Important Update From the Founder
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California cabs 1995-1997 v. 2005-2007
Manhattan Beach, CA
Tasted March 27, 2014 by cabber with 543 views
Introduction
Thursday "school-night" wine tasting. Eleven bottles tasted single blind. Most decanted 1-3 hours.
Flight 1 (11 notes)
Red
1995 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon
97 points
Deep crimson, classic bordeaux nose, earth, cassis, great balance, perfect acidity, smooth finish. Just great. WOTN
Red
2007 Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
99 points
Deep color, huge nose, tons of red and black ripe fruit, perfect balance,, long finish. Fantastic. #2 WOTN
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Red
2005 Krupp Brothers Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard
96 points
Deep dark color, ripe black fruit, tobacco, graphite, long finish. Wow great. Candidate for WOTN
Red
2007 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon
96 points
Dark color, vanilla nose, ripe red fruit, chocolate, pencil, long finish. Just great. Candidate for WOTN
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Red
2005 Larkmead Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Solari
95 points
Dark color, silky smooth, Bordeaux-like, ripe black fruit, leather, chocolate. Spectacular.
Red
2005 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard
95 points
Huge nose, tannic, young. Great potential
Red
2005 Harlan Estate The Maiden
94 points
Deep color, nice fruit, oaky, needs more time to come together.
Red
2005 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
94 points
Dark color, rich sweet fruit, merlot stands out. Really good.
Red
2005 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
93 points
Easy drinking, soft, balanced, mellow. Nice.
Red
2007 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points
Off-smell initially, but blew off; nice balance; earthy, coffee notes
Red
1997 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon
83 points
Lots of fruit, but has turned porty; tobacco finish. This is a far cry from the 97 Spottswoodes I remember. Past its prime. Easily the most disappointing wine of the night.
Closing
Virtually all of the wines were fantastic!
We also opened a few bottles after the tasting without taking notes:
1996 Mondavi 30th Anniversary Reserve
1998 Dalla Valle Cabernet
2006 Mondavi Reserve To-Kalon