1989 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

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  10/25/2003 - timewithwine wrote:

  Saturday, October 25, 2003 Tasting with Turney 10/25/03 Some fellow wine enthusiasts invited us over for an impromptu, casual tasting. Nice time. The wines: Justin Sauvignon Blanc 2002 Nice nose of boxwood and pineapple that gave promise to something interesting. Good fruit flavors of boxwood, pineapple, citrus and maybe some apricot, but then the wine just dies. The wine lacks acidity. It goes limp. No steeliness, no bracing crispness, no structure, no place ... well, ok, somewhere in Cali land. Beringer Knights Valley 1997 Blackberry milkshake on the nose. Big attack of blackberry and oak, short midpalate with a touch of coffee on the finish. Gobs of fruit and low acidity. A heavily extracted wine that announces it’s a Cali Cab. from the nose forward. Deep dark purple in color. It has lively tannins that will carry it for quite some time. Full bodied. No sediment. Arpy once wrote (Wine Buyer’s Guide) that this was one of his perennial favorites. If you want to know his style, this is the example to see. Merryvalle Napa 1989 This was one of mine and I was concerned that it was beyond the pale. I was pleasantly wrong. The color showed very little age, dark crimson. Dusty nose with cassis and tobo. Flavors of currants, cassis, leather and tobo. Nice balance. Lighter body than the Beringer. Tannins are fully integrated. This is better now than I recall from prior tastings. Drink now over the next year or so. Panther Creek Willamette 1997 Bretty at first but it seemed to dissipate as time passed. Cherry, cherry pits and smoke notes on the nose and palate with an unpleasant greenness to it from the midpalate through the finish. Very short. Uninteresting.

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