1991 California Cabernet Retrospect​ive

Notes from the event organizer:

Tonight, we'll have our fifth and final tasting in our 1991 Cabernet Retrospective in honor of their twentieth anniversary. The lineup tonight will be headed by the Ridge Monte Bello (one of their best vintages ever, and on many lists of one of the finest Cabernets coming out of California), the Dunn Napa Valley, and the Staglin.

• 2010 Kirkham Peak Sauvignon Blanc 87 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  Tasted blind - Very pale color, almost transparant. This has lots of citrus, ripe fruits and minerals on the nose and in the mouth. I was on the spot guessing this as a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but it was fairly easy guess.

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• 1997 Château Langoa Barton 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  Tasted blind - Fairly transparent ruby red color with orange edges. Outstanding generous bouquet with liquorice and leather (the type that makes you want to smell the wine glass for 30 minutes before sipping it). Soft resolved tannins. Somewhat soft and short finish. I was wrong guessing this as a 15+ years old CdP, but I wasn't surprised to discover that this was in reality a '97 Langoa Barton as I've had that wine a few times over the last 2 years and it was in line with my previous experience with this wine. I could have guessed this one, but blind guesses without any guidances are still very difficult for me, even with previous experience with the wine.

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• 1991 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Bench Reserve 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  Tasted blind - Medium legs. Medium red color. Shy bouquet initially, but it opened up nicely afer 30 minutes. Balanced palate.
  Group's #6 (my #4) – 78 pts – 0/1/2/0

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• 1991 Ridge Monte Bello 88 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Tasted blind - Medium legs. Good bouquet. A little one-dimensional on the palate but good fruity flavor.
  Post tasting notes: We knew that we had a Monte Bello in the blind line-up tonight and people were excited and trying hard to figure out which glass it was, but very few managed to guess correctly. Feedback from the more experienced tasters was that this bottle didn't meet the expectations from their previous experience with this wine. I would personally have been very dissappointed if I had paid the current market value for this bottle.
  Group's #4 (my #5) – 61 pts – 3/3/1/0

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• 1991 Foxen Cabernet Sauvignon Flawed

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted blind - This wine was very badly corked. Oh well...!
  Group's #8 (my #8) – 119 pts – 1/0/0/11

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• 1991 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

  Tasted blind - Very shy legs. Earthy bouquet. Resolved tannins. Long finish with a hint of white pepper at the end. Excellent wine!
  Group's #1 (my #3) – 45 pts – 4/3/5/0

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• 1991 Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 87 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  Tasted blind - Small legs. Sweet candies aroma. Resolved tannins. Average finish.
  Group's #7 (my #6) – 114 pts – 0/0/0/4

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• 1991 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 86 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Tasted blind - Good legs. Shy nose showing a little bit of cork (which significantly affected my overall appreciation of this wine, even though the palate was excellent). Layered palate with leather and herbs.
  Group's #5 (my #7) – 78 pts – 4/2/2/2

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• 1991 S. Anderson Cabernet Sauvignon Richard Chambers Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

  Tasted blind - Big viscous legs. Generous leather aromas. Resolved tannins. A hint of sulfur smell appeared after an hour in the glass.
  Group's #3 (my #1) – 59 pts – 2/4/5/0

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• 1991 Bell Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Clone Baritelle 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  Tasted blind - Nice legs. Sweet fruits aromas. Nice palate with multiple layers. Still a little bit tannic. Medium finish.
  Group's #2 (my #2) – 58 pts – 3/4/5/0

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I do not have a lot of experience with 20+ years old California cabs so this was a great opportunity for me to discover what my recent vintage acquisitions could potentially become with some cellar time and a lot of patience... Overall, I was a little bit disappointed by the lack of real unique identities for these wines, but they certainly drank well.