The Essence of Far Niente with Dirk Hampson hosted by Wine Spectator

SOBE Wine & Food Festival - Miami Beach
Tasted Friday, February 22, 2013 by Wine Gopher with 464 views

Introduction

Join Far Niente Director of Winemaking Dirk Hampson in a retrospective tasting of Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon. Six vintages, spanning 15 years of Far Niente winemaking, will offer an exceptional perspective on this renowned Napa Valley Cabernet from the Oakville AVA and will truly be an experience to savor. These wines share beautiful palate texture, rich flavor, complexity and length, with cassis and blackberry notes and spicy oak aromas synonymous with the Far Niente house style. Time enhances the flavors and nurtures the bottle bouquet, offering elegance. Compare, contrast and enjoy these wines with Hampson, who has led the winemaking program at Far Niente since the winery’s first Cabernet Sauvignon vintage in 1982.

Flight 1 (6 Notes)

  • 1996 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Dirk Hampson,"classic Napa weather for the vintage with fog in the mornings and then warm sunny days."
    81% Cab Sauv; 14% Cab Franc; 5% Merlot

    Reddish brick appearance; aged bottle bouquet on the nose with a hint of blackberry and cedar; light to medium body that is very soft and smooth but with a density that is unexpected for such a pretty wine with subtle flavors of dark berry and leather; long 10-15 second finish with a silky mouthfeel.

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  • 1999 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Dirk Hampson,"small vintage, concentrated, ripe."
    78% Cab Sauv; 21% Merlot; 1% Cab Franc

    Purple with a hint of brick on the edges; a hint of bottle bouquet on the aroma, floral, blackberry and over time in the glass a beautiful leather note emerged; medium-body but with a dense core of blackberry and a hint of plum and then leather; long finish with tannins still present but but not at all in the way.

    The wine still has plenty of kick in it and could go for years but it is immensely pleasurable right now. My wine of the tasting.

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  • 2005 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Oakville 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    91% Cab Sauv; 5% Cab Franc; 4% Petit Verdot

    Deep reddish-purple; Light aromas of berry with an earthy graphite edge (cab franc showing?); light on the entry with a blackberry core, and showing greater ripeness than earlier vintages; medium finish

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  • 2007 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Oakville 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Dirk Hampson, "Beautiful year with concentrated wines and high yields. The wines have a richness to them."
    94% Cab Sauv; 4% Petit Verdot; 2% Cab Franc

    Deep red/purple color; Aromas that are fruit primarily with a glycerol edge; laser-focused linear wine, sharp, ripe, blackberry; medium-plus finish.

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  • 2009 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Oakville 88 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Dirk Hampson, "2009 was a cooler year that needed more extraction to get the desired fruit concentration."
    97% Cab Sauv; 2% Petit Verdot; 1% Cab Franc
    Dark purple color with light edges; medium-light aroma of mostly blackberry; Medium body with tannins taking over the mouthfeel; blackberry & black cherry with no noticeable tertiary flavors.

    This wine still needs a few years for the tannins to let go.

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  • 2010 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Oakville 87 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    97% Cab Sauv; 3% Petit Verdot

    Almost black in color with purple edges; aromas of blackberry and an earthiness of graphite or granite; the earthiness flavor profile of the day with a graphite-sequence flavor, graphite and a sweet oak invests that hasn't fully integrated in to the bottle yet; extracted tannins and wood tannins overpower the mouthfeel and finish, very chewy with a hint of sweetness and heat. Give this boy some time.

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Closing

My ranking goes 1999, 1996, 2007, 2005, 2009, 2010. I prefer these wines with some age and bottle bouquet but I also think you could notice evolution of greater ripeness over time. It will be interesting to see how these newer, riper vintages stand up to the older vintages in 5-10 years.

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