Community Tasting Note
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MrBrege Does not like this wine: 85 points
October 23, 2014 - Whenever I'm in the US I buy a few different bottles of Napa Cabernet that I get recommended, to see if I can find an alternative to Bordeaux. So far it has always been a slight disappointment to me, I think I'm just unlucky but I keep ending up with fruit bombs without any structure, but I'm pretty certain there must be really good Cabs in the 50-100$ range. This attempt was unusually unsuccessful, I ended up with a fruit syrup bomb instead of a wine. Pretty disgusting to be truthful, I kept refilling my water glass during dinner to get some balance back. Totally hopeless!
9 people found this helpful 23,653 views
9 Comments
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jimyeni commented:
10/23/14, 9:59 PM - As a Napa wine lover I would agree this was not a good choice. Here are some I recommend that aren't so jammy: corison. Dunn, conn valley vineyards. Bolder but still balanced: hall, pine ridge, chateau montelena, o'shaughnessy.
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MrBrege commented:
10/24/14, 6:45 AM - Thank you jimyeni!! I will take your advice straight away, taking your suggested names to the local wine store here and try whatever of your suggestions that they have already tonight. Thanks!
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wmccone54 commented:
10/24/14, 8:29 AM - I couldn't agree more; as I said in my previous note, this was a total waste of money. Based on previous experience the Caymus Napa blend always gravitates toward the "fruit bomb" style, although the more expensive "Special Select-Estate" bottling is better balanced. As others have pointed out, there are some very good Napa Cabernets, Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards, Heitz, and Saddleback all come to mind as good representations of "older style" Napa Cabernets. Don't give up on Napa as there are some "world class" Cabs available!
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jimyeni commented:
10/24/14, 9:18 AM - Awesome. Good luck!
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aChave commented:
10/24/14, 10:09 AM - I empathize with you on searching for Bordeaux alternatives. In terms of US versions, over the last 10 years or so I have been gravitating more and more toward Washington State for more Bordeaux-styled reds... a number of wineries there seem to have moved more toward the Bordeaux acid/structure model, and more than a few are very age-worthy. You might consider searching for wines from Cadence, Andrew Will, or Betz Family, to name just a few producers. Each makes a variety of wines in different styles, so you'll want to research or just experiment. These should all fit well within your price range. (Full disclosure: I am a Washington State resident, but have been drinking California and Washington reds for 30+ years...and still prefer Bordeaux -- especially St Julien & Margaux.)
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MrBrege commented:
10/24/14, 8:40 PM - Many thanks to you all for a bunch or great suggestions (jimyeni, wmccone54 and aChave). Unfortunately the local winestore here north of San Diego carried none(!!) of your excellent suggestions. I settled for Mad Hatter 2010 as per recommendation based on my list of names that you had all provided me. I stuck up a note on it for your amusement, not really what I was looking for - but next time I come over I will make sure to find a few on my new list. I am very grateful for your assistance, which will no doubt bring success eventually. Many thanks!!
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kcp commented:
10/31/14, 3:05 PM - I'd suggest Chappellet Signature, as well.
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SpoochMan commented:
11/3/14, 4:04 PM - I used to like Caymus years ago, before my palate changed. Now I dislike a lot of Napa Cabs that I used to love (got a bunch of Lewelling cabs, for example, that I ought to offload). I'll second the recommendation of Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards, both the estate cab and the Eloge blend. You can find some older vintages at Hart Davis Hart in Chicago (bought some of the '01 Estate and the '02 Eloge recently). Another producer I love is Philip Togni. Very different style from Caymus and very long lived. Seavey makes good cabs as well, in a more classic style. I don't have a lot of experience with O'Shaughnessy yet, and mine are too young, but seem quite promising.
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Alpton commented:
11/12/14, 3:42 PM - MRBERGE, been born and raised in Italy, I feel the same way about most of the American wine. I definitely agree with the user that recommends Cadence. A few Cabs from Napa that I have enjoyed because they aren't a fruit bomb are: Philip Togni (as well as his second label Tanbark Hill), Chappellet Pritchard Hill, Vinroc and Barnett (Spring Mtn and Rattlesnake Hill).