), seemed very young and primary to me. Wonderful wine.
Red
1997 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
97 points
Fantastic outdoorsy feel in this wine! Lots of tension, controlled power, fanning out its aromatics that are incredibly pure, focussed and vivid. Sensible use of oak, breathtaking balance between delicacy and power, supporting acidity and top class fruit makes this a real wine. Totally master. (My #2; group #7; scores 92-98)
Red
1997 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red
92 points
Shy, reticent nose, but a brutish show-off of a palate. Highly concentrated, hot forest fruit, asian spice, chocolate, coffee, blueberry pancakes, maple syrup too. Very warm, quite young, very large, alcoholic heat in the back. A composed, manufactured wine. Good stuff, but not up my alley.
Red
1997 Ridge Monte Bello
95 points
Mouthwatering, well-defined red and black fruit. Gorgeous freshness, this is the best of both (new and old) worlds... Spice-box seasoning (pepper, cloves, cinnamon), beefy/meaty component too. A wine approaching its prime drinking window. Respect! (my #7; group #5; 93-98)
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1997 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Anniversary Release
91 points
Although this wine had some key selling points, IMO it was marred by a lack of balance. Some unripe green elements too. Seemed more Cab Franc than Cab Sauv to me. Lots of salty licorice, also some stemmy bitterness in the back. Still very tannic, maybe a few more years in the cellar will straighten this out. Maybe...
Had higher hopes for this one, since I LOVED the 94 Anniversary.
Had higher hopes for this one, since I LOVED the 94 Anniversary.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia
94 points
Roasted meat, BBQ sauce, red fruit topping. This is clearly a great wine for the future, big structure and concentration, stubborn and backward, enormous length. But at the moment the flavours and aromatics are kinda muddled and awkward. Hard to discribe, but I somehow feel this wine will be significantly better in a few years time.
Hope to bump into another bottle again..
Hope to bump into another bottle again..
Red
1997 Dominus Estate
96 points
This is a smelly cat! Farmyard, game, asphalt, charcoal, clay-ey minerality. Dark berried core, gravy, cigarbox. Very harmonious and distinguished. Very Bdx-like, St. Estephe to be more precise. Terrific. (My #5; group #1; scores 96-99)
Red
1997 Dalla Valle Maya
flawed
Completely shot. Vegetable soup, cherry-licquor, dried herbs, astringent, reductive, a disjointed mess. Personally, a huge disappointment... :(
Red
1997 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection
97 points
This one did very well amongst others which were much more expensive! Perfect balance, entering prime drinking window, blackberries, iodine, licorice, leather, gunpowder. Oh. So. Good. (my #4; group #2; scores 94-99)
Red
1997 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select
98 points
Incredible smoothness, creme de cassis, toast, luxurious oak, verging on perfection... Wow. (my #1; group #3; scores 95-98)
Red
1997 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
97 points
This is a towering wine.... Stupendous concentration, yet unbelievably smooth and rounded. Cherry/cassis fruit, wonderful floral components, spicebox, licorice and ink. The finish is a touch hot, which kept it from scoring WOTN. But I was very impressed...! (My #3; group #4; scores 93-99)
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Closing
A wonderful night of friends, wine and good food. What else do you need?
97 is a glorious vintage on the West Coast, and most of the top-dogs still need time. But, in our opinion, 94 outclasses the 97-vintage.
Personal WOTN: 97 Shafer Hillside Select
Other wines to look out for: Forman Cabernet, Caymus SS, Diamond Creek, Spottswoode Estate.