December 2009
Our End of Year Round-up
Great Domestic Cabernet and Merlot Reviewed
Just in time for the holidays our rundown of current release Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, in two parts.
Cabernet Sauvignon
My top scoring wine among these is the Malk, though the Trinitas offered alot of wine... Read moreOur End of Year Round-up
Great Domestic Cabernet and Merlot Reviewed
Just in time for the holidays our rundown of current release Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, in two parts.
Cabernet Sauvignon
My top scoring wine among these is the Malk, though the Trinitas offered alot of wine for a very price. Ultimately my personal choice among these wines is the Sausal. It's a classic old school style of California Cabernet bursting with ripe fruit and subtle notes of American oak. I love California Cabernet because it can be so fun to drink and the Sausal wins that race hands down in this group. The Montevina gets honorable mention for it's value.
2006 Malk Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon
Black olive, black currant, intensely aromatic, milk chocolate, roast beef, lots of paprika and coriander spices. Like velvet on entry, good acidy very well concealed tannins, tons of plush, vanilla and cinnamon scented fruit. This is super refined, very fresh and a fruit bomb without the fat and weight of most fruit bombs. This is very easy to drink with a broadly appealing style and a structure that is soft enough to allow this to be enjoyed on it’s own but substantial enough to benefit from food. Really nice length on the fruity, spicy finish. 94pts
2006 Trintas Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Intense yet fine with plenty of oak but strong black currant, tomato leaf , licorice, vanilla and mint tones. Lovely mouthfeel, rigid with a touch of woody sweetness and wonderfully pure fruit. The tannins are modest and a touch stiff but in proportion and well balanced allowing the pure fruit tones to take center stage. This is not a powerhouse but a well balanced, well focused bottle of cab that recalls some of the classic wines of the 80’s and shows very little sign of the formidable 14.9% alcohol. 93pts.
2006 Cliff Lede Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon
Lots of chili and grassy notes on the nose over note of vanilla, toast, cocoa, and crème de cassis notes. This is a bit cold in the mouth, tight and angry at being opened but with an emerging edge of fresh fruitiness. The tannins are refined, if copious with a really rich core of red and black berry fruit. Compressed on the finish as well but you can feel the fruit trying to break out through the finish. Quite a minty finale. This will definitely benefit from some time in the cellar but is well equipped to emerge a very complete wine in 2-4 years time. 92pts
2005 Kenwood Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon
Restrained and slightly herbaceous with integrated oak notes well balanced by the slightly vegetal, cauliflower and floral scented notes that contrast against the ripe red currant, red raspberry fruit. The oak is a touch too prominent on the nose at this point. Rather seamless on entry, deceptively so. On the mid-palate this begins to reveal lively acidity that is intertwined with the ripe, juicy, wild black raspberry fruits. The oak is well integrated and offers lots of accent on the palate with herbal top notes and a touch of eucalyptus appearing on the backend. This finishes a touch short but with nice purity to the flavors. 92pts
2005 Sausal Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
A wonderfully fruit driven nose with deep, smoky, dried chili notes, leafy ripe black currant fruit, hints of black olive, leather, dill, and crushed flowers and just the faintest traces of oaken spice. A bit light on the palate with fresh red fruits topped with green herbs and sweet bell pepper tones. This lacks some of the complexity found on the nose but offers up a refreshingly pure mouthful of slightly minty, slightly herbaceous, coffee tinged, unabashedly Cabernet fruit and finishes with the fuzzy mouthgrab of fruit tannin. 91pts
2006 Lionheart Wines Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Big and sweet on the nose but with layered and complex notes of smoke, chipotle, black fruit, leather, dried grass and musk and soil tones. Big, rich and soft with a chocolate toned dark dried cherry fruitiness that supported by good acids and plenty of fine-grained tannins. Finishes with good focus, this is a bit in a rough and tumble style but has good length and a distinct character. Tannins build on the finish so this should benefit from a year or two in the cellar. 90pts
2004 St. Supery Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
The nose is soft and subtle yet full of earthy, tobacco, spiced roasted plum and cherry fruit. This is lovely in the mouth with an elegant mouthfeel based around fine tannins. The wood element is still obvious but in balance with the fresh slightly jolly rancher sweet and sour wild grape note on the palate. Turns a touch drying on the finish but carries the fruit through to the finale with a nice consistency 90pts
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2005 Tangley Oaks Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 9
Warm with licorice, , herb, eucalyptus, and spiced plum cake notes. This is soft and fruity in the mouth with nice acids lending this some freshness and supporting the cranberry and red currant fruit notes. The tannins pop out on the finish a bit but remain restrained giving this an elegance on the back end which shows a bit more dark, black currant fruit notes. A very fruit forward style of wine. 88pts
2006 Oriel Midnight Rambler Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
Rather fruit driven, yet restrained, on the nose with a nice bouquet of slightly herbaceous and slightly candied blackberry fruits with wood spice tones playing a supporting role. A little light bodied with bright, acid driven flavors of slightly baconny black raspberries with an edge of vanilla and lots of milk chocolate and cherry on the finish. Nicely proportioned if smaller scaled. 88pts
2007 Going Forward Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Big, sweet in your face style of cabernet with a touch of smoked chili accenting the black currant, tobacco and cocoa dotted fruit. Has a hint of green floral character with some pencil lead. Medium bodied and fairly sharp in the mouth with leafy black currant fruit, modest, juicy tannins and nicely integrated acidity. Bright, fruit and a touch drying on the finish but bright and fresh. 88pts
2007 Go Figure Napa Valley Cabernet Lot 4
Soft and subdued on the nose with smoke, herb and black currant notes. A little sweet perhaps but very smooth and rich with an easy, simple style but nice fresh note of black fruit with a touch of spicy oak and vanilla adding some detail. Finishes a bit on the lean side but with good intensity to the dark flavors. 87pts
2005 Arbois Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Eucalyptus and minty herb nose is very aggressive with all sorts of chilies, olive and oak tones over the lightly baked black fruit tones. Big on entry then turning a bit leaner with plenty of acid accenting the hard, olivy, dry earthy, toasty mid-palate. There’s some nice red currant fruits intermixed on the palate but this is a very tannic and dry wine 86pts
2007 Montevina California Cabernet Sauvignon
Spicy red currants, green bell pepper, chipotle and herbs on the nose, with a little watermelon fruitiness. Easy and fruity with fresh red flavors that recall watermelon jolly ranchers, vanilla, and candied red cherry. This is lightish bodied, with some astringency from the tannins but that adds a nice freshness to the fruit. The finish is short and simple but that’s what this is all about. 85pts
2008 The Crusher Wilson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Smells intensely of oak, tobacco, tea, pine and plum. Very smooth and easy in the mouth with a simple, bright personality that highlights the balsam tinged, slightly candied purple and blue fruits. A bit snappy on the backend with high acid and slightly astringent tannins but a fair amount of wine for the price. 85pts
2006 Hess Allomi Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Shoe polish, bay leaf, small black fruits, oak, roasted herbs, thyme all are layered on the nose. This is smooth and rich but also hollow. There’s plenty of extract to work with but this is either closed or just remarkably lifeless with plenty of ripe fruit flavors that just sit on your tongue. The finish is drying and tannic, if very chocolaty and long. 84pts
2008 Round Hill California Cabernet Sauvignon
Light aromatics are smoky and slightly caramelly with a hard, chemical edge to them and a bit of struck match. Very light and fluid in the mouth with some rustic tannins and a modest amount of red fruit. Not much to this but it’s well made and perfectly acceptable wine, if a bit tough and not particularly varietal. 82 pts
2005 Toasted Head Alex Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Rotting wood, old barrel, burnt sugar, with lots of vegetal, pepper and tomato notes underneath. Rather easy in the mouth with a bbq sauce, ketchupy quality to the wine. Acid seems elevated, tannin non-existent on the palate but a little clingy on the lightly fruity finish. 77pts
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Merlot
Among these Merlots it’s no surprise that the Duckhorn was the star of the tasting, they have a long history excelling with merlot. The surprise of the tasting was the lovely little wine from New York State’s Fox Run. A small scaled and austere wine, it nonetheless was balanced and fresh with bright red fruit. Atypical for Merlot, but simply too fun and zesty to ignore. The Alexander valley Vineyards was another great wine and one that offers real value at its price point.
2006 Duckhorn Merlot
Black cherry, vanilla, tobacco leaf, herbs, earth, and a touch of French oak are all nicely balanced. This is seamless on entry with excellent purity of black cherry fruit. The acidity creeps up on you a little but the fruit is very precise and fresh with lovely suggestions of herb and tomato with fine shadings of cigarbox and cedar. This is refined and elegant with excellent length in a surprisingly fresh and juicy style that really highlights the red fruits. 93pts
2005 Matanzas Creek Bennett Valley Merlot
Herbal and decidedly earthy on the nose with espresso foam, toasted caraway, dill and a hint of toasted coconut over the base of black cherry fruit. This is certainly well structured in the mouth with fairly prominent and slight dry tannins that keep this leaner styled wine focused across the palate. The flavors are complex and the inner mouth perfume quite assertive with spice, herb and vanilla tinged red berry fruit tone. The fruit really pops on the backend and into the finish though this is and I expect will always remain an austere style of Merlot. This has excellent length but this is far from your typical California Merlot. 91pts
2006 Alexander Valley Vineyards Wetzel Family Vineyard Merlot
Tobacco, earth, smoke, dried flowers and plum on the nose. Really fresh on entry with soft tannins and bright acidity supporting lightly smoky, cedar edged red plum and pomegranate fruits with note of shaved bittersweet chocolate, coffee and candied raspberries adding nice top notes. The tannins turn a touch drying and aggressive with time, though they can easily be tamed with some time in bottle or decanter. The finish is long and caressing with a layered feel and lovely, fresh fruit tones. This has compelling freshness and a lightness across the palate that makes it very appealing. 90pts
2006 Ethos Merlot from Ch. Ste. Michelle
Deep tobacco, coffee, date, dried cherry, mint and perfumed French oak tones. This is rich and super polished with fresh acidity and substantial, but integrated tannins giving this a plush feel. The fruits are on the darker end of the spectrum with noticeable oak influenced flavors of chocolate, baking spices and cedar, but this still retains good balance. The finish shows more freshness with spiced plum notes but it’s also suffering compression from the load of wood tannin. A big, suave wine that may hold broad appeal but for me this is just a bit too polished and too oaked. 90pts
2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Merlot
This is all dark cocoa, coffee, prune and plum fruit on the nose with a backing of sweet oaky spice, and surprising freshness, considering the aromas. Full, rich and smooth on the palate with nice heft, and lusciously ripe fruit that is well supported by ripe tannins and integrated acidity. The flavors are much like the aromas, a bit on the darker end of the spectrum with the spice tones from the oak being a bit more prominent. The finish shows more of the dark fruit note with cigarbox, milk chocolate, and tobacco notes and a suggestion of sweetness. If the flavors sound appealing this is a nice wine for you. 89pts
2005 Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Merlot
Well-balanced aromas of freshly sawn wood, vanilla, crushed berries and juniper give this a woodsy nose. This has the rich attack and ultra smooth feel that many people look for in Merlot. The wood is well integrated on the palate adding only chocolate and mocha notes to the rich black plum fruit. There’s a bit of spice on the back end and into the finish, which is on the shorter side. Fruity and easy drinking 88pts
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2007 Blackstone Limited Release Sonoma Valley Merlot
Light tobacco and nilla wafer notes greet the nose with hightones of gingery oak spice framing the cherry fruit. This is a bit light on the palate with a bit of a loose feel with very soft tannins, though there is plenty of acidity. The fruit is a bit on the candied side with a sweet raspberry and red plum core that has notes of mint and chocolate adding interest. The tannins gain traction on the backend and through the moderately long candied red fruit, mint and coffee tinged finish. 87pts
2005 Toasted Head Merlot
Very sharp bitter cocoa, red cherry, toast, and dried tarragon notes on the nose. This is decidedly medium bodied with a bright acid driven spice and soft tannins enmeshed in red, slight astringent fruits that recall cranberry and red currant more than they dark fruits typically associated with merlot. Fresh and crisp in the mouth if a touch austere with a light vanilla overlay that leads to a wild cherry finish with hints of graham cracker and white chocolate. I would not guess this to be merlot, but I like it for what it is. 87pts.
2006 Parducci Mendocino Merlot
This smells a bit leathery and earthy with some damp coffee grounds balancing the black cherry fruit that has a touch of a menthol top note. A bit dense in the mouth but at the same time this is smooth with nice intensity to the flavors. A distinct coffee tone in the mouth with nice chewy red plum fruits and hints of sweet baking spices lead to a somewhat short, yet refreshing finish with a hint of raspberry on toast for the finale. 87pts
2006 Fox Run Finger Lakes Merlot
Ashy and rocky and slightly animal on the nose with old, cold coffee tones and hints of amarena cherry. On entry this offers some nice, ripe fruit in the red end of the spectrum. The tannins shows just a hint of astringency working well with the bright but integrated acidity giving this a fresh, bright feel that supports the light cherry fruit. It’s a touch herbal and austere going into the finish but is clean and brisk with good length to the slightly vegetal, red berry fruits. Zingy and fresh. 86pts
2007 Frei Brothers Dry Creek Valley Merlot Reserve
Sweet woods tones, a touch herbal and earthy though with a strong coffee/mocha element and smoked meat notes. This is attractively silky in the mouth with fine, slightly granular tannins that give this a bit of textural detail. The flavors are a bit on the oaky side with a touch of caramel to the coffee tinged dark plum fruits. It’s pretty much textbook Merlot, nothing out of place though it finishes a bit short it’s made in a crowd pleasing style. 86pts
2007 Smoking Loon California Merlot
There’s an off-putting hint of turpentine on the nose but other wise this has the typical cocoa tinged black fruits with clovey oak notes of most Merlot. Fairly rich in the mouth and well balanced with fresh, if simple red fruits. The turpentine shows up as a top note of refreshing balsam. This shows good balance and nice varietal character. 86pts
2004 Perrucci Santa Cruz Mountain Merlot
Red apples, dried meat, damp cigar butt and a touch of barnyard all join together in this slightly volatile and rustic nose. Rich and smooth on the palate, with lovely structure. There are lovely ripe tannins here and bright acids supporting very fresh and admirably precise spiced plum fruits with tar, melon rind, and anise seed accents. There’s not much on the finish besides the acids but this still has some intriguing notes. 85pts
2008 The Crusher Wilson Vineyard Merlot
Toasty, earthy, big black cherry, big fruit, a fair amount of wood, lot’s of sweet scents. Though the charry oak is pretty much slathered on. Medium bodied with sweetness on entry to the red fruits that are followed across the palate by toast, spicy wood tones that add a touch of coffee bean bitterness to the fruit. A good bit of acid refreshes the back end but there is something a bit coarse and tough about this wine even though it delivers a fair amount of candied red and black fruits. 84pts
2008 Round Hill Merlot
Leafy, green herby, green tomato and sawdust on the nose. This is a touch sweet on entry and across the palate but the sugar gives this some volume in the mouth, and balances the acids and slightly rough tannins. Rather neutral on the palate with green tomato and slight wood tones. Drying on the finish. This is a little coarse and rustic, and tastes little like Merlot but is an acceptable table wine that I would consider for hot dogs and hamburgers. 83pts (hide)
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