Cabernet Sauvignon The defining moment for any vintage comes not when the grapes are picked, and the wineries proclaim it to be yet another perfect harvest that will absolutely yield a bounty of brilliantly successful wines. And it does not come when the first barrel samples are tasted by those who cannot wait to rush into print with their definitive judgments as to quality, ageworthiness and value. A vintage may get a reputation, often to its great detriment and to the detriment of wine buyers, from those early pontifi- cations, but it does not get adequately defined by those kinds of speculations. It is only when the wines are settled in barrel, blends are made up and selections are drawn from the entire range of juice available to the wineries that we are able to get our first indications in any meaningful way. At that point, the vintage begins to acquire a broader, more informed patina, and, whether fully or only partially correct, that newer image is the one that tends to stick—even when later evidence clearly adds better data. In this issue, the bulk of the important wines are from the harvest of 2000—a year whose image is already tarnished beyond full recovery. In truth, it is not a legendary vintage, and more on that later, but it is also The Jericho Canyon Vineyard east of Calistoga has yielded a *** Cabernet- a year that has been somewhat misjudged by the early based wine in the hands of our Winery Of The Year, Ramey Wine Cellars. commentators. Just as the Cabernets of 1998 were mis- takenly denigrated as ripe and empty when, in fact, so many were rich, supple and surprisingly satisfying, so too were the Cabernets of 1999 described, in some quarters, as the cat’s pajamas, even though too many of them have turned out to be overripe and wide of the classic California model for the variety. So, here we have a large collection of Cabernets from the “average quality” 2000 vintage, and it turns out that the Duckhorns and the Diamond Creeks and the Phelps and so many others are quite fine indeed. Yes, they are not as ripe and concentrated in some instances as the 1997s or the 1999s, or even the 2001s are reputed to be, and seem to be based on the early entrants tasted for this issue, but they prove the 2000 vintage to be highly presentable with wines ranging from average to excellent. Unlike in Europe where strings of bad vintages have happened with some regularity, it is absolutely not the way things go in California. Rather, what we tend to have are variations as to style, and it is to those stylistic distinctions that attention must be paid. Yes, there are better vintages and “not better” vintages, but the last time California had so much as even one decidedly sub-par vintage was back in the late 1980s. This current vintage of 2000 may not be the stuff of legend, but it is stacking up to be a year in which plenty of very good wines were made. Cabernet Sauvignon pg 18 Year in Review centerfold & pg 32 Chardonnay pg 29 december 2003 as they are, fuel our opponents’ arguments. There is plenty to like here, and we have no brief with the expressive combination CabernetCabernet SauvignonSauvignon of rich, creamy oak and ripe curranty fruit that occupies the very center of the wine’s personality. We can even accept the extra AMUSANT Napa Valley 2001 bit of heat that rises at the finish, especially in a wine from the 1999 vintage. It is, rather, the question of value that is raised by 9% Merlot. Our bottle came packaged in the new Metacork, the wine and, along with too many others, this admittedly solid which is a cork that is attached to the capsule and comes out effort does not deliver on that score. $90.00 easily by simply twisting the capsule off. Unfortunately, the wine O B I is less interesting than the closure with its ripe but dry style and ARTESA Alexander Valley 2000 its viscous but too hollow palatal impressions followed by high Scattered suggestions of herbs, olives and dill sit to the side of levels of coarse tannin. O T D $30.00 modestly scaled, mildly cherry-like qualities in the aromas of this medium-bodied working. While rounded in feel, the wine is a * is S. ANDERSON Stags Leap District 2000 little dry and drawn in flavor, and it wants a little more flesh to 24% Merlot. Wearing its considerable complement of Merlot win the nod of recommendation. 1 B I $40.00 on its sleeve for all to see, this gentle, supple, soft-edged wine is geared to cherries and chocolate while showing a scant bit of ARTESA Napa Valley 2000 herbs. Its slightly succulent, oak-sweetened flavors are under- This moderately herbal, heavily oaked and lightly fruited effort pinned by a modest streak of fine-grained tannins, and, if fully shows more than small resemblance to its cellarmate despite its capable of growing for a few years yet, it is more than easy to very different provenance. It is soft at entry, then noticeably firm gulp down now. 1 B I $35.00 in feel, and it edges to acidity as its uncomplicated flavors taper at the end. 3 B I $40.00 ARNS Napa Valley 2000 ATLAS PEAK Consenso Vineyards Atlas Peak 1997 Largely keyed on ripeness with an almost confected edge of slightly candied sweetness coming from its omnipresent oak, Napa Valley. 6% Sangiovese; 4% Merlot. Ripe and oddly herbal this full and fleshy Cabernet lags in its expression of fruit, and it at one and the same time, this tight, stiffly structured wine is shows a more than a few raw edges to its finish as its gasping both hot and tangy on the palate, and fruit lags well behind in fruit gives up completely to oak. O B I $65.00 its taut, close-to-chalky finish. 1 B I $30.00 BARNWOOD Santa Barbara County 2001 * it ARTESA Reserve Napa Valley 1999 Ripe and a little heavy in aroma with beamy, dried black cherry We spend a good bit of our time arguing that Napa Valley Cabs notes somewhat obstructed by charry oak and a hint of dried are not universally overpriced, but wines like this, as well-made herbs, this fairly full-bodied effort is soft and a bit fat in texture Tasting Note Legend OUTSTANDING WINES CHARACTERISTICS & TRADITIONAL USE WITH FOOD *** THREE STARS: (95-98 points) An exceptional wine. S Soft and fruity wine. Quaffable by itself or with light foods. Worth a special search of the market. F Crisp white. Medium acid and dry. Fish or delicate flavored foods. ** TWO STARS: (91-94 points) A highly distinctive wine. C Mellow white. Dry to slightly sweet. Enough acid for white meats. Likely to be memorable. l Full and blanced dry White. Try with rich seafood and fowl dishes. * ONE STAR: (87-90 points) Fine example of a type or style of wine. Without notable flaws. L Light Red and powerhouse White. Fowl, veal and light meats. NOTE: Wines not marked with stars are often delightful wines. Each has B Medium Red. Balanced, good depth, medium tannin. unique virtues and any of these wines may be the best wine to serve Beef and lamb. your needs based on value, availability or for your dining and taste pref- T Robust Red. Full tannin, intense flavors. For highly spiced erences. *Prices – Approximately California full retail prices. meat dishes. Connoisseurs’ Guide tastings are conducted with Riedel Stemware. d Sweet Dessert wine. Enjoyable by itself or with sweet desserts. AVAILABILITY DRINKABILITY 3 Generally available in most market areas. D Drinkable now. Unlikely to improve with further aging. 1 Limited production and/or limited geographic distribution. I Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine. O Very limited availability. A Cellar for future drinking. Wine will improve with bottle aging. GV Good Value U Not suitable for drinking. CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA WINE [ISSN 0161-6668] is published monthly at 651 Tarryton Isle, Alameda, California 9450l and is available only by subscription at $60 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Alameda, California and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE, Post Office Box V, Alameda, CA 94501 or phone (510) 865-3150. ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED. © 2003 by CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA WINE, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, with the following limited exceptions: (1) Wineries may use descriptions of their wines. (2) News media may use no more than one-quarter page of material per issue, provided CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE is credited. Publisher/Editor: CHARLES E. OLKEN. Associate Editor: STEPHEN ELIOT. Winery and Subscriber Relations: THERRY L. OLKEN. Printed at the Pinnacle Press, San Jose, on recycled paper. Subscription rate: $60.00 per year. Phone: (510) 865-3150. Fax: (510) 865-4843. e-mail:[email protected] Internet: http://www.cgcw.com Volume 28/Issue 1. November 2003. 18 and never quite finds the lively spark of fruit that would lift its of youthful energy as well, and while it is not a bold or complex otherwise rich, slightly chocolatey flavors into the range of easy version of the grape, so too is it not small and pinched. Give it a commendation.