1999 Vintage "Guess the Red Varietal" Blindtasting

Introductory comments by tasting organizer Ross Bott:
Tonight we'll have another in our series of "Guess the Red" tastings, in which we attempt to identify the varietal as well as rank the wines. In this tasting, we'll celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 1999 vintage. This year was a cooler one throughout Sonoma and the Russian River Valley, but long and warm in Napa Valley. The Cabs and Merlot from Napa have turned out amazingly well, with many people in the wine trade preferring these wines to the more famous 2001s.

The lineup features an outstanding Merlot from Etude, the first Syrah from Cedarville which shows the promise for this varietal in the Sierra Foothills, a super rich Petite from JC Cellars from grapes near the Palisades region in northern Napa Valley, Siduri's second vintage from the Muirfield Vineyard in Willamette Valley, a outstanding Grenache from the Barossa Valley (where it was also a cooler year than normal for them), and a French-styled Cabernet from Dehlinger. Here are some tasting notes:

MERLOT: 1999 Etude, Napa Valley (22% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petite Verdot, 14.2%): "A gorgeous wine, delightfully rich, elegant and polished, that captures a wealth of pure currant, mocha, blackberry and black cherry fruit that's sharply focused, deep and compelling without being heavy. Finishes with a long, intense, complex finish." (92/100, Wine Spectator)

CABERNET SAUVIGNON: 1999 Dehlinger "Estate", Russian River Valley (14.6%): This was a cool weather in 1999 along the Russian River, allowed Tom Dehlinger to produce an elegant, Bordeaux-styled wine with great depth.

PINOT NOIR: 1999 Siduri "Muirfield Vineyard", Willamette Valley (14.1%): "The 1999 Pinot Noir Muirfield Vineyard comes from both Dijon clones and the well-known Oregon clone called Wadenswil. Yields were only 1.5 tons per acre, and the wine is to be released in nine months. The color is a dense ruby/purple. The wine is thick, quite rich, medium to full-bodied, and impressively pure, with a thick, black cherry component the distinguishing characteristic." (89/100, Robert Parker) Rich in blueberry, plum and spice ... (89/100, Wine Spectator)

SYRAH: 1999 Cedarville, El Dorado, Sierra Foothills (14.7%): "Powerful, dramatic, expansive aromas ranging from concentrated, slightly jammy blackberry fruit to scents of smoke, game and black pepper mark this wine as one which has the depth to go with its varietal complexity. It is full and solid on the palate with flavors that go on and on in spite of its ample tannins and finishing heat. Bottle aging of three to five years will help smooth it out. And, whether or not you can find this vintage from Cedarville, you might well want to remember the name. We predict that it will very soon rank with Domaine de la Terre Rouge and Edmunds St. John as the leading makers of exemplary Sierra Foothill Syrahs." (93/100, Connoisseurs' Guide)

SANGIOVESE: 1999 Capannacce "Poggio Crocino", Marema IGT (13.5%): A Super Tuscan made primarily of Sangiovese, but blended with smaller amounts of Syrah and Grenache, rather than the Cabernet and Merlot typical of other Super Tuscans.

GRENACHE: 1999 Greenock Creek "Cornerstone", Barossa Valley (14.3%): "Among the finest Grenache wines produced in Australia is Greenock Creek's Cornerstone. The 1999 Grenache Cornerstone (100% Grenache from 61-year old vines, also aged in one-year and old French barrels) is an explosive wine. Soft, with luxurious levels of kirsch liqueur intermixed with some spice, pepper, and berries, this supple, full-bodied wine has high levels of glycerin, gorgeously concentrated fruit, and a layered finish." (91/100, Robert Parker)

ZINFANDEL: 1999 Hartford, Russian River Valley (15.8%): No ratings available, but very much in the lush, but structured Hartford Court style, with concentrated blackberries and hints of spice. From nearly 100 year old vines.

PETITE SYRAH: 1999 JC Cellars "Frediani Vineyard", Napa Valley (15.5%): "The exquisite 1999 Petite Syrah Frediani Vineyard's inky black/purple color is followed by abundant tannin as well as an unctuous texture, and huge quantities of gorgeous fruit, glycerin, and extract. Blackberries, licorice, and currants dominate the aromas and flavors. ... Drink it over the next 14-15 years." (91/100, Robert Parker)

• 1999 Jeff Cohn Cellars Petite Sirah Frediani Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Group's #1 (my #4) – 22 pts; 6 1st place votes, 0 2nd place votes, 2 thirds, 0 last places – black red violet color with cherry red meniscus; berry, plum, black fruit, clove nose; deep, black fruit, berry, graphite, clove and oak palate; medium finish

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• 1999 Etude Merlot Napa Valley 87 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Group's #2 (my #5) – 34 pts; 1, 1, 4, 0 - dark red violet color; big berry, VA, hot, menthol and cassis nose; monolithic, cassis, berry and menthol palate; medium finish 87+ pts.

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• 1999 Cedarville Vineyard Syrah 88 Points

  USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado

  Group's #3 (my #3) – 37 pts; 0, 2, 3, 0 - opaque very dark red violet color; berry, plum, black fruit nose; tart black fruit, graphite, tart blackberry palate; medium-plus finish 88+ pts.

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• 1999 Hartford / Hartford Court Zinfandel Russian River Valley 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Group's #4 (my #2) – 40 pts; 1, 2, 1, 0 - opaque dark red violet color; deep Zin, raisiny, currant nose; currant, raisin, berry jam, black raspberry palate; medium-plus finish

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• 1999 Dehlinger Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Group's #5 (my #1) – 46 pts; 1, 2, 0, 1 - slightly cloudy dark red violet color; herbal, berry, VA, black fruit nose; herbaceous, plum, herbal palate with some depth; medium finish 90+ pts.

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• 1999 Siduri Pinot Noir Muirfield Vineyard 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Group's #62 (my #7) – 52 pts; 0, 2, 0, 0 - dark red violet color with pale meniscus; tight, black fruit, blueberry, graphite, herbal nose; fraying palate of tart dried berry, acid and mineral; medium-plus finish 86+ pts.

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• 1999 Fattoria Capannacce Maremma Toscana Rosso Poggio Crocino 87 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Maremma, Maremma Toscana

  Group's #7 (my #6) – 55 pts; 1, 0, 0, 0 - bricking dark red violet color; brett, roasted meat, savory, smoke nose; brett, savory, roasted meat, pepper, beef gravy palate; medium-plus finish (not as good as last bottle I tried, due to the heavy brett)

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• 1999 Greenock Creek Grenache Cornerstone Flawed

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Group's #8 (my #8) – 74 pts; 0, 1, 0, 9 - dark red violet color with pale meniscus; seriously corked

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