Sweet and Sour Spectator

Always Start with Whites

We started off with two Chardonnays. This group generally prefers White Burgs, and so their taste in California Chards tends to run to the leaner and more elegant examples.

• 2003 Littorai Chardonnay The Tributary - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  With only 25 cases produced, this is a rare bottle, and we know there weren't many blending decisions to make. The wine was sparkling crystal clear with a light gold color. It had a beautiful ripe but complex nose of fruit and minerals. The palate shows a medium body with lime and citrus highlighting the chardonnay fruit. Made in a refined elegant and lighter style than found in most Cal. Chards, it reminded me of a French Grand Cru. The oak was well integrated and non-intrusive, and the wine finished sweetish and long. (92 pts.)
• 2005 Hanzell Chardonnay - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
  Straw gold color with some cloudiness. Very restrained nose showing traces of minerals and not much else. Medium-full body with an oily mouth coating richness but still showing a restrained style. Lemon-lime acidity balances the obvious California fruit, but for my taste a bit more acid would improve things. Oak is in the background, and the wine showed a very long finish. I think this wine is closed and will benefit from several years of cellaring. A well-made wine that will get better. (90 pts.)

Old Bones

The next flight was a bit of a gamble, as storage is always be a potential issue with 30+ year old wines. Of course, the potential upside is also a lot greater. We opened the older wines first, fearing that contact with the most modern of Cabs would sear our taste buds. And now, if you'll set the dials on your wayback machine...

• N.V. Spring Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Lot H 68.69.LN - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
  A blend of 1968 and 1969 vintages, including grapes purchased from Joe Heitz. 12.5% Alcohol claimed on the label. Beautiful red color, and despite being about 37 years old, there wasn't any lightening at the rim. The nose was originally musty and a bit old, but this blew off after sitting in the glass for 30 minutes or so. The nose that was left showed some light mint and eucalyptus along with mushrooms. The wine had a mouth-filling medium body, great acidity and generous fruit considering the age of the wine. Finish showed traces of the fully resolved tannins and long, lingering flavors. Though not as youthful or rich as the 1974s which were opened at the same tasting, it makes up for it with elegance. A very, very nice wine. (93 pts.)
• 1974 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  My third bottle of this in two years, and another winner. Super big youthful, but complex nose of acid, fruit, earth, and a bit of cigar box. Color is deep garnet, with no bricking at the rim. The wine had a medium-plus body still showing vigorous fruit, but with a good balancing acidity. Finish is long and sweet. Early professional tasting notes on this wine mention its "beefiness" and big structure, with scores in the mid 80s. Today there is just elegance, balance, and amazing youthfulness and I consistently score it in the mid 90s. This isn't getting any better, how could it? It is great now. This vied with the 1974 Charles Krug Vintage Selection Lot F1 Cab for WOTN. This should join a few other wines from the 1970s as a legendary CA Cab. (94 pts.)
• 1974 Charles Krug Winery (Peter Mondavi Family) Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection Lot F1 - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Wow, another example of what a superb year 1974 was for California Cabernet. This wine smelled and tasted remarkably youthful. There was great fruit with a wonderful blueberry and bittersweet chocolate core. The body was medium plus. rich and mouth coating with a chewy texture. There was great balance between the fruit, acid, and tannins. and the wine had a lingering sweet finish. A wonderful mouthful of wine. Close to unanimous WOTN. (95 pts.)

The 1980s

A lot of folks call the 1980s a lost time in California winemaking, sort of like the 1970s was to men's fashion. These wines, however, were fine. We opened...

• 1981 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
  Color was dark garnet, almost opaque. The nose was quite advanced age-wise, but clean and without faults. The wine had a medium body with brambly fruit and tastes of dark chocolate. Structure was classic, with good acid and tannin balance. Finishes well, and without any bitterness. Not terribly complex. (90 pts.)
• 1984 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Deep red color, not the kind of wine you can see through. Nose shows bitter chocolate and noticeable acid. Palate has a medium-plus body with tannins and acid predominating, but for a Dunn, this is almost drinkable. Of course, it's not a Howell Mountain, so after 22 years we can always hope it will be approachable. Well made, but as with most Dunn's in a very backwards style. I thought this was too tannic and acidic, but most of the other folks at the table thought it was one of the first Dunn's they've ever had that was drinkable. Impressive, but not a lot of fun. (89 pts.)
• 1987 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Color is dark garnet red. Chocolate and eucalyptus on the nose. Medium body, with tastes of chocolate and blueberries, and noticeable vanilla sweetness. Still tannic, the wine lacks complexity, but is well made. (88 pts.)
• 1990 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
  Sadly, this was corked. NR (flawed)

Modern Monsters

The late '90s up to the present has given us the California Cult wine. Producers really do seem to be picking riper, and the resulting wines are much bigger in style.

• 1997 Peter Michael Les Pavots - USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
  Red black color, with a good nose of fruit and chocolate. Great extraction with ample tannins, but there is a lot of complexity here and superb balance. A very well made wine from excellent material, this was the best of the modern-monster wines at the tasting. (94 pts.)
• 2001 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Anniversary SunSpot Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
  Color is opaque and deep purple-red, almost black. Nose and palate both show super ripeness with fruity blueberry and chocolate flavors hiding behind endless ranks of ripe tannins. Super primary still, and a bit simple right now. Waiting five or ten years before trying again seems like a good policy. (93 pts.)
• 2005 Kongsgaard Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Color is inky dark purple-red. Nose shows eucalyptus, green grass, and some stems, hovering above monster stewed fruit. Body full plus, like Port. Super extracted flavors of chocolate and blueberries with a forbidding wall of tannins. Palate and finish both seem sweet. This wine is just too much for me. It will probably eventually turn into something I would like better, but for now it is a perfect monster to appear as the poster child of the modern CA Cab style. Not my thing. (88 pts.)

This was a lot of fun, as well as being educational. Perhaps we'll think of another excuse to do this again soon. And, if not, we will certainly celebrate again next Repeal Day.