Don't Fear the Grape

2005 Provenance Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard

Region: California > Napa Valley > Oakville
Date Tasted: 4/19/2010
Notes: I decanted this wine 3 hours and I would imagine it would have tasted better day 2.
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Cherry, spice, oak and vanilla
Taste: A juicy palate with good acidity.
Finish: Medium finish
Evaluation: Solid wine with plenty backbone. (92 pts.)

2004 Spring Valley Vineyard Frederick

Region: Washington > Columbia Valley > Walla Walla Valley
Date Tasted: 4/19/2010
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Earth, spices, vanilla and red pepper
Taste: Spices, vanilla, oak and red peppers
Finish: Medium finish and tannic.
Evaluation: Lacks typical Washington State fruit. (90 pts.)

2003 Owen Roe Cabernet Sauvignon DuBrul Vineyard

Region: Washington > Columbia Valley > Yakima Valley
Date Tasted: 4/19/2010
Notes: Still tannic and decanted for 3 hours.
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Leather, spice, cherry and pepper
Taste: Very complex palate with leather, spices, pepper, and oak.
Evaluation: This wine is drinking really well and should age nicely for 10 plus years. (92 pts.)

2005 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve

Region: California > Napa Valley
Date Tasted: 4/21/2010
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Spice, oak, vanilla, smoke and cherry
Taste: What a powerhouse wine on the palate and shows a tremedous upside down the road.
Evaluation: While I enjoyed Conn Valley wines young they certainly get better with age. (93 pts.)

2004 Flora Springs Cabernet Sauvignon Out-of-sight-vineyard

Region: California > Napa Valley
Date Tasted: 4/21/2010
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Floral, cherry, chocolate, and spices
Taste: Very balanced wine and the palate has flavors bouncing all over the mouth.
Finish: Really nice use of oak and there is a medium finish on the wine. A bit of chalk comes into the finish which was interesting.
Evaluation: Wow! Well made wine! (94 pts.)

2007 Robert Craig Cabernet Sauvignon Affinity

Region: California > Napa Valley
Date Tasted: 4/21/2010
Color: Medium purple
Nose: A simple nose with spice, pepper and floral.
Taste: Good flavors but nothing like out of the bottle.
Evaluation: An interesting wine that out of the bottle was great but 4 hours of decanting it lost its edge. I will cellar the remaining 2 and see what happens. (90 pts.)

2002 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Washington
Date Tasted: 4/21/2010
Notes: Decanted 5 hours.
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Forest floor, spices, coffee, cherry and earth dominate the nose.
Taste: Very integrated wine with tons of complexity.
Finish: The finish is long and shows spice, floral, coffee, cherry, plum and leather.
Evaluation: Another great showing. No flaws on any part of the wine. This wine has it all and is drinking well now but I will revisit down the road. (95 pts.)

2005 Star Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: California > Central Coast > Santa Ynez Valley
Date Tasted: 4/21/2010
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Spice, floral and minerals
Taste: Palate is solid.
Finish: Medium finish
Evaluation: This is the first Cab I have tasted from Santa Ynez Valley and I think with some time this could improve a few points. (89 pts.)

2007 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled Chicken Ranch Vineyard

Region: California > Napa Valley > Rutherford
Date Tasted: 3/23/2010
Notes: This wine review is on day 2.
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Cherry, daust, earth, oak and plum
Taste: On the palate dust, spices, floral, cherry and vanilla.
Finish: Medium and concentrated finish.
Evaluation: This is an amazing wine for the price point of $25. (92 pts.)

2007 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Cloud’s Nest Vineyard

Region: California > Napa Valley > Mt. Veeder
Date Tasted: 3/23/2010
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Dust, minerals, charcoal
Taste: On the palate dust, cherry, blueberries, figs, charcoal, oak and floral.
Finish: Medium and multi layered finish.
Evaluation: Great acidity and this wine should improve a few points over the next five years. (93 pts.)

2007 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon Mario’s Vineyard

Region: California > Napa Valley
Date Tasted: 3/23/2010
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Smoke, dust, blackberries, floral and oak.
Taste: On the palate awesome concentration with blackberries, blueberries, smoke, dust leather and oak.
Finish: Medium, mulit layered finish with some serious punch.
Evaluation: This is a cellar selection wine. (94 pts.)

2007 Trinchero Family Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Central Park West Vineyard

Region: California > Napa Valley > St. Helena
Date Tasted: 3/23/2010
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Bacon, charcoal, tobacco, and spice.
Taste: On the palate rich with cherry, bacon, charcoal, and earth.
Finish: Medium finish.
Evaluation: Since the recorded show I did on Trinchero wines this wine improved to a solid 91 point score. (91 pts.)

These three from Achaval-Ferrer are the best wines I have sampled in 2010! Anyone who doesn’t think Malbec can make a worldclass wine think again.

2004 Achaval-Ferrer Malbec Finca Mirador

Region: Argentina > Mendoza
Date Tasted: 2/25/2010
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Very elegant with coffee, cranberries, boysenberries, and spices.
Taste: On the palate this has come around on day 2 with coffee, boysenberries, raspberries, minerals and a vary of spices.
Finish: Medium finish and balanced. On the finish a nice pepper quality is revealed.
Evaluation: Great wine! (94 pts.)

2004 Achaval-Ferrer Malbec Finca Altamira

Region: Argentina > Mendoza > Valle de Uco > La Consulta
Date Tasted: 3/2/2010
Notes: Decanted 2 hours
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Amazing with floral, blueberries, perfume, and subtle spices.
Taste: The palate is showing blueberries, spices, floral and earth.
Finish: Medium finish and this wine is extremely balanced.
Evaluation: This is the best South American wine I have ever tasted! Thank you Parker Board for the $40 a bottle price! (96 pts.)

2006 Achaval-Ferrer Malbec Finca Altamira

Region: Argentina > Mendoza > Valle de Uco > La Consulta
Date Tasted: 1/30/2010
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Amazing with floral, blackberry, coffee beans, blueberries
Taste: A chewy wine with amazing structure. The palate had an array of flavors featuring floral, blackberries, coffee beans, dust and cherries.
Finish: Long concentrated finish and drinking really well right now.
Evaluation: This is the best Malbec I have tasted to date. (95 pts.)

One thing many wine drinkers do not do is really look at a young wines ability to transform over the course of a few days. The 2004 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet was not a good wine on day one or two but really opened up for business on day three and four. Had I drank the bottle on the in first couple of days I would have not been a buyer of the wine, but seeing the potential I will buy a few more and cellar for five plus years.

2004 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet

Region: France > Rhône > Southern Rhône > Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Color: Medium color

Day One Review

Date Tasted: 2/19/2010
Nose: Spice, raspberries, and earth
Taste: On the palate spice, leather, spice, and some sweet fruit
Finish: Finish is really disappointing
Evaluation: I hope this improves the next day (88 pts.)

Day Two Review

Date Tasted: 2/20/2010
Nose: Tar, leather, spices, and floral
Taste: Palate shows heavy spices which throw off the wines overall balance
Finish: Medium finish
Evaluation: Really not my style. It is better then day one (88 pts.)

Day Four Review

Date Tasted: 2/22/2010
Nose: Aromas of white pepper, garrique, spices, raspberries and truffles
Taste: On the palate dirt, spices, garrique, pepper, raspberries and leather
Finish: Medium finish that is much less tannic then day one
Evaluation: The wine has really opened up and I really like the wine. I am always amazed and the transformation of good wine. (92 pts.)

Have fun experimenting with wine!

Cheers,

John Glas
Wineglas

Wine reviews featured on the Haut Médoc Eposides.

Cheers!

John Glas
Wineglas

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