Silver Oak Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical, June 25, 2009

The older vintages fared better in our June tasting of Silver Oak cabernet sauvignon from the Napa Valley. The 1981 vintage was the overall winner, although some tasters admitted they voted for it not necessarily because it was the best wine, but because it was the best wine "considering its age." It was holding up remarkably well and had obviously been well-stored by Mike. Second place went to the 1995, followed closely by the 1992. The group consensus was that the quality of more recent vintages has declined slightly from earlier years. It was also noted by several tasters that the winery's style did not seem to be as consistent as is usually thought.

Many thanks to Larry G. for providing six of the wines for this event.

1. 1981 (WS 75, WA 86) (4 of 10 firsts/1 second/0 thirds/1 fourth, 20 points)
2. 1995 (WS 84, WA 95) (3/0/2/1, 17 points)
3. 1992 (WS 89, WA 94) (1/3/1/0, 15 points)
4. 2002 (WS 90, WA 91) (1/1/2/0, 11 points)
5. 1994 (WS 91, WA 93) (0/2/0/4, 10 points)
6. 1990 (WS 88, WA 93) (1/1/0/0, 7 points)
7. 2001 (WS 88, WA 92) (0/1/2/0, 7 points)
8. 1998 (WS 85, WA 88) (0/1/1/0, 5 points)
9. 1993 (WS 88, WA 90) (0/0/2/1, 5 points)
10. Tie: 1991 (WS 90, WA 95)
1996 (WS 86, WA 91)
1999 (WS 91, WA 87) (0/0/0/1, 1 point)

Recent, High-End "Rhône Rangers," May 28, 2009

The top four wines were very close in our May tasting of recent, high-end California "Rhône Rangers," with the 2001 Alban Reva syrah from Edna Valley emerging as the winner by a single point. Right behind were the 2004 Tensley syrah, Colson Canyon, Santa Barbara and the 2003 La Sirena syrah, Napa Valley, with the 2004 Garretson syrah, Mon Amie, from Paso Robles in fourth place. The wines showed extremely well overall and met or exceeded almost everyone's expectations. Eight of the 11 wines got at least one first-place vote, and every wine got at least two votes.

1. 2001 Alban Syrah, Reva, Edna Valley (WS 94, WA 93) (2 firsts/2 second/1 third/1 fourth, 17 points)
2. 2004 Tensley Syrah, Colson Canyon, Santa Barbara (WS NR, WA 93) (3/1/0/1, 16 points)
3. 2003 La Sirena Syrah, Napa Valley (WS NR, WA 93) (1/3/1/1, 16 points)
4. 2004 Garretson Syrah, Mon Amie, Paso Robles (WS 87, WA 94) (1/1/2/3, 14 points)
5. 2005 Bevan Cellars Syrah, Drystack Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma (WS NR, WA NR) (1/1/1/0, 9 points)
6. 2005 Lagier Meredith Syrah, Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley (WS 92, WA 95) (1/0/1/2, 8 points)
7. 2004 Qupé Syrah, Bien Nacido Hillside, Santa Barbara (WS NR, WA 92) (0/1/2/1, 8 points)
8. Tie: 2006 Denner Syrah, The Dirt Worshipper, Paso Robles (WS 93, WA 88+), and
2006 Saxon Brown Syrah, Parmelee-Hill Owl Box Block, Sonoma (WS 94, WA 90) (1/0/1/0, 6 points)
10. 2005 Red Car Syrah, California (WS 93, WA 93) (0/1/1/1, 6 points)
11. 2000 Ojai Vineyards Syrah, Melville Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills (WS 90, WA 94) (0/1/0/1, 4 points)

Joseph Phelps Insignia Vertical, April 9, 2009

Our April vertical tasting of Joseph Phelps Insignia produced uniformly outstanding wines and the 2005 vintage won by a wide margin. The fact that the 2005 beat out the older wines demonstrates the early drinkability of Insignia (and, perhaps, our penchant for younger, fruitier wines). On the other hand, our results correlated reasonably well with the scores from the Wine Advocate. The results, along with scores from the usual suspects:

1. 2005 (WS 92, WA 95) (7 firsts/1 second/3 thirds/0 fourths, 33 points)
2. 2004 (WS 94, WA 95) (1/4/1/0, 18 points)
3. 2002 (WS 96, WA 95) (0/2/0/3, 9 points)
4. 2001 (WS 90, WA 95) (0/1/2/2, 9 points)
5. 2003 (WS 90, WA 94) (1/0/0/3, 7 points)
6. 2000 (WS 92, WA 91) (0/1/2/0, 7 points)
7. 1992 (WS 94, WA 95) (1/0/0/0, 4 points)
8. 1998 (WS 92, WA 91) (0/0/2/0, 4 points)
9. 1999 (WS 94, WA 91) (0/0/0/1, 1 point)

Red Bordeaux 1982-1999, March 12, 2009

Our March tasting of older red Bordeaux was pleasantly surprising, as most of the wines showed extremely well and generally lived up to the critics' past scores. Two 1995 Pauillacs topped the results, but a 1982 St.-Emilion was close behind. The winner was the 1995 Grand-Puy-Lacoste, which edged out the 1995 Pichon-Lalande. However, the 1982 Figeac, the oldest wine of the night, was in a virtual tie for second and received the largest number of first-place votes of the night. The fourth place wine was another Pauillac, the 1985 Lynch-Bages.

1. 1995 Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac (WS 93, WA 95) (2 firsts/2 seconds/4 thirds/1 fourth, 23 points)
2. 1995 Pichon-Lalande, Pauillac (WS 94, WA 96) (3/0/2/3, 19 points)
3. 1982 Figeac, St.-Emilion (WS 93, WA 95) (4/0/0/2, 18 points)
4. 1985 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac (WS 97, WA 92) (1/3/1/0, 15 points)
5. 1995 Angélus, St.-Emilion (WS 95, WA 95) (0/3/1/2, 13 points)
6. 1986 Rausan-Ségla, Margaux (WS 87, WA 96) (1/1/0/2, 9 points)
7. 1989 Meyney, St.-Estèphe (WS 93, WA 90) (1/1/0/1, 8 points)
8. 1990 Lagrange, Pomerol (WS 94, WA 86) (0/2/1/0, 8 points)
9. 1999 Canon-La Gaffelière, St.-Emilion (WS 88, WA 92) (0/0/2/0, 4 points)
10. 1995 Calon-Ségur, St.-Estèphe (WS 95, WA 92) (0/0/1/1, 3 points)
11. Tie: 1996 Léoville Poyferré, St.-Julien (WS 90, WA 93) and
1986 Gruaud-Larose, St.-Julien (WS 93-89, WA 94) (0/0/0/0, 0 points)

Recent, High-End, West Coast Pinot Noir, February 12, 2009

We tasted a great group of 11 pinot noirs in February, including four wines from Kosta Browne, but some of the big guns did not quite live up to their reputations. Kosta Browne did very well overall, taking first place with the 2004 Amber Ridge Vineyard and fourth with 2006 Kanzler Vineyard. The Kosta Browne 2005 Garys' Vineyard tied for fifth and the very highly rated Kosta Browne 2004 Kanzler finished seventh. Second place went to the 2005 Ambullneo, Mastiff Cuvée. The top two wines stood out from the pack.

Three of the top four wines were from Sonoma County - two from the Russian River Valley and one from the Sonoma Coast - and the other was from Los Carneros, which straddles the southern part of Sonoma and Napa. Three Oregon wines finished at the bottom of the rankings. The complete results, along with the critics' scores, are listed below.

1. 2004 Kosta Browne, Amber Ridge Vineyard, Russian River Valley (WS 93, WA NR) (3 firsts, 3 seconds, zero thirds, 4 fourths, 25 points)
2. 2005 Ambullneo, Mastiff Cuvée, Los Carneros (WS NR, WA 92) (2/3/3/0, 23 points)
3. 2005 Chasseur, Freestone Station, Russian River Valley (WS 91, WA 94) (2/1/0/1, 12 points)
4. 2006 Kosta Browne, Kanzler Vineyard, Sonoma Coast (WS 92, WA NR) (2/0/1/1, 11 points)
5. Tie - 2005 Kosta Browne, Garys' Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands (WS 93, WA 86) and
2006 Laetitia, Reserve, Arroyo Grande Valley (WS NR, WA NR, Wine Enthusiast 95)
7. 2004 Kosta Browne, Kanzler Vineyard, Sonoma Coast (WS 98, WA NR) (0/0/3/2, 8 points)
8. 2006 Talley, Rosemary's Vineyard, Arroyo Grande Valley (WS 94, WA 89+) (0/1/2/0, 7 points)
9. 2005 Argyle, The Nuthouse, Willamette Valley (WS 93, WA 95) (0/1/1/0, 5 points)
10. 2006 St. Innocent, Anden Vineyard, Willamette Valley (WS NR, WA 92+) (0/0/1/0, 2 points)
11. 2004 Archery Summit, Arcus Estate, Willamette Valley (WS 94, WA 88) (0/0/0/1, 1 point)

Cult/Near-Cult Cabernet Sauvignon & Bordeaux-Style Blends, January 15, 2009

The 2001 Shafer Hillside Select was the clear winner of our January 15 tasting of cult and near-cult California cabernet sauvignons and blends. The wines, in general, lived up to their reputations and were outstanding across the board, with every wine getting at least one vote. The tasting turned up one outstanding value - the 2006 Honig, a ringer which finished fourth despite being priced well below the other wines at $32. Interestingly, the three oldest wines in the group finished at the bottom of the rankings. The complete results, along with the critics' scores, are listed below.

1. 2001 Shafer, Hillside Select (WS 95, WA 99) (4 firsts, 1 second, 0 thirds, 1 fourth, 20 points)
2. 2003 Robert Foley, Claret (WS 95, WA 96) (2/1/2/2, 17 points)
3. 2002 Spottswoode (WS 90, WA 97) (1/2/1/0, 12 points)
4. 2006 Honig (ringer, WS NR, WA NR) (1/1/1/2, 11 points)
5. 2004 Harlan, The Maiden (WS NR, WA 95) (1/1/1/1, 10 points)
6. 2001 Hourglass (WS NR, WA 95) (0/2/0/1, 7 points)
7. 2002 Vineyard 29, Aida (WS NR, WA 95) (0/1/1/0, 5 points)
8. 1999 Araujo (WS 97, WA 95) (0/0/2/0, 4 points)
9. 1999 Colgin, Cariad (WS 92, WA 91) (0/0/1/1, 3 points)
10. 1995 Lokoya, Rutherford (WS 97, WA 94) (0/0/0/1, 1 point)

Right-Bank Bordeaux Reds, 1995 & Younger, >/=$50 & 92 Points, November 13, 2008

November's tasting of right-bank red Bordeaux (all St.-Emilions except for one Pomerol) was somewhat disappointing, but it did produce a clear winner. Although there were some excellent wines, they did not live up to our expectations or the critics' scores. Most of the wines were young and hard and need time to improve. The standout was the 2005 Ch. Destieux, followed by the 2003 Ch. Canon-La Gaffelière.

1. 2005 Ch. Destieux, St.-Emilion (4 firsts, 2 seconds, 1 third, 1 fourth, 25 points)
2. 2003 Ch. Canon-La Gaffelière, St.-Emilion (3/1/1/2, 19 points)
3. 2005 Ch. Sansonnet, St.-Emilion (1/2/1/1, 13 points)
4. 2005 Ch. Bellefont-Belcier, St.-Emilion (1/1/2/1, 12 points)
5. 2005 Ch. Monbousquet, St.-Emilion (1/1/1/1, 10 points)
6. 2005 Ch. La Clotte, St.-Emilion (0/2/1/1, 9 points)
7. 2000 Clos Fourtet, St.-Emilion (1/0/1/2, 8 points)
8. 2000 Ch. Pavie-Macquin, St.-Emilion (0/1/2/0, 7 points)
9. 1995 Ch. Monbousquet, St.-Emilion (0/1/1/2, 7 points)
10. Tie: 1998 Ch. Grand-Mayne, St.-Emilion, and
2000 Ch. Latour à Pomerol, Pomerol (0/0/0/0, 0 points)

2004 vs. 2005 Cabernets & Bordeaux-Style Blends >/=$50, October 30, 2008

Our October tasting of 2004 and 2005 California cabernet sauvignons and Bordeaux-style blends over $50 turned up some outstanding wines, including a notable bargain, but produced no clear winner between the two vintages. The top wine, by a slight margin (and the bargain wine of the night) was the 2004 Provenance, Rutherford, cabernet. It was a ringer because its retail price was about $30. Second place went to the relatively unknown 2005 O'Shaughnessy, Howell Mountain, cabernet which was in a virtual tie with the 2005 Shafer One Point Five cabernet. All the wines were cabernet sauvignon, except for one blend.

1. 2004 Provenance, Rutherford (ringer) (3 firsts, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 18 points)
2. 2005 O'Shaughnessy, Howell Mountain (2/2/1/0, 16 points)
3. 2005 Shafer One Point Five (1/3/1/1, 16 points)
4. 2004 Sherwin Family (1/1/1/1, 10 points)
5. 2004 Revana (1/0/2/1, 9 points)
6. 2004 Etude (0/2/0/3, 9 points)
7. 2005 Vineyard 29, Cru (1/0/0/3, 7 points)
8. 2004 Lancaster (0/1/1/0, 5 points)
9. 2005 Palazzo, Red Wine (1/0/0/0, 4 points)
10. 2005 Pride Mountain (0/0/2/0, 4 points)
11. 2004 Wolf Family (0/0/1/0, 2 points)

Spanish Red Wines (>$30), September 25, 2008

Our September tasting of Spanish red wines turned up some very nice, and generally reasonably priced, wines. However, the consensus seemed to be that they were "good, but not great." Two wines tied for first in the field of eight, with four of the wines getting first-place votes.

1. Tie (2 firsts, 1 second, 0 thirds, 1 fourth, 12 points):
1997 Torres, Mas la Plana Estate, Black Label, Penedès
2004 Mas Doix, Salanques, Priorat
3. 2002 Aalto, Ribera Del Duero (1/1/2/0, 11 points)
4. 2004 Ardèvol, Coma d'en Romeu, Priorat (0/2/2/0, 10 points)
5. 2004 Numanthia-Termes, Termes, Toro (1/0/1/2, 8 points)
6. 1995 Bodegas LAN, Culmen Reserva, Rioja (0/1/1/0, 5 points)
7. Tie (0/0/0/1, 1 point):
2003 Celler de Capçanes, Mas Donis Barrica, Tarragona (ringer)
2000 Viñas de Alange, Palacio Quemado Reserva, Alvear

2001 & Older Châteauneuf-du-Pape, August 14, 2008

August's tasting of older Chateauneuf-du-Pape got us back to our usual price level, but the results were disappointing. Even though the wines were rated highly by the usual critics and publications, the group generally found them lacking - a bit old and/or dried out and not worth the relatively high prices. The results are below.

1. 1998 Ch. Cabrieres, Prestige, Tête de Cru, Unfiltered (1 first, 4 seconds, 3 thirds, 1 fourth, 23 points)
2. 1996 Ch. Rayas, Ch. De Fonsalette, Réservé (Côtes du Rhône, ringer) (1/1/3/1, 14 points)
3. 1998 Dom. De la Vieille Julienne, Cuvée Réservé, Daumen Père & Fils (2/1/0/0, 11 points)
4. 2000 M. Chapoutier, Croix de Bois (2/0/1/0, 10 points)
5. 1998 Clos St.-Jean (0/2/0/1, 7 points)
6. 2001 Bosquet des Papes, Chante le Merle, Vielles Vignes (1/0/1/0, 6 points)
7. 1998 Bosquet des Papes (1/0/0/2, 6 points)
8. 1995 Dom. Roger Sabon, Cuvée Prestige (0/0/2/3, 5 points)
9. 1994 Dom. du Vieux Télégraphe, La Crau (1/0/0/0, 4 points)
10. 2001 Dom. Du Pegau, Cuvée Réservée (0/1/0/1, 4 points)

Red and White House Wines, July 17, 2008

Our July tasting of red and white house wines provided some surprises, with some sub-$15 wines showing extremely well. The standouts in the red flight were the 2006 Hahn Meritage, the 2005 R Wines Boarding Pass Shiraz (Australia) and the 2005 Columbia Crest Grand Estates cabernet sauvignon (Washington state), which finished 1-2-3. The Boarding Pass shiraz was a little controversial (you either loved it or not) - it got five first-place votes and no others.

The winner in the white flight was the 2006 Meridian Santa Barbara County chardonnay, followed by the 2005 Belvedere Russian River Valley chardonnay. The complete results are listed below.

July 17, 2008 - House Red Wines (<$15)
1. 2006 Hahn, Meritage (3 firsts, 2 seconds, 1 third, 1 fourth, 21 points)
2. 2005 R Wines, Boarding Pass, Shiraz (Australia) (5/0/0/0, 20 points)
3. 2005 Columbia Crest, Grand Estates, Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington State) (0/4/2/3, 19 points)
4. 2004 Souverain, Cabernet Sauvignon (1/3/0/2, 15 points)
5. 2007 Root:1, Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile) (1/1/1/1, 10 points)
6. 2005 Huntington, Petite Sirah (0/0/2/1, 5 points)
7. 2004 Legaris, Crianza (Spain) (0/0/1/1, 3 points)
8. Tie (0/0/1/0, 2 points):
2005 Albane & Bertrand Minchin, Le Clos Delorme, Valençay, Loire Valley
2005 Ch. Caronne Ste. Gemme, Haut-Médoc
2004 Sly Dog, Lake County, Cabernet Sauvignon
11.2004 Napa River, Merlot (0/0/0/1, 1 point)


July 17, 2008 - House White Wines (<$15)
1. 2006 Meridian, Santa Barbara County, Chardonnay (2 firsts, 4 seconds, 1 third, 1 fourth, 23 points)
2. 2005 Belvedere, Russian River Valley, Chardonnay (2/2/1/0, 16 points)
3. 2006 Rod Strong, Chalk Hill, Chardonnay (1/1/3/1, 14 points)
4. 2006 Block 50, Chardonnay (New South Wales) (2/0/0/2, 10 points)
5. 2005 Angeline, Mendocino, Gewurztraminer (2/0/0/1, 9 points)
6. 2006 Beringer, Alluvium Blanc (0/1/3/0, 9 points)
7. 2007 Kim Crawford, Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) (1/0/2/0, 8 points)
8. 2005 Toasted Head, Chardonnay (0/1/0/3, 6 points)