“Holiday Wines”
This Christmas season was a remarkable time with friends and family and is still going as we will not formally celebrate with my parents until next Sunday to weather and other timing issues. However, so far it been a spectacular time for great wine! The wines we had in 2008 for Christmas were surprising, impressive, and superb! They ranged in age from 6 years to 17 years old.
2001 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars “Artemis” Cabernet Sauvignon
Another classic styled Napa Cabernet – I thoroughly enjoyed this as an alternative to the big ripe jammy Cabernet style that has been in vogue that last few years.
Color: Dark red center with ruby red edges
Nose: Classic cassis, bing cherry and sage aromas
Palate: More of the cassis and cherry, herbal sage and earthy tannins! Silky smooth finish!
Drawn from John’s collection in the cellar, this wine was in fine shape. Dark, fragrant, and supple palate flavors from 16 years of age, this was a delicious wine.
Color: Dark center, purple-red edges
Nose: Fragrances of black berry and dark chocolate, a slight trace of old cedar and fall leaves. The aromas jump form the glass.
Palate: Elegant blackberry and black currants, dark fruits, supple tannins and acidity finish it off. This wine is still concentrated, for being 16 years old. In its early youth I feel this wine would have been very similar to the 2002 Pride Mountain Cabernet (tasting notes further below).
The surprise of the weekend! On the second night of our stay John had said he opened a bottle of this a few months back and it was pretty good. If you are not familiar with Woodbridge, it’s a value priced line of wines made by the old Mondavi Corporation that was consumed by Constellation Brands. Depending on when this was bottled (my guess is 14-15 years ago) anyone who would have thought this wine would perform so well this many years later would be quite surprised. It had great Cabernet character of cherry, some bell pepper, and earthy aged notes. The tannins were silky smooth and the wine delivered great pleasure to all who had some.
This was also a great surprise and beat expectations handily. One would think a Rhone varietal wine from California before it was popular to make and thus not practiced very often would not last the test of time. This one did just that with rich and complete flavors.
Color: Red center and brick at the edges
Nose: Red fruits, red liquorice, some supple white pepper
Palate: Rich and surprising, full red fruit flavors of raspberries and crushed cherry, some leather and smoke. The tannins are almost gone, but the remaining acids freshen it all up at the end.
2002 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Big and rich, this was the most powerful wine all weekend. Rich and bombastic, this wine was still booming at 6 years old.
Color: Opaque, black center with red edges
Nose: Rich crushed blackberry and currant, spice and oak are hanging out noticeably in the background.
Color: Black center, dark red edges
Nose: Oak, big ripe red fruits, some spicy cedar notes
Palate: Big black raspberry, blueberries and spicy cracked pepper. Very ripe!
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