2001 Nickel & Nickel Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting
I attended a tasting of 5 of the vineyard designated 2001 Nickel and Nickel Cabernet Sauvignons. Nickel & Nickel is a relatively new winery (started in 1997) that was founded by some of the partners in Far Niente. Nickel & Nickel only produce 100% varietal, single-vineyard wines. This was a sit down tasting at a retailer, but the wines had been poured about 30 minutes before the tasting started, so the wines had some time to open up.
2001 John C. Sullenger Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley
Nose of red cherry, plum, chassis and oak. Big red cherry and plum flavors with high acid, moderate tannins, and a long fruity finish that tended towards blacker fruit flavors with hints of chocolate. Very appealing for drinking now, and will age well, at least in the near term. List price is $75. My rating 93. This was my favorite of the tasting.
2001 Nickel & Nickel Tench Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley
Nose was tight with hints of cherry and oak. Flavors had red and black cherry, with high acid and lots of tannins on the long finish. This wine is too tight for drinking now, and needs a few years of aging. List price is $65. My rating 84.
2001 Dragonfly Vineyard, St. Helena, Napa Valley
Open nose of red cherry. Flavors were red cherry and plums with high acid, moderate tannins, and a long fruity finish with the black cherry flavors on the finish. Very appealing for drinking now, and will age well. List Price is $90. My rating 91. My second favorite of this group.
2001 Vogt Vineyard, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Nose was tight with cherry and plums. Flavors were red cherry with spicy or herbal undertones, high acid, and a long astringent finish. This wine needs some time to open up and is probably too tight for current drinking. List price is $75. My rating 86.
2001 Branding Iron Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley
Nose was red cherry, earthy. Flavors were black cherry and plums, with high acid, high tannins, and a long astringent finish. This wine is too tight for drinking now, but the fruit shows promise of opening up into a very appealing wine in a few years. List price is $65. My rating 90.
2001 John C. Sullenger Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley
Nose of red cherry, plum, chassis and oak. Big red cherry and plum flavors with high acid, moderate tannins, and a long fruity finish that tended towards blacker fruit flavors with hints of chocolate. Very appealing for drinking now, and will age well, at least in the near term. List price is $75. My rating 93. This was my favorite of the tasting.
2001 Nickel & Nickel Tench Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley
Nose was tight with hints of cherry and oak. Flavors had red and black cherry, with high acid and lots of tannins on the long finish. This wine is too tight for drinking now, and needs a few years of aging. List price is $65. My rating 84.
2001 Dragonfly Vineyard, St. Helena, Napa Valley
Open nose of red cherry. Flavors were red cherry and plums with high acid, moderate tannins, and a long fruity finish with the black cherry flavors on the finish. Very appealing for drinking now, and will age well. List Price is $90. My rating 91. My second favorite of this group.
2001 Vogt Vineyard, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Nose was tight with cherry and plums. Flavors were red cherry with spicy or herbal undertones, high acid, and a long astringent finish. This wine needs some time to open up and is probably too tight for current drinking. List price is $75. My rating 86.
2001 Branding Iron Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley
Nose was red cherry, earthy. Flavors were black cherry and plums, with high acid, high tannins, and a long astringent finish. This wine is too tight for drinking now, but the fruit shows promise of opening up into a very appealing wine in a few years. List price is $65. My rating 90.
posted by mikeca | 2:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home