1996 Clos Du Val Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This was still pretty primary. That lovely piercing cherry-anise Stag's Leap fruit. Medium mouth feel. Resolved tannins, but they are still there on the back of the palate. Lovely acidity. Pricey, but delicious. No hurry to drink this Reserve wine-even the regular bottling of 1996 Clos Du Val Cabernet has an amazing amount of life in it.
2006 Pascal Granger Cuvee Speciale Juliennas. Dark, dark, dark and earthy earthy earthy. Great acidity, but not over the top. Licorice, not anise, here. Not very "fruity" (is it perhaps closed a bit?),but everyone enjoyed this wine quite a bit. I visited Corti Brothers this weekend to buy more.
2006 Chante Pedrix St. Joseph. Not as enjoyable as the last bottle-a little thinner and more acidic. I still enjoyed, but others were less certain.
Other Wines
2001 Rombauer "Diamond Select" Cabernet Sauvignon. (Diamond Mountain District, Calistoga) I frankly find this winery's Chardonnay vile and the Zinfandel tastes like alcoholic cherry kool-aid, but they really, really nailed this cabernet. 13.5% alcohol, beautiful ferrous minerality, balanced mouthfeel, tannins becoming resolved but still present. Old School character-not over the top at all with the oak or over-ripe fruit. Just very, very balanced.
2004 Moser Scharding Cabernet Sauvignon. The winemaker for Cartlidge and Brown releases this wine under his own label. I like smokey character, so at first I enjoy this. But, the smokey oak is so overwhelming that it buries the fruit. This exemplifies a wine that is tiresome to drink. It would show well during an initial tasting, but quickly becomes unenjoyable. All about the char here. Avoid.
2005 Miner Family The Oracle. Although this may be the ugliest winery building on Silverado Trail, I was quite impressed by the red wines. The Zinfandel was balanced and modest in alcohol, and the Cabernet from Stagecoach Vineyard was quite nice, if primary right now. Even the Viognier, from Madera County, was enjoyable. But the star was The Oracle, a five varietal blend. Very dark and earthy right now, with smooth tannins and nice approachable mouthfeel. Not sure it's got the acid or tannins to be an ager, but a very nice wine. As it should be for the $90 price point
