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Phoenix eRP Offline - California Cabernet Sauvignon
Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix
Tasted March 7, 2007 by kstoddard with 1,432 views
Flight 1 - Champagne Flight (2 notes)
Rosé - Sparkling
1969 Canard-Duchêne Champagne Brut Rosé
The cork broke in two pieces in the neck of the bottle when opening. Dark brown in color. Almonds and oranges. Sweet, maderized finish. Flat. Over the hill.
Rosé - Sparkling
N.V. Krug Champagne Brut Rosé
91 points
Pale yellow in color. Not sure why this is considered a Rosé? Smoked almonds, pears and minerals. Nice, smooth finish.
Flight 2 - First Flight (5 notes)
Red
1970 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
89 points
Red brick color. Mint, chocolate, violets and dried cherries. Smooth finish. A bit fragile but still holding up quite well.
Red
1985 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon York Creek
85 points
Earth, dark fruit and exotic oriental spices. This wine has a very nice freshness to it. Bitter finish. Tasting a bit tired. 12.1% alcohol.
Red
1985 B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon Olive Hill Estate Vineyards
91 points
Dark purple in color. No signs of aging for such an old wine. Vanilla pudding, earth, seaweed, raspberries, peppermint and chocolate. Rich mid palate and finish. Very young tasting. Impressive.
Red
1982 Ahlgren Cabernet Sauvignon Bates Ranch
82 points
Caramel, cherries and blackberries. Dusty, dry finish. Faded fruit. On its way out. 13.2% alcohol.
Red
1987 Dominus Estate
88 points
Blackberries, cherries, oranges and blueberries with a touch of barnyard. Green mid palate. Elegant, soft finish.
Flight 3 - Second Flight (5 notes)
Red
1991 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
92 points
Cherry Jello, blackcurrant, blackberries and blueberries. Layered mid palate. Elegant finish. Well balanced with nice freshness. Still a very young wine.
Red
1992 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard
flawed
Corked. Gamy nose. Blackcurrant and green bell peppers. Earthy. Muted fruit. Soft finish.
Red
1993 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
83 points
Soy sauce, brown sugar and blackberries. Austere finish. Off bottle?
Red
1994 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve
90 points
Boysenberries. Nice freshness and acidity. Rich, concentrated finish. Firm tannins.
Red
1996 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
84 points
Chemical nose. Smells like Windex. Pretty blackberry fruit. Oakville dust. Firm oak tannins.
Flight 4 - Third Flight (5 notes)
Red
1996 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
86 points
Charred earth, blackberries, violets, spices and blackcurrant. Rich wine. Sort finish and still tannic.
Red
1997 Thunder Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Bates Ranch
92 points
Cinnamon, blackberries and grapes. Lush mid palate. Pretty finish. Well balanced wine.
Red
1997 Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon
84 points
Vanilla and dark fruit. Very oaky. Nice acidity and finish.
Red
1997 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection
90 points
Minerals, black fruit and earth undertones. Well balanced. Fruit is a bit muted. Much better when I tried it last year.
Red
1997 Peter Michael Les Pavots
80 points
Perfumed blackberry nose. Bitter, alcoholic, dry finish. Dreadful wine especially for the money.
Flight 5 - Fourth Flight (5 notes)
Red
1997 Tuck Beckstoffer Cabernet Sauvignon
95 points
Violets, blackberries, boysenberries. Firm tannins. Great balance and lively acidity. Layered mid palate. Very light on its feet. Lengthy, rich finish that lasts for over 60 seconds. What a fantastic wine. My personal WOTN.
Red
1997 Sullivan Vineyards Coeur de Vigne
90 points
Smoke, spearmint and black fruit. Monolithic mid palate. Rich finish.
Red
1997 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley
86 points
Caramel and grapey character. Tannic and monolithic.
Red
1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia
94 points
Vanilla, charred earth, blackberries and violets. Firm tannins. Layered, complex mid palate. Rich finish. Beautiful acidity. Very young wine.
Red
1998 Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon HL
Blackberry kirsch. Bitter finish. Dry tannins. Not real pleasant to drink.
Flight 6 - Fifth Flight (5 notes)
Red
1999 Joseph Phelps Insignia
83 points
VA on the nose. Blackberries. Layered mid palate. Little alcohol on the finish. Off bottle?
Red
2001 Neal Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Second Chance Vineyard
86 points
Charred oak nose. Blackberry kirsch.
Red
2002 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon
82 points
Floral nose. Blackcurrant fruit. Tannic. Short, dry finish. Strange, I usually really like Karl Lawrence wines.
Red
2002 Sherwin Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Spring Mountain District
VA on the nose. Searing alcohol on the palate. Keep away from an open flame. Words cannot describe how absolutely awful this wine is.
Red
2002 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
87 points
Blackberries. Monolithic mid palate. A little alcoholic on the finish. Not a great showing for Whitehall considering the great run of wines we've tasted over the last year. Disappointing.
Flight 7 - Sixth Flight (5 notes)
Red
2003 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points
Grapey nose. Blackberries and charred earth. Closed mid palate. This wine is definitely sleeping right now. Mouth coating tannins. Well balanced with a very elegant finish. Would love to try this again in 5-10 years. So much potential. 14.6% alcohol.
Red
Red
2003 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
88 points
Blackcurrant, leather, tobacco and wet earth. Rich and concentrated but unfortunately a little dry on the finish.
Red
2004 Neal Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
83 points
Floral perfumed nose. Very noticeable alcohol on the finish. Unbalanced. Very young. Not showing very well at all.
Red
2003 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
85 points
Floral nose. Pretty blackberry fruit with a nice caramel overtone. A little hot on the finish. Tannic. Way too young. This wine should however come around with time. 14.7% alcohol.
Flight 8 - Dessert Flight (2 notes)
Red - Fortified
1966 Moreira Porto Colheita
90 points
Light brown in color and a bit cloudy. Brown sugar and caramel with orange. Rich, smooth finish. Light in acidity. A bit cloying.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2003 Château Rieussec
88 points
Peaches, pears and honeycomb. Nice freshness. Rich finish but acidity is really short on this wine. Very cloying and tiresome to drink.
Flight 9 - After Dinner Free For All (3 notes)
Red
1986 B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon Olive Hill Estate Vineyards
91 points
Prunes, earth and bright cherry fruit. Rich finish.
Red
1997 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
92 points
Chalky limestone and cherries. Very rich mid palate and finish. Nice wine. Needed about 30 minutes in the glass to really shine.
White - Off-dry
2005 Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese *
93 points
Pears and apples. Beautiful, bright acidity. Great freshness and balance. Elegant finish. What a fantastic wine. Wonder what this will be like in 10-15 years?