Important Update From the Founder

Institute of Masters of Wine - 2013 Cabernet Walk-Around Tasting

Hyatt, San Francisco

Tasted October 24, 2016 by RajivAyyangar with 860 views

Introduction

Overall impressions of Napa Cabernet:
Color
- Dark ruby, less often Medium plus and Opaque
Nose
- Intense Blackcurrant
- Moderate to high influence of new oak
- Occasionally shows pyrazine influence - bell peppers, olives
- Very clean - only rarely show brett
Palate
- Elevated to high alcohol - most 14.5-15%
- full-bodied

Stylistically there is a spectrum of ripe, classic, and elegant:

Overripe:
- Alpha omega
- AXR
- Duckhorn
- Gallo Signature
- Krupp
- Viader Liquid Cashmere

Ripe:
- Chris Carpenter wines (Lokoya, La Jota, Cardinale)
- Joseph Phelps
- Pahlmeyer
- Pride Mountain
- Rutherford Hill
- Snowden

Classic:
- Louis Martini
- Cakebread
- Grgich Hills
- Jordan
- Stag’s Leap

Elegant: Higher-acid, lower ripeness types
- Corison
- Lyndenhurst
- Inglenook Rubicon
- Trefethen
- Chimney Rock
- Ridge Montebello
- Mt. Eden

In terms of quality, the quality was excellent across the board. In terms of my preference, a lot of the wines skewed riper than I’d like, but this seems consistent with California Cabernet as a genre. Here were my favorites, by score:

Around 9-9.5:
- Spottswoode Lyndenhurst
Around 9:
- Corison
8.5-9
- Grgich Hills
- La Jota Howell Mtn.
- Louis M. Martini (Value!)
- Pride
- Rutherford Hill
- Snowden
- Trefethen
- Ridge Montebello
- Leonetti (Washington!)

Flight 1 (27 notes)

Red

2013 Alpha Omega Era USA, California, Napa Valley

82 points

Jean Hoefliger, M. Rolland consulting. Black in the glass. Super duper ripe aromas - verging on overripe. Polished tannins. Acid is elevated and sticks out - possibly acidified? Really big and lumbering. Not a fan of this style - I feel like if you want ripe, ripe, super-ripe, you can get this at a lower price point.

Comment

Red

2013 AXR Cabernet Sauvignon USA, California, Napa Valley

83 points

Big, bold wine. Ripe and juicy. Not my style, but this seems well-made.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Cain Vineyard & Winery Cain Five USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

60 points

Fecal aromas - bacterial issues? Very poor.
Cain is known for having Brett, but this is way more. Maybe stability issues due to high pH?

Comments (1)

Red

2013 Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon USA, California, Napa Valley

84 points

Nice and pretty down-the-middle style. Ripe but with good acidity.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Cardinale USA, California, Napa Valley

84 points

(A Chris Carpenter wine - Lokoya, La Jota). Big, ripe, and highly tannic. Slight savory stewed bell pepper pyrazines which add savory interest, but needs acid.

Comment

Red

2013 Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Tomahawk Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

82 points

Light and vague, like the Inglenook.

Comment

Red

2013 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon USA, California, Napa Valley

90 points

Lovely - strong blackcurrant aromas with a characteristic hint of brett and fresh m+ acid. Good integration at this stage.

1 person found this helpful Comments (2)

Red

2013 Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley USA, California, Napa Valley

80 points

Smells and tastes overripe, raisinated. Low acid. Low tannins. Seems consistent with Duckhorn’s style. Plush.

Comment

Red

2013 Gallo Family Vineyards / Gallo of Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon Signature Series USA, California, Napa Valley

70 points

Overripe. Sweet. A bit fishy.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon USA, California, Napa Valley

88 points

Classic. Slight pyrazines, intense ripe blackcurrant, modest oak. Classic structure, slightly on the ripe side.

Comment

Red

2013 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

83 points

Nice savory nose but a bit soft on the palate. More restrained ripeness compared to other wines here, which I tend to appreciate, but the complexity isn’t really there. Much lower flavor concentration mid-palate than the Spottswoode Lyndenhurst.

Comment

Red

2013 Jordan Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

84 points

Balanced and elegant but the quality doesn’t seem as high as the others - length, complexity of fruit character, mid-palate intensity. 13.8%.

Comments (2)

Red

2013 Joseph Phelps Insignia USA, California, Napa Valley

84 points

Smells underripe (pyrazinic) and tastes overripe. Structurally a bit soft (lower acid and tannins, higher alcohol).

4 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Krupp Brothers Estates Cabernet Sauvignon M5 Stagecoach Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley

85 points

Huge. 15.2% and tasted like it. Intense blackcurrant nose with high tannins, high acid, and high ripeness. Too much for me.

Comment

Red

2013 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

88 points

Similar to other Chris Carpenter wines (makes Lokoya and Cardinale). Ripe, but bright too. Well made in a ripe style.

2 people found this helpful Comments (1)

Red

2013 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

86 points

Ripe. Some eucalyptus and menthol. Too much ripeness for me. I’d like more acidic freshness. Still, undeniably a good wine in this style.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder

86 points

Similar to the Howell Mtn. Ripe with well-rounded high tannins. I’d prefer less ripeness and more acid, but a well-made wine. Texturally it is plusher than, say, Corison.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County USA, California, Sonoma County

88 points

Bright and elegant. Slight olive and good blackcurrant. This held up really well against wines 5x the price!

Comment

Red

2013 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red USA, California, Napa Valley

Aromatic. Intense black fruit. Ripe on the palate. Not super refined. (no score - quick impressions).

Comment

Red

2013 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner Select USA, California, Napa Valley

87 points

Intense blackcurrant and coffee (oak ). Hefty on the palate. Tannic and big without freshness. Some faint savoriness that adds interest.

Comment

Red

2013 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

80 points

Very light. Slight olive. Medium minus color. Low intensity fruit.

Comment

Red

2013 Rutherford Hill Cabernet Sauvignon USA, California, Napa Valley

88 points

Pure intense blackcurrant. Ripe and aromatically open with high tannins. Great example of a ripe style.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Snowden Cabernet Sauvignon Brothers Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley

87 points

Ripe with green bell peppers (pyrazines). Savory and tannic. Would like more acid.

Comment

Red

2013 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

92 points

Energetic nose with precise ripeness, slightly tart, intense blackcurrant, and slight brown olive. Balanced with modest alcohol (~13.9%), great acidity, elevated tannins (well-rounded). Power and elegance. I retasted this a few times throughout the walk-around tasting to calibrate, and it really impressed me every single time. By far my favorite of the walk-around.

Comment

Red

2013 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Fay USA, California, Napa Valley

86 points

Middle of the road CA Cab. Good balance, a bit on the ripe side.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Knoll District USA, California, Napa Valley, Oak Knoll District

88 points

Similar in style to the Spottswoode Lyndenhurst. Cigar ash. Pickled jalapeño. Bright acid freshness. High tannins. Black fruit. Fresh.

Comment

Red

2013 Viader Cabernet Sauvignon Liquid Cashmere USA, California, Napa Valley

Very ripe. Very tannic. Intense blackcurrant juice - a bit overripe. Big with low acid. Not a fan. (no score - quick impression).

Comment

Flight 2 (3 notes)

Red

2011 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

70 points

Grape candy and a bit of seaweed. Acid-deficient, flabby, and soft.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

flawed

Good concentration but kind of sulfury. Flawed bottle. Juicy and ripe. Med plus tannins.

1 person found this helpful Comments (1)

Red

2013 Ridge Monte Bello USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

88 points

Aromatic, with black cherry and blackcurrant. There’s some purple fruit - reminds me of the varietal Petit Verdot I tasted in the 2013 blending event. Blackberry as well. Good acidity - a bit simple and juicy on the midpalate. Medium tannins - rounded and open already.

2 people found this helpful Comment

Flight 3 (2 notes)

Red

2013 Burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

75 points

Unappetizing nose - vegetal without being identifiably pyrazinic. Ripe and flabby palate - lacking acid, alcohol is too high. Hot.

2 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Stratus Cabernet Sauvignon Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA

86 points

Pretty decent. Oak and blackcurrant (a bit heavy on the oak and could use more acid).

Comment

Flight 4 (1 note)

Red

2002 Pheasant Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Limited Release USA, Texas, Texas High Plains

83 points

14-year-old Cab from Texas? What a surprise! It tastes light and faded - a bit washed-out with some tamari/sweet leather from age. Still m+ tannins, a bit thin and tart. It’s not identifiably Cab at this stage - just an old wine that’s still holding on.

1 person found this helpful Comment

Flight 5 (1 note)

Red

2013 RdV Vineyards Lost Mountain USA, Virginia, Northern Virginia, Fauquier County

70 points

It smells like poor-quality fruit - uneven ripeness, a bit dirty and weedy. In the mouth it’s short and thin, with low acid - overall impression is a bit flabby.

Comment

Flight 6 (4 notes)

Red

2013 Quilceda Creek CVR Columbia Valley USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

75 points

15.2% and feels hot. Has some weedy fruit that strikes me as unevenly ripe - like a lower-end Malbec. Hot, flabby, and thin on the palate.

2 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Canvasback Cabernet Sauvignon USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

80 points

Raisinated with green pyrazinic menthol (maybe heat stress led to under-developed flavor at time of harvest?). Soft and a bit acid-deficient / sluggish on the palate. Ah I see this is made by Duckhorn. Makes sense - and consistent with their plusher, riper style.

2 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

80 points

Pretty generic cab. Lighter body than most, with low acid - a bit sluggish. Some pyrazines - the fruit tastes a bit green overall.

2 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

87 points

Slightly Bretty. Good structure. The best of the Washington wines at this tasting - savory and ripe with noticeably blackcurrant. Good!

1 person found this helpful Comment

Institute of Masters of Wine - 2013 Cabernet Walk-Around Tasting

Hyatt, San Francisco

Introduction

Flight 1 (27 notes)

Flight 2 (3 notes)

Flight 3 (2 notes)

Flight 4 (1 note)

Flight 5 (1 note)

Flight 6 (4 notes)

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