2012 Napa Cabs ("reasonably priced"), 68 Madeira

Last night, my tasting group met to sample some 2012 Napa Cabs. Not a lot is available at this point and we tried to keep the price range to $20 to $60. The wines were consumed blind over a few hours. breads and cheeses were served.

A few observations about 2012. The wines are softer in general. I think many will make the mistake that these won't age. I would disagree but time will tell. It is a beautiful vintage that produced great fruit and soft tannins. That said, there is little value in Napa Cabernet. I don't often drink a lot, especially in the lower price range. There are just better options for my money. For $25, I can do better even in Bordeaux if I stick to the great vintages. I do buy some, not a lot, in the upper price range as I find some of those wines to be unique wines. I just can't afford to drink there regularly. I guess when I pay $60 for a bottle, it needs to be better than "90 LS points".

This is Heidi Barrett's winery.

• 2011 La Sirena Moscato Azul 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  In a blue bottle. Silvery gold in color. The nose has some floral notes but also a nice minerality. Nice texture. This is off dry, just a slight hint of sweetness. Nice finish. My first time trying this, I wonder what it was like on release. It certainly has held up well for a few years.

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• 2012 Farm Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  This is from John Anthony I am told, but it doesn't say so on the label. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cassis, fresh oak, some pencil lead. A bit jammy black cherries. With air it settles down and shows a more elegant cassis. Long finish. This got three first place votes from the guys who really didn't like Napa Cabs.

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• 2012 Buehler Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 87 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  I was a disappointed in this. It was the least expensive wine in the tasting, but this is now up to $25. I had hoped that in 2012, they would produce a better wine than usual and that doesn't seem to be the case. This was the groups last place wine as well. Purple in color. Black cherries on the nose. Very soft and easy to drink. Light tannins. Slightly bitter on the finish. The biggest complaint seemed to be that it came off as a generic red wine. Even in Napa, $25 should get you more than that. Not bad, just boring and lagged behind the pack tonight.

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• 2012 Arietta Quartet 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  An excellent wine to be sure, but this was $60. Again, even in Napa, $60 should get you more than this. There was some discussion how well this ages. This has about 57% Cab Sauv and 26% Cab Franc IIRC. Perhaps that made a difference in this setting. The wine came across soft. The nose has green olives and black cherries. It is already complex and showing some layers. Mild tannins. I wonder where this goes from here. Again, it was an excellent wine, but we all had higher hopes.

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• 2012 Twenty Rows Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  I liked this far more than most in the group. It was also around $25 and to me, the best value of the night. Lighter in color than most. The nose has cassis and a cedar profile. What I really liked about it was the acidity. More than the other wines on the table. Especially in this setting, it was enjoyable. I am sure more food friendly as well. 13.5% Alc in 2012 most likely means these grapes were picked earlier than most. I can see why a lot of people did not like it. I will say as other wines improved over the evening, this mostly faded. Probably not a harbinger for a long life.

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• 2012 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  This was mine and the groups WOTN in a close vote. Purple in color. The nose is deep with cassis and cedar being the most prevalent. Sweet ripe fruit which is very enjoyable. Showing some complexity. Medium tannins. I think this ages for 5 to 10 years. Nice balance. Good finish. At $35, it is good value for Napa, but probably not much of the rest of the world though.

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• 2012 CrossBarn (Paul Hobbs) Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  The group seemed to like this more than I did. The nose is quite oaked. Mostly fresh cut lumber but some vanilla. Thinner in body than most of the wines. Black cherries and cassis. It seemed slightly bitter. Someone else said stemmy which I interpreted to be the same thing. It did get 2 first place votes.

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• 2012 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 40th Anniversary 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Glad to finally get a chance to try this. It was very tight when opened. I think of all the wines tonight, this is the longest lived. When it opened the nose showed cassis and plenty of fresh oak. There is a fair amount of chocolate as well, or as one guy described it, ovaltine. Deep on the palate. It slowly unwinds to show tight layering with plenty of fruit and oak. I di think it all sorts out, but I wouldn't touch these for a while.

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• 2012 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Seemed to be a love it or hate it wine. The nose has slight VA. Also cassis and a bit of bell pepper. On the palate, firm tannins. The cassis and bell pepper carry thru. Those that didn't like it complained of the lack of structure. Perhaps. I don't see this ageing long, but a couple of years to sort out the oak and this should be a delicious wine. At $45 though, not much value.

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• 2002 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Lou brought this and served it blind at the end of the tasting. Most of us guessed Bordeaux although given the theme and Lou's cellar, we wondered about an older Cal Cab. Most of us thought this was older than 2002. Of course, most of us think 02 was just a couple of years ago. :-( Beautiful wine. The nose has cassis, dust, tobacco and dried leather. On the palate, everything seems resolved. drinks like a Bordeaux at peak. complex with cassis, cherries and layers of forest floor. I am not sure how much air this got and we only drank it for 30 minutes or so, but a beautiful showing.

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So, during the discussions, Trent mentioned his birthday was today. His birth year is 1968. Ray's birthday is next week. His birth year is 1955. I had no 1955 in the cellar, but I did go down and bring up a 1968.

• 1968 D'Oliveiras Madeira Boal Reserva 95 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  This was allowed to air for about an hour. It needs more time. The nose has orange slices, chocolate orange candy, slight raisins and a bit of toffee. Gorgeous. On the palate, this is very smooth. Citrus and chocolate. Nice acidity. Slightly sweet. Long finish. A great "young" Madeira.

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Those of us still left finished the night with a New Holland Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout. Delicious. A fun evening.