WINE REVIEWS & RATINGS

CALIFORNIA

Cabernet 1983 to 2002

1983 Simi Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Color: Medium red

Nose: Bell pepper, sour cherry, earth

Taste: Settle down after 30 minutes of pouring and featured bell pepper, cherry and earth components

Finish: Light on the finish featuring earth components

Evaluation: Past prime but still worth drinking 86 points

1990 Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Red pepper, earth, oak, subtle fruit

Taste: Red pepper, integrated tannins, oak and earth

Finish: Long with red pepper, subtle fruit, oak that weaves into a nice buttery finish. Tasted in 07 88 points

1991 Dominus Blind Tasted

Color: Medium purple

Nose: Not much there except hints of earth.

Taste: An earth dominated wine with no detectable fruit

Finish: Medium

Evaluation: Not the 98 pointer that Parker described. The bottle seemed undamaged. 87 points

1991 Opus One Napa Valley Meritage Blend $$$$$

Color: Medium purple

Nose: Lots left with tobacco, cherry, subtle oak

Taste: Really smooth right now with cherry, plum, vanilla, tobacco

Finish: Medium and balanced

Evaluation: Sampled in 09 and drink up 93 points

1994 Laurel Glen Cabernet Blind Tasted

Color: Medium ruby

Nose: Earth, sour cherry

Taste: Fruits and earth dominated the palate. Detectable forest floor. This wine got better with time in the glass.

Finish: About a minute with many characteristics above flowing through my mouth.

Evaluation: A great wine with an ability to improve with age. Many people who I have talked to about this wine think it has another ten plus years of life. 90 points

1995 Pride Mountain Cabernet Blind tasted

Color: Medium purple

Nose: Vegetal and a rubbing alcohol smell.

Taste: Totally opposite of the nose with plum, sour cherry and spice.

Finish: A half a minute.

Evaluation: This wine might have been stellar a few years ago but was going into the oxidation process. With food it was even better. 90 points

1996 Sherwin Family Vineyards Spring Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Cherry, truffles, pencil lead, plum

Taste: Toasted oak, cherry, plum, truffles and pencil lead

Finish: Medium and concentrated showing great form

Evaluation: Solid now but should age 5 more years 93 points

1998 Robert Mondavi Stag's Leap Cabernet $$$

Color: Medium purple

Nose: Intense with tobacco, spice and currants

Taste: Tobacco, floral, spice

Finish: Medium with floral, spice and tobacco

Evaluation: For a 98 this is quite nice. 87 points

1999 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley (5/22/2010)
Of the 3 I consume this was by far the most impressive and I would start drinking these now. Nose of cherry, subtle oak, spice, vanilla and plum. What a smooth wine, tannins are in check and shows off cherry, plum, oak, vanilla, spice and leather on medium finish. I was very impressed with this wine and at $60 a steal when I purchased it 5 years ago. (94 pts.)

1999 St. Supery Meritage Napa Valley $$$$

Color: Medium purple

Nose: Little heat but mainly earth and licorice

Taste: Licorice, pepper, chewy, light tannins

Finish: Multi layered finish with spice, pepper, with buttery elements rounded it out.

Evaluation: Drink now as this is performing well. A nice Bordeaux style wine (Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot). 90 points

2000 Sebastiani Sonoma Cabernet $$

Color: Medium Purple

Nose: Tobacco, Earth tones, Little fruit

Taste: A little bitter with hints of plum and sour cherries.

Finish: Very short

Evaluation: 80 points

2000 Viader Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Spice and Intense

Taste: Big wine with mineral, cranberry and spice

Finish: Medium to long

Evaluation: Good for a 2000 Vintage wine 88 points

2001 Conn Valley Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet $$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Wonderful with cherry, plum, earth, soft tannins

Taste: Balanced wine with fine tannins featuring cherry, plum and earth flavors

Finish: Long and it again featured cherry, plum and earth.

Evaluation: What an elegant wine! Everything was perfect. 95 points

2001 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet $$$

Color: Medium purple

Nose: Earth, red pepper

Taste: Earth, red pepper

Finish: Earth, red pepper, light buttery finish

Evaluation: Drink up if you still have this one. 84 points

2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia $$$$$

Color: Medium purple

Nose: Strong earth and damp forest.

Taste: Tobacco, cherry and some plum. Well structured wine.

Finish: Smooth tannins in this one and it was a very consistent finish with many of the above descriptors diving in and out of the finish.

Evaluation: Extremely well crafted wine and should improve in five years. 93 points

2001 Louis Martini "Monte Rosso" Cabernet $$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Black fruits, earth, oak, vanilla

Taste: Smooth wine that is well integrated with cherry, plum, earth, oak, vanilla

Finish: Smooth and satisfying and medium in length.

Evaluation: Drinking great at the end of 07. 92 points

2001 Whitehall Lane Reserve Cabernet $$$$$

Color: Medium purple

Nose: Elegant with earth, floral and subtle currants

Taste: Floral, earth, mineral, and currant

Finish: Long and elegant with floral and earth components

Evaluation: A balanced wine that is drinking beautifully. 94 points

2002 Alexander Valley Vineyard Cyrus Alexander Valley Cabernet $$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Earth, plum and oak

Taste: Smooth tannins, oak, vanilla, earth, plum

Finish: Medium buttery finish with oak, earth, vanilla

Evaluation: A well made cab from a good 02 vintage. Pick one up for a five year wedding celebration. 90 points

2002 Anderson's Conn Valley Right Bank 60% Cabernet Franc/40% Merlot $$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Ripe Currants, Earth, and Oak

Taste: Cherry, oak, vanilla, espresso

Finish: Medium with currants, oak and a little tannic

Evaluation: Could use some more time in the cellar but if paired with red meat you should be in business. 89 points

2002 Etude Napa Valley Cabernet $$$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Huge currants, spice, oak, earth

Taste: Massive multi layered wine! Plum, currants, spice, oak, earth, vanilla attacking your taste buds

Finish: LONG with all characteristics above

Evaluation: The best Cab from Cali I have had yet. 96 points

2002 Flora Springs Trilogy Napa Valley Red Wine

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Cherry! Earth notes

Taste: Very smooth easy drinking wine with earth, cherry and a sweet element to it.

Finish: Very nice with currant and a silky finish.

Evaluation: Tasted back in January and scored it a 94. This was a crowd pleaser at an event I did and I scored it this time around a solid 90 points

2002 Ladera Howell Mountain Cabernet $$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Spice and earth

Taste: Spice, earth and cinnamon

Finish: Spice, cinnamon, earth with a buttery finish kicking in after 30 seconds

Evaluation: Pricey for the quality but should improve with some age. 90 points

2002 Ladera Howell Mountain Cabernet $$$$ (Sample 2008)

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Plum, cherry, spice

Taste: Cherry, plum, oak, vanilla, spice, tannins softer

Finish: Complex and concentrated with cherry, plum, oak, vanilla, spice, and tobacco

Evaluation: Better then before and I would cellar for 5 years to max out this wine. 92 points currently

2002 Larkmead Napa Valley Cabernet

Color: Thick purple texture

Nose: High alcohol, earth, plum, spices, crushed rock

Taste: Earth, pepper, spice, a bit tannic

Finish: Currently high tannins that will soften over time. Consistent medium finish but nothing exciting. The second day showed a buttery long finish.

Evaluation: Quite possible too young to drink or in a “dumb phase” which is not allowing the wine to sing. On the second day I would say this wine could be potentially able to reach a 92 score but currently. 89 points

2002 Louis Martini Monte Rosso Vineyard Sonoma Cabernet $$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Earth, black currants

Taste: Medium tannins (aging will help), earth, black cherry

Finish: Medium to long with earth, black cherry, tobacco

Evaluation: I would cellar this wine. This will be a nice 2002 wedding ten year wine at a good price right now. 90 points

2002 Louis Martini Alexander Valley Cabernet $$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Earth tones, tobacco, wild berries

Taste: Earth, red currants

Finish: Earth tones, spice, some fruit on a medium finish

Evaluation: A nice cabernet that won’t break the bank. 87 points

2002 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Plum, cherry, spice

Taste: Good structure with cherry, plum, oak, spices

Finish: Really concentrated and spicy.

Evaluation: A solid effort 90 points

2002 Silverado Napa Valley Cabernet $$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Floral, earth

Taste: Perfume, floral, earth, smooth tannins

Finish: Multi layered, long finish with earth, floral and smooth tannins

Evaluation: A wonderful cab. 90 points Haskell's

2002 Chateau Souverain Sonoma Cabernet

Color: dark purple

Nose: Cherry and earth

Taste: Gritty, with earth plum, oak and tannins (needs time to soften)

Finish: Earth dominating the finish with fruit attempting to emerge.

Evaluation: This wine should improve with age and has history of doing so. I recently tasted a 97 and it was drinking at its peak. Buy a few and cellar. 85 points

2002 Vine Cliff Napa Valley Cabernet $$$$

Color: Dark purple

Nose: Earth, truffles, mushrooms, little musty

Taste: Earth, mushroom, oak, spice, medium tannins

Finish: Medium with earth, oak, vanilla, with a buttery finish

Evaluation: Several characteristics but nothing over all is impressing me. 87 points

2002 York Creek Spring Mountain District Meritage $$$$

Color: Medium purple

Nose: Vibrant and complex with spice, cinnamon, plum, floral, buttery notes

Taste: Asian spice, plum, oak, earth, cinnamon, medium tannins present

Finish: Sharp with spice, earth, oak and mineral notes on a medium to long finish

Evaluation: What a marvelous finish. Should improve with some additional cellar time. 92 points Hennepin Lake

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