Super California Tasting at Wine Watch

I drink when I have occasion, and sometimes when I have no occasion.

MIGUEL DE CERVANTES, Don Quixote

This Super California tasting is our warm up tasting to the California Cult tasting coming up on October 7th although the will be no eagle sightings tonight there will be some other top level California wines from the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's including the first vintage of Joseph Phelps Insignia from the epic 1974 vintage!.  However there are only 4 seats available for this tasting event here at the store next Friday night so if you want to come you better hit the respond button quickly!!  The California Cult tasting on the 7th is already sold!!

We are doing valuable scientific work here at the Wine Watch and need to know how these old California wines are doing so if you can't get a reservation for this one keep an eye out to see the WIDY part of the e-mail to see how these old dogs were showing.   For those of you that can’t make this tasting I am including a list of all the wines that we have in store right now from these producers.

The fee for this tasting is $295 + tax, there are only 14 seats available for this event, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

Super California Tasting at Wine Watch
Friday, September 30, 2016
7:00 PM

Old Dogs

1974 Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa

This is a legendary vintage from California and it’s also the first vintage of Joseph Phelps Insignia which is the first vintage of this iconic wine.  This could be the wine of the night and it could be the only opportunity for you to try this wine- how many bottles could be remaining on this Earth??

1975 Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

94 points from the Wine Spectator… 'Dark, dense, enormously complex and concentrated.'

1976 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

(95 points)At present, the 1976 is undoubtedly the greatest B.V. Private Reserve made in the last 30 years. The wine, which has been spectacular from its release, continues to be the richest, most exotic of all the B.V. Private Reserves I have tasted. Did the monumental 1951 resemble this wine at a similar age? The 1976 is full-bodied, with a huge, intoxicating perfume of sweet black and red fruits, earth, Asian spices, roasted herbs, and toasty oak. This massive, full-bodied, super-concentrated, fragrant, alcoholic wine is close to full maturity. It is the quintessential example of the B.V. Private Reserve style - the likes of which has not been made since. It should continue to drink well for another 20 years. (6/1995) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1978 Ridge Montebello Santa Cruz Mountains

(92 points) Packed with rich, complex, concentrated flavors that are intense, youthful and vibrant. Shows loads of currant, plum, mushroom, tar and spice, finishing with a long aftertaste and still enough tannin to sustain it another five to 10 years.--1978 California Cabernet retrospective. (11/1998) Wine Spectator

The Eighties

1980 Caymus Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

1980 was a quite a year for Caymus Cabs if you follow Parker and Spectator scores. The Spectator gave the Special Select 96 points and the regular Cab bottling got a 94 score. Parker handed out a 93 rating to the Special Selection. The small-production wine from the Grace Family Vineyard--only in its third year of production--wasn't reviewed, but were it, we're sure it would have been lauded too. Grace Family Vineyard was planted with cuttings from the nearby, famed Bosché vineyard--the first vintage was 1978.

1982 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa

(90 Points)  "There is something reassuring about seeing a bottle of Chateau Montelena. This classic, old Napa Valley winery is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, but they can also fashion wonderful Chardonnay from the Alexander and Napa valleys." The Wine Advocate

1984 Diamond Creek Lake Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

94 points Wine Spectator. 'Intense and lively, with enormously deep, concentrated flavors. Rich with chocolaty currant, berry and black cherry. Long on the finish.--Diamond Creek vertical.Drink now through 2004.'

1985 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
(96 points) The 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain impresses for its exceptional balance and total sense of class. Iron, graphite, smoke, tar, incense and dark red fruit are all alive in the glass. Striking, powerful and muscular to the core, the 1985 has it all. The 1985 softens a bit with time in the bottle, but it has more than enough depth to drink for another 10-15 years, if not longer. This is another great bottle of the 1985. (AG) (2/2014) Vinous

The Best Vintage of the 1990's - 1991 Horizontal Flight

1991 Ridge Montebello Santa Cruz Mountains

(97 points)  Full, youthful red-ruby color. Knockout nose of cassis, maple syrup, game, truffle and spicy oak; sappy and highly complex. Powerful, primary dark berry flavors exude a sweet gamey quality. Dense but sharply delineated. Great flavor intensity without the slightest suggestion of heaviness. Still a baby but already amazingly harmonious wine. Extremely long finish features very fine, suave tannins. A world-class cabernet, certainly among the top dozen made in California during the last 20 years. (10/2000) Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

1991 Dominus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

(98 points) The 1991 is the finest Dominus to date, although the 1994 may eventually rival it. The wine is incredibly expansive, rich, complex, fragrant, concentrated, and compelling in all respects. The opaque ruby/purple color is followed by huge quantities of sweet jammy fruit nicely touched by tar, licorice, and earthy scents reminiscent of the aroma of fresh black truffles. The wine is extremely concentrated, opulently-textured, and voluptuous, with huge reserves of juicy fruit. It is a marvelous Pomerol-like wine of exceptional purity and harmony. Although approachable, it requires 2-4 more years of cellaring; it should last for 2-3 decades. (RP) (1/1999) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1991 Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
(95 points) I had inserted this wine in a blind tasting. I did not know where it would appear, but I knew it would be in the tasting, and I was able to pick it out when it was served. However, the rest of the tasters thought it was a large-scaled Bordeaux from the Medoc. This magnificent California Cabernet offers that exciting blend of power and elegance. The opaque purple color is followed by copious quantities of sweet, mineral, licorice, floral-laden, blackcurrant fruit, full body, exceptional purity, good underlying, well-integrated acidity and tannin, and a whoppingly long finish. Typical of many top California wines, it combines magnificent richness and ripeness with a sense of gracefulness and complexity. Although young, it is soft enough to be enjoyed. Look for the 1991 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon to age effortlessly for another 20-25 years. (2/1997) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1991 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
(96 points) The 1991 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select represents the beginning of a new era where sterile filtration was halted, after which the quality of most vintages soared to new heights. They may also have been picking riper fruit, as Napa Valley was in the midst of enjoying some fabulous vintages in what would turn out to be a Golden Era for its wineries. The 1991 is the finest Hillside Select of the early 1990s, although the 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998 are close in quality. A stunning nose of licorice, vanillin, unsmoked cigar tobacco, crème de cassis and cedarwood are present in this multilayered, full-bodied, opulent, super-concentrated wine. It still possesses an opaque ruby/purple color to the rim. At age 23, this beauty is just hitting its plateau of full maturity. (RP) (12/2014) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Menu
A selection of Cheese
Mushroom Carpaccio with fine herb aioli
Duck Confit with Mole Sauce served with Potato and Beemster Flan

The fee for this tasting is $295 + tax, there are only 14 seats availablle for this event, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com