2005 Bell Cellars "Clone 6" Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2006 version of this wine was all about ripe, rich delicious fruit. With plenty of structure and complexity and in no way goopy or spoofulated but still a big, fruit forward Rutherford Cab.
THIS vintage (2005) was a far, far more austere wine. Although the grapes still come from George III vineyard, which is definitely warmish, this tasted like a cool weather cabernet from Carneros! Interestingly enough, the alcohol was a full 0.6% less than the 2006 vintage (14.2% abv vs. 14.8%). I know these are nominal "ranges" not precise numbers, but you could taste the distinct difference.
Anyway...this wine may have been in a closed state or at least showing some surly adolescent character. The tannins are not harsh per se, but when first popped and poured, we had a very tart, quite green (bell pepper and jalapeno) cabernet both on the nose and the palate.
So...I swirled...and swirled...and swirled. Patience and a sore wrist (j/k) was the solution. By the end of the evening, the still austere, still green wine was deepening significantly into a lovely Old-Worldish cabernet wine, with lovely licorice (anise), black fruit, and tobacco notes coming through. The green notes at this time added a lovely degree of austerity and freshness to the underlying cabbiness. YUM.
After all the work, I cannot say which wine I prefer, as the 2006 is just so slurpably approachable, but I liked the freshness and austerity of this 2005 as well. Just be patient!
Bell is one of my favorite wineries right now! I really enjoy his sensibilities in producing red Bordeaux varietal wines. The 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet is, for example, a juicy, exuberant, fresh, and beautifully balanced wine. I think the 2005 Clone 6 Cabs may merit cellaring and certainly suggest significant and vigorous decanting...but they are worth it.
One final note: Bell released a fantastic 2005 Petit Verdot that was stunning in savory, earthy, black fruited "Old World" goodness...at a 13.2% alcohol level. The Petit Verdot showed no green notes at all and was incredibly good.