2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting
I decided to purchase some moderately priced 2001 Cabernet’s from four of my favorite producers and have a mini tasting. I also threw in another 2001 from Ravenswood that I recently received in a wine club shipment. All these wines were tasted and rated blind.
2001 Chateau Monelena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Wine was medium dark ruby with aromas of cherry and currants. The flavors are cherry, raspberry, and cedar, with high acid and a long fruity finish. This wine is well balanced with soft tannins that are not obvious with the fruit. This wine is appealing for current drinking and should hold for several years. List price is $38. I paid $34. My rating is 84.
2001 Ravenswood, Red Table Wine, Gregory Vineyard, Sonoma
Mint and eucalyptus are the dominant characteristics of this wine. The wine is very dark. The aromas are mint and eucalyptus. The fruit flavors are mint and eucalyptus with hints of cherry. It has high acid and a long fruity finish with moderate tannins. In my experience some people hate mint and eucalyptus on cabernets and some people like it. I generally like it, but this wine lacked complexity and its fruit was completely dominated by the eucalyptus. This wine is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot. List price is $32. My rating is 82.
The notes from Ravenswood indicate Dick Gregory, who played half back for the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, owns this vineyard.
2001 Chateau Souverain, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley
Wine is medium dark ruby, with aromas of cherry and spices. The fruit flavors are cherry and dill like spices. It has high acid and a long smooth finish with moderate tannins. I found this a very smooth, appealing wine for current drinking, with interesting flavors. Considering the price, it is an outstanding value. The list price is probably around $20. I paid $14. My rating is 87.
2001 Silverado Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Wine is very dark with a tight nose of black cherry and oak. It has big black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors with very high acid and a long astringent finish. This is a big wine that needs a little time to develop. It is a little less balanced for current drinking than the other wines in this tasting, but with a few years of aging I think this will be a very nice cabernet. List price is $40. I paid $32. My rating is 88.
2001 Beringer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley
Wine is medium ruby, with a tight nose of cherry and oak. The fruit flavors are cherry with earthy and mushroom overtones. It has high acid and tannins with a long, fruity finish. This is a well-balanced Cabernet for near term drinking, but I found the earthy fruit flavors a little less attractive than some other wines in this tasting. I think the list price on this is around $28. I paid $20. My rating is 85.
I am definitely going to pick up some of the Silverado.
2001 Chateau Monelena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Wine was medium dark ruby with aromas of cherry and currants. The flavors are cherry, raspberry, and cedar, with high acid and a long fruity finish. This wine is well balanced with soft tannins that are not obvious with the fruit. This wine is appealing for current drinking and should hold for several years. List price is $38. I paid $34. My rating is 84.
2001 Ravenswood, Red Table Wine, Gregory Vineyard, Sonoma
Mint and eucalyptus are the dominant characteristics of this wine. The wine is very dark. The aromas are mint and eucalyptus. The fruit flavors are mint and eucalyptus with hints of cherry. It has high acid and a long fruity finish with moderate tannins. In my experience some people hate mint and eucalyptus on cabernets and some people like it. I generally like it, but this wine lacked complexity and its fruit was completely dominated by the eucalyptus. This wine is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot. List price is $32. My rating is 82.
The notes from Ravenswood indicate Dick Gregory, who played half back for the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, owns this vineyard.
2001 Chateau Souverain, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley
Wine is medium dark ruby, with aromas of cherry and spices. The fruit flavors are cherry and dill like spices. It has high acid and a long smooth finish with moderate tannins. I found this a very smooth, appealing wine for current drinking, with interesting flavors. Considering the price, it is an outstanding value. The list price is probably around $20. I paid $14. My rating is 87.
2001 Silverado Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Wine is very dark with a tight nose of black cherry and oak. It has big black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors with very high acid and a long astringent finish. This is a big wine that needs a little time to develop. It is a little less balanced for current drinking than the other wines in this tasting, but with a few years of aging I think this will be a very nice cabernet. List price is $40. I paid $32. My rating is 88.
2001 Beringer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley
Wine is medium ruby, with a tight nose of cherry and oak. The fruit flavors are cherry with earthy and mushroom overtones. It has high acid and tannins with a long, fruity finish. This is a well-balanced Cabernet for near term drinking, but I found the earthy fruit flavors a little less attractive than some other wines in this tasting. I think the list price on this is around $28. I paid $20. My rating is 85.
I am definitely going to pick up some of the Silverado.
posted by mikeca | 7:51 PM
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