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as it been a year already since we reviewed a sampling of 1994 Cabernets and already ten years since these 1995 grapes were picked? Time certainly does fly, and I was interested to see how it had treated some of the nicer Cabernet Sauvignon based wines in this well thought of vintage.


Left: Tom Warren, Jeff Faunce, Amy McClellan,
Michael Donnelly, Jeff King, Larry Meehan

A crew of fourteen tasters braved the December cold and assembled at the Meehan enclave, many brandishing bottles, food stuffs, and (soon to be purple) smiles. We initially noshed on an assortment of some of those fine cheeses from North End Market, breads, etc.


Left: Alice Luhta, Pam Gillikin, Jeff Gillikin, Bob Eppich, Melanie Eppich 

 

The tasters then huddled around one giant table. The swirling, sniffing, sipping and optional spitting went on for 20 - 25 minutes per flight. Tasters commented after each round, but the wines were not revealed until we had examined all the wines. After a quick tabulation of the group faves, we proceeded on to a meal of roast beast, assorted sides, and some nice desserts.

The wines for the Cabernet tasting were presented in the tried and true paper bags, so as to protect their identities. The wines were all double decanted a few hours before sampling. Most of the wines involved were known to the group, but they were somewhat randomly assigned to flights, and unknown once bagged. I note the overall first, second, and third place votes registered for each wine.

Flight 1 --

#1 -- This wine captured the essence of coconut in its bouquet, and evolved to being largely about green bell pepper on the palate. It is dense through the center, where black fruit and chocolate do peak through, but it turns harsh, thin and charred at the close. Jeff Faunce minced no words when he called it "terrible." Charlie Luhta thought "it should have been drunk five years ago."  I was slightly more tolerant of the wine than those two fellows, but it was certainly the weakest of the flight and in the lower tier of wines on the evening. This particular bottle showed little upside.
1995 DOMINUS (0-0-1)

#2 -- Sweet fruit and freshly turned earth, compete with a distinct animal/funky note on the nose. Where a small group of us found the scent mixture most compelling, Tom Warren summed it up for a nose wrinkling majority -- "Too horsey." It is wet and juicy at the entry, but tannins slam down hard from the middle through the finish..."certainly seems like one of the Dunn's to me."  Even with the mighty tannins, I like the broad textures, and enjoy the earth and cedar notes marking the close.
1995 DUNN HOWELL MOUNTAIN (0-1-0)

#3 -- The fruit fragrances are quite sweet and ripe...joined by plenty of coconut, vanilla, and tangy spice. It is wet in the mouth, and offering warm fruit and chocolate through the middle...tannins seeming less invasive than in the previous two wines, but still seeming assertive on the finish. This strikes me as sort of cartoonish in its demeanor...still, I can comprehend its appeal.
1995 BV TAPESTRY (0-1-3)

Both Jeff King and Pam Gillikin expressed a notion that the entire flight "lacked complexity"... I agreed.

Flight 2 --

#4 -- Roland Riesen termed it an "interesting nose", and I'd concur. Dark earth, peppermint, anisette, and menthol all wandered in and out. In the mouth it was harsh as the tannins were drying and bitter, though there was a fair amount of chocolate flavor in the finish. I doubt more time would help this bottle.
1995 DUNN NAPA (0-1-0)

#5 -- This wine had my favorite "nose of the night" -- dark plums, blood, dried figs, good dirt, and a touch of mint...nothing too dominant at any one time. It is smooth when sipped and showing a nice assortment of "dark stuff" -- berries, earth, chocolate, and charcoal. It is chewy and dense, showing good length all the while. This is the first wine I came across that drinks well now, but seems likely to add complexity in the coming years.
1995 SNOWDEN (0-1-3)

#6 -- One sniff has me mentally finishing a fruit sauce with a pat of butter. This wine certainly represents a style of lavish oaking and smooth, ripe, plummy fruit... just lightly chewy at the close. It is a well constructed Cabernet -- built to please, but it is not particularly interesting.
1995 CAYMUS (0-0-1)

Flight 3 --

#7 -- Some initial "aquarium" notes moved aside and left a bouquet full of ripe, dark fruit, earth, black pepper and a good bit of herbs...Pam calling it "minty fresh, in a good way."  It well proportioned with its smoother tannins, discernible acids, and ripe cassis -- easily the best balanced wine I sampled. It showed real verve through the center, making it unique amongst it peers. Not only that, but I actually sensed some minerals as it wraps up -- always a welcome find for me.
1995 CHATEAU MONTELENA (1-2-2)

#8 -- The nose seems incredibly reluctant -- just hinting at spicy oak, hay, and later some black tea. I really like the smooth, lustrous mouthfeel, but just as was the nose, the palate flavors are not at all forthcoming. The structure sets up as "reasonable", but I can find no fruit... only some oak left laying about, and trace amounts of minerals. There is not much here to love, or even like, but I had the sense this might be in some deep slumber.  Tasting a leftover ounce a few hours later, it really made no improvement. Not one person thought it was a poorly treated, or obviously tainted bottle...this one is just not giving up anything at present.
1995 RIDGE MONTE BELLO (0-0-0)

#9 -- Medicinal scents dominate the early sniffing, but it steadily adds a good bit of ripe berry, charcoal and mint. It is wet and juicy when sipped and it comes across as an oasis for the dry desert of tannins we had all been traversing tonight. It still shows ample structure, but it is the smooth, plush cassis and blackberry fruit that is the focus. Herbs pound out a steady beat at its core and "Eureka!" -- I struck a vein of minerals at the finish. I'd drink this sooner rather than later.
1995 MONDAVI RESERVE (1-1-2)

Flight 4 --

#10 -- "S'mores on a campfire" Tom commented, and many nodded. I get the smoke, but thankfully could not locate the marshmallow or graham cracker... just a bit of chocolate. Earthy and herbal, this seemed like an "old school Cab" to me, and I liked it. Nice ratio of fruit to structure... this is a very solid, and appealing wine. Notes of well aged cheddar lingered on my palate as it faded away.
1995 SULLIVAN (5-1-0)

#11 -- This had a sulfurous stink about it...I found it hard to shake. Amy McClellan termed it a "wise, old, smelly sneaker."  I should probably have no idea what that meant, but strangely I did. It showcased both black and blue fruit, and it seemed to be one of the riper wines on the table. The tannins have a good bite through the middle, but seem more pliable as it closes in a cool menthol finish. I can see the appeal of this wine, but the sulfur scent and its sense of ripeness hinder my own enjoyment.
1995 FLORA SPRINGS RUTHERFORD RESERVE (5-1-0)

#12 -- Scents of Indian spice, black pepper, and herbs. It is open and easy as far as fruit and tannins go, but it seemed a bit washed out to me. There is plenty of spice as it wraps up.
1995 SADDLEBACK (1-2-0)

#13 -- Dried leaves, and prunes give me an overall sense of decay. It is ripe, juicy and warm with alcohol - coffee and chocolate, too. It is easy in many senses, but it lacks spine and anything beyond visceral pleasure for me. That said, it was very positively received by the majority.
1995 VENGE RESERVE (0-2-0)

"Colonial" Bob Eppich led the chorus of a number of tasters in saying he found this to be the best overall flight...he and many others finding all the wines to be very enjoyable and of higher quality.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The results were in -- the Flora Springs Rutherford Reserve (5-1-0) and (an "unknown" to some) the Sullivan (5-1-0) tied for the group's top spot. The Chateau Montelena (1-2-2) was third. A first place vote also went to each the Mondavi Reserve and the accessible Saddleback.

I selected the Montelena, Snowden, and the Mondavi Reserve as my top three of the night, but the Sullivan was not far removed from this group. The wines seemed to fall into clear tiers for me:

Excellent -- Montelena, Snowden, Mondavi Reserve, Sullivan

Good to Very Good -- Flora Springs, Dunn Howell Mountain, BV Tapestry, Caymus, Saddleback, Venge Reserve

Poor to Average -- Dunn Napa, Ridge Monte Bello, Dominus

The last trio of well regarded wines has a fine record for developing in the cellar, and though I did not find any of the bottles to seem obviously tainted or damaged, I can imagine that they are perhaps in awkward stages. The Monte Bello is one in particular that I have sampled on a number of occasions, with far better results. No single bottle is proof of anything, but it was a poor showing for all three.

Though everyone acknowledged that we were largely examining "snapshots" of the wines, the group seemed to think these 95's were in slightly better shape than the similar 94's we tasted last year. Though a few of the wines may yet improve in regard to complexity and overall symmetry, the group's impression was similar to the previous year -- better to drink these earlier than later.

LM

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Larry Meehan was a one time "boy entrepreneur," now a full time Dad. In the moments when the insanity fades, he is a fairly prolific tasting note writer, minor league party planner/caterer, sporadic wine educator, and consultant for a few retailers who (at their own peril) seem to value his opinions. Hailing from near Cleveland, he frequently gathers with local enthusiasts to share thoughts and a few glasses, but also concocts a number of tasting events that bring friends together from around the country. Larry samples hundreds of wines a year from a myriad of regions -- "Understanding the diverse and constantly changing landscape of wine will be a life long endeavor...I'm glad it is so much fun!"

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