Screagle, Kapcsandy, SHS, Abreu, Maybach, Donnhoff, etc., etc.

Downtown Cleveland
Tasted Sunday, July 20, 2014 by Loren Sonkin with 958 views

Introduction

Last night four couple dug deep in their cellars and met at one of our favorite locations in downtown Cleveland for four hours of over indulging on wine, food a friendship. This started at a prior evening of debauchery when George asked me if I would put together another dinner. He volunteered a bottle of Screaming Eagle and who was I to turn down a friend in need. :-) The theme was Napa Cabernets and everyone was up to the challenge. The restaurant and staff busted their butts for us, providing small plate after small plate of amazing food until we could not eat another bite. Of course, that's when the amazing desserts arrived. As for the wines, here are my notes:

Flight 1 - A Champagne starter (1 Note)

While standing around talking and greeting everyone.

  • 2004 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année Rosé 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    Orange/pink in color. The nose is tight at first. eventually revealing strawberries and slight ginger ale notes. Slightly oxidized. Much more vibrant on the palate. Tart strawberries. Really nice. Crisp. Long finish.

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Flight 2 - A German Riesling Flight (2 Notes)

Low alcohol, food friendly, this seems like a great way to get the party started.

Flight 3 - An obligatory Cal Chardonnay (1 Note)

because we could.

  • 2012 Aubert Chardonnay Sugar Shack 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    This was nice but didn't quite do it for me compared to its reputation. It did get better with air and it was just pop and poured. Silvery gold in color. The nose has gun powder and is very tight. With air some vanilla crème emerges. Slightly bitter on the palate which never went away. Lots of butterscotch. Plenty of lemon and lemon crème on the palate. Nice finish. This was a very nice wine but the victim of my overly high expectations I think.

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Flight 4 - A flight of "Second" wines. (3 Notes)

All of these wines carry some type of second designation from their producers.

  • 2006 Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Onda D'Oro 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    My first time trying this wine. Plenty of cassis, oak and slight pencil lead notes on the nose. Full bodied. This is delicious and has a nice complexity. Some chocolate with black raspberries on the palate. There is some heat on the finish. Very pretty wine.

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  • 2006 Abreu Rothwell Hyde 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

    Purple in color. The nose is nice with cassis, dark chocolate shavings and some oak. Full bodied and quite smooth. With air tannins emerge. It is delicious. Cassis, chocolate and black raspberries on the palate. Long finish. Great wine.

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  • 2010 Screaming Eagle Second Flight 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Purple/ruby in color. The nose has coffee, cherries and chocolate. On the palate, this is medium to full bodied. Chocolate and slight menthol notes plus plenty of black cherries. Long finish. This is still young and needs some time to develop and improve.

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Flight 5 - A 2006 Flight (3 Notes)

  • 2006 Ovid Red Wine 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Perhaps the wine that exceeded our expectations the most. Really nice showing. The nose has cassis, chocolate and dust. Full bodied. Complex. cassis and chocolate notes on the palate. Lots of fruit, but layered and showing developments. Slight heat on the finish that seemed to go away with air (or as we got used to it). Outstanding.

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  • 2006 Futo Oakville 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Dark purple in color. The nose is nice with cassis and some oak. On the palate it is delicious. But, when you are drinking side by side with other great wines, this lacked comparatively. Very drying tannins. Heat on the finish. Again, on its own, and I would have been quite content. Its just one of those oddities of wine that with multiple bottles its often the flaws that stand out. There is great fruit here.

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  • 2006 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    I think I liked it more than the group. This is more "Bordeauxesque" than the rest of the flight which hurt it comparatively. The nose has cassis, green tobacco, cigar tobacco and a slight earthy funk. Complex on the palate. This is not as big as the other wines. Long finish.

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Flight 6 - Starting to up the ante a bit (3 Notes)

  • 2010 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium 96 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    This was interesting. The nose has cassis, some pencil lead but also this green herbal note that never went away. Almost like that rosemary I often find in Chilean Cabs. It was still a lovely nose, but could have been better. No trace of green on the palate though. What a great wine. It was popped and poured and kept opening all night. Cassis, some cherries, slight earthy notes and a bit of charred wood as an under layer. Long finish. Great texture.

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  • 2011 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 97 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Its easy to want to dislike a wine with this status. IIRC, the critics didn't love it either. I loved it. It was pop and poured and got better until the bottle was drained. Cassis, a bit of oak, and some chocolate on the palate. Lovely full bodied texture. Ripe with nothing green or under ripe. Tom said there was like a baritone line of charred oak which I agreed with. Great cassis fruit. Long finish. Not over blown though and yet very California. Its got a long life ahead as well.

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  • 2007 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan 98 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Probably the most controversial wine of the night. The nose is port-like. It turned many off. Black raspberries, raisins, dark chocolate and some alcohol fumes. I get that is not typical, but after I adjusted, I found it quite intriguing. Not that I want that all the time, but this was fine. Lots of firm tannins. The palate has a lot of cassis and black raspberry fruit. Thick, lush texture. I "feel" the alcohol on my palate, but there is little heat. Lots of complex fruit. Long finish. One glass may be enough, but quite a special one glass. Others disagreed. YMMV.

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Flight 7 - The stars of the wine night (3 Notes)

  • 2003 Abreu Thorevilos 98 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    This had been double decanted back to the bottle and recorked about 8 hours prior to drinking. It took a while to emerge but kept improving. As it was the last flight, it had the time to do so. The nose has blueberries, cassis and toast. On the palate, this has a lush texture. It kept unwinding showing more and more complexity. Cassis and black cherries with the slightest bit of cigar tobacco. Seamless. Long finish. Wow.

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  • 2005 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 99 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

    What a great winery. Every bottle flirts with perfection. Sometimes I think because it hits perfection 2 or 3 times a decade the wines scoring only in the high 90's don't get the respect they deserve. This was amazing. The WOTN for many. The nose has cassis, pencil lead, tea leaves and some vanilla. On the palate, lovely texture. seamless. Cassis, complex layers of earth and fruit, medium silky tannins. Long finish. This bottle had been slow oxed for 12 hours and I think that worked well. even then, it got better and better in the glass. Sadly, everyone took large pours, so there was no going back for seconds. This is a wine that deserves First Growth status.

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  • 2008 Kapcsándy Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Grand Vin) State Lane Vineyard 100 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville

    I opened the foil on this and the first bottle was a leaker with the cork half stained and a tiny pin prick of wet wine. I wasn't taking a chance, so I opened a second bottle and let this slow ox for 12 hours prior to serving. It was outstanding from the start. I tasted it after 8 hours to make sure it was sound and it was amazing. Then when served, it was the WOTN. The nose has cassis, cigar tobacco, black cherries, pencil lead and some oak. Luscious texture. Ripe cassis and black cherry fruit on the palate. Young but showing tightly layered fruits and earth. Some oak still to be resolved. Firm tannins that ease with air in the glass. Long finish. This needs another decade at least to peak, but if you have a few, its amazing now. It is a powerful, California Cab in the best sense of that term.

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Closing

The best part of these meals isn't the wine, although they were amazing, nor the incredible food. No its, the really hard belly laughs, the hugs when leaving good friends, the stories, and even the name calling. Tom, I apologize for saying you have the palate of a Yak. To be fair, I don't really know if Yaks have good or bad palates. So many times, my sides hurt and I was crying from the laughter. Neither my body nor my wallet can afford to do this every week, but once in a while, it is damn well worth it. Thanks to everyone for joining in and the Brian G. and the GHT staff for again hitting a home run!

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