Welcome Get Together
Benji's Apartment
Tasted Saturday, July 12, 2008 by cobbpa with 514 views
Introduction
Ben had Kieth and I over to taste through a great lineup, all blind except for the Chardonnay.
Flight 1 (8 Notes)
Closing
Some awesome wines and a great time--the first of plenty with the Chicago crowd I'm sure.
2005 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 91 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Good lemon, some melon / pear hints on the nose layered over honeysuckle and florals. Wonderful nose. Good flavors of lemon butter, peach and pear. The mouthfeel is interesting. It begins with an acidic front, rides through a midpalate with some nice, slight creaminess, then the finish brings back acidity. That finish is great white fruit & citrus flavors and hangs on beautifully. This is definitely outstanding.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
1990 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Smells like a bordeaux at first. Nice graphite, some evident oak, a little mushroom. Eventually some dark red fruit starts to show up. Very pretty nose. Good sweet tobacco component, some great cherry on the front. Awesome balance & texture here. Sweet, firm tannins that absolutely dry the mouth and hang on for quite a while. This is a great bottle.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2001 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvée 87 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Rich nose of dark fruit, jam, and some vanilla. Good fruit and oak tastes lead to nice, drying tannins on an finish with decent length, great tannins, and some oak flavors.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2006 Roo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 84 Points
Australia
Jolly rancher nose with bits of blueberry here & there. Thin feeling front but good flavors of big fruit and cherry. Good finish with some grip and medium tannins. Over acidic, but still a good bottle. I'd call this a good, fruit-forward wine that has its place and is pretty enjoyable.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
1996 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Dusty nose with baking spices and some nice cherry. Good fruit on the front, but the highlight for this wine comes in the midpalate. It just explodes with flavors--herbs, spices, fruit--all kinds of things. It's just an outrageous, gorgeous middle. The finish is great as well, hanging on for a while and shifting through multiple flavors--fruit, oak, herbs.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2004 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Coliseum Block 87 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Nose with some nice dark fruit and some obvious eucalyptus. Sort of a candied component to it. Tastes of stewed fruit & jam, good acidity, and a bit of tartness on the end. Tannins stick around a while , are large and and somewhat supple. Good texture & balance, it does things well.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2002 Marston Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Slight earth on the nose, some obvious & nice cherry with a little oak. Vibrant fruit front end with some dark baking chocolate. This seems pretty tight and has some very drying tannins on a nice finish.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2006 Modus Operandi Cellars Antithesis 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This one sort of threw me. Big fruit on the nose--jam, dried fruits, everything--just a big glob of nice dark fruits. Little bit of mocha. Lots of dark black fruit taste, a little bit of licorice taste, some cranberry, great flavors up front and decent oak throughout. Good finish with soft tannins that hang on and stay persistent. I'll be interested to try again...there's some good stuff there but just didn't seem very well sorted out or something. Sort of lumpy as opposed to complex, but still an enjoyable wine.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No