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WTN: '97 and '98 Napa Tasting

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WTN: '97 and '98 Napa Tasting

by Ryan M » Fri Feb 23, 2018 11:41 pm

I organized a dinner-tasting last month to feature a stash of '97 and '98 Napas that came my way. A friend threw in a few more wines and we all had quite the grand night. The menu was Italian.

The consensus favorite of the night, the one wine that everyone could agree they loved, was actually the 2008 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese. Of the Napa reds, there were sort of two camps: those who preferred the more classically mature 1997 Sullivan Coeur de Vigne (that includes me), and those who preferred the more opulent 1997 Etude. The consensus favorite of the Napa reds was probably the 1998 Mondavi Reserve. But I suspect most would say the 2007 Taylor's was the wine of the night.

I did not have any experience to speak of with '97 and '98 Napa before this. Based on these wines, it seems the 1997 Napa reds are winding down, and their fruit will probably not hold up much longer, but were definitely showing strong still. The two '98s here showed better overall balance than the '97s, and still have a few years left in them. Based on these, I'd say '98 is more my kind of vintage.

Donnhoff, Riesling Spatlese, Oberhauser Brucke, Nahe 2008
Wonderful nose! Loads of ripe pear, nectarine, and fresh mandarin orange. Same notes on the palate, with some petrol and lots of fine mineral. Full bodied, rich and sweet but seems drier than it is due to the fantastic citrusy/steely acidity. 10 - 15 more years? From magnum. 4 Stars [1/27/18]

Beringer, Luminus, Chardonnay, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley 2013
Very good nose, low key but rich, with some nice oak. On the palate, rich lemon and pineapple, nectarine, and apricot. Full bodied with good mineral, and fine oak. 3 Stars [1/27/18]

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards, Chardonnay, Carneros, Napa Valley 1997
No notes taken, but consistent with a bottle a month before, a remarkable, burnished and distinguished old Chardonnay with its rich fruit still intact. Drink now. 4 Stars [1/27/18]

Sullivan Vineyards, Coeur de Vigne, Rutherford, Napa Valley 1997
Great color still, medium garnet. Wonderful mature Napa nose of black cherry, chocolate truffle, some cured tobacco leaf, dusty, leathery Napa earth, and a touch of orange rind. Loads of black cherry on the palate, with red currant, and earth. Full bodied, very fresh still with great acidity, and ripe, sweet, warm fruit, with wonderful succulence. Wonderful example of a mature Napa red. Drink now. 4+ Stars [1/27/18]

Beaulieu Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Georges de Latour Private Reserve, Napa Valley 1998
Medium dark ruby. Great nose, slightly heady, with loads of dark, earthy fruit, some cocoa, and Napa leather. On the palate, black cherry, red currant, and cassis, some plum, chocolatey earth, lots of fine mineral and tannin. Full bodied with sweet fruit. Drink in the next 5 years. 4 Stars [1/27/18]

Etude, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 1997
Medium garnet. Rich nose of dark fruit, lots of nice leather, fig, sweet Napa earth/cocoa, mature tones of forest floor, an excellent mature nose. On the palate, tart black cherry and cranberry, black currant, loads of fine, dense mineral and tannin. Full bodied with a wonderful sweet succulent/succulent texture; nice finish, though a bit hot. Very nice. Drink now. 4- Stars [1/27/18]

Beringer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Private Reserve, Napa Valley 1997
Great color still, pure medium ruby. Wonderful, warm, rich nose of sweet red fruit, heady black fruit, Napa earth/cocoa, and cured tobacco; love the nose. On the palate, wonderful, succulent red currant, warm blackberry jam, chocolate ganache, and green tobacco leaf. Good acid. A bit bitter and hot on the finish, but still really nice. Drink now. 4- Stars [1/27/18]

Robert Mondavi Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve, Napa Valley 1998
Good color, ruby/garnet, clear at the rim. Excellent nose of warm, rich, dark fruit: blackberry, black cherry, black currant, and plum. On the palate, wonderful, sweet, dried blackberry, blueberry, and red currant. Full bodied with a wonderful sweet/succulent texture, and elegant balance. Wonderful. Drink in the next 5 years. 4+ Stars [1/27/18]

Taylor Fladgate, Vintage Porto, Porto 2007
Dark ruby. Outstanding nose of dense blackberry, pure cherry, cassis liqueur, blueberry, fig, chocolate, lots of mineral, and wonderful spice; firm. On the palate, rich, sweet blackberry, cherry, blueberry, fig, red plum, peppery spice, mineral, and lots of spirit. Very young still, needs at least 10 more years, and has 30 to probably 40 ahead. Outstanding. 4.5 Stars [1/27/18]
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Re: WTN: '97 and '98 Napa Tasting

by David M. Bueker » Sat Feb 24, 2018 7:32 pm

The ‘98s showed well for such a critically panned vintage. Says a lot about critics.
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Re: WTN: '97 and '98 Napa Tasting

by Bill Spohn » Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:51 pm

Ryan M wrote:Taylor Fladgate, Vintage Porto, Porto 2007


Baby killer! :twisted:

You'll long for that bottle in another decade!
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Re: WTN: '97 and '98 Napa Tasting

by David M. Bueker » Sat Feb 24, 2018 9:08 pm

Indeed Bill.

I have a '91 Dow's on deck, and am having second thoughts.
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Re: WTN: '97 and '98 Napa Tasting

by Bill Spohn » Sat Feb 24, 2018 9:48 pm

David M. Bueker wrote:Indeed Bill.

I have a '91 Dow's on deck, and am having second thoughts.


Tried one last year. My remaining 5 will sit there for a few more years - still quite young with lots of promise.
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Re: WTN: '97 and '98 Napa Tasting

by Ryan M » Sun Feb 25, 2018 10:34 am

Bill Spohn wrote:
Ryan M wrote:Taylor Fladgate, Vintage Porto, Porto 2007


Baby killer! :twisted:

You'll long for that bottle in another decade!


I've got two more . . . . 8)
"The sun, with all those planets revolving about it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else to do"
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(avatar: me next to the WIYN 3.5 meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory)

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