Lifestyle - Home

TASTING ROOM

Wine of the Week: 1998 Cabernet

Ten-year Cab-Bordeaux Red Blend Retrospective


Published: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 4:20 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 10:39 a.m.

Wine writer Peg Melnik recently had a blind tasting of 14 cabernets and Bordeaux red blends from 1998, a year troubled by El Nino weather. The retrospective has been a PD tradition for nearly 15 years. Uncorking wines at their 10-year mark is when the great ones are expected to be at their best.


Click to enlarge
Related Links:
OUT TOP PICK

Shafer Hillside Select, 1998 Stags Leap, Napa Valley

**** ½ Complex, rich and balanced. Notes of blackberry, espresso and spice. Has a nice earthiness. Firm tannins.

THE RUNNERS-UP

Second Place:

Hess Collection,1998 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon **** ½

Complex, with firm tannins. Aromas and flavors of cherry, black cherry, anise and cocoa. Juicy. Lingering finish.

Third Place:

Joseph Phelps Insignia,1998 Napa Valley ****

A muscular cab with good concentration. Big tannins. Big fruit. Great integration. Notes of cedar, toast and vanilla.

Fourth Place:

Trefethen Reserve, 1998 Napa Valley ****

A cab with great structure. It has firm tannins, but it's also juicy with rich fruit flavors of black cherry, cassis and plum. Long finish.

Fifth Place:

Freemark Abbey, 1998 Sycamore Vineyards, Napa Valley ****

A concentrated cab with juicy flavors of cherry, black cherry and cassis. Notes of herbs and spice. Balanced.

Sixth Place:

Frog's Leap, 1998 Rutherford ****

A very appealing cab with striking cherry and currant flavors. Balanced. Dry finish.

Seventh Place:

Freemark Abbey, 1998 Bosche Estate, Napa Valley ****

A juicy cab with notes of black cherry, plum, anise and pepper. Well-integrated.

Eight Place:

Burgess Cellars, 1998 Napa Valley *** ½

A complex cab with aromas and flavors of cherry, cassis, plum, cedar and anise. Good concentration of fruit.

Ninth Place:

Grgich Hills, 1998 Napa Valley *** ½

A juicy cab with appealing flavors of cherry, black cherry, plum and smoke. Long finish.

Tenth Place:

Robert Mondavi Reserve, 1998 Napa Valley ***½

A cab with great structure that also manages to be juicy. Slightly herbal, with notes of leather and spice.

OTHERS TASTED

*** -- Husch, 1998 North Field Select, Mendocino; Matrix, 1998 Mazzocco, Dry Creek Valley; Mosaic 1998 Alexander Valley Meritage; Pedroncelli, 1998 Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County; Sterling Vineyards, 1998 Napa Valley Reserve.

** ½ -- Laurel Glen, 1998 Sonoma Mountain.

** -- A. Rafanelli, 1998 Terrace Select, Dry Creek Valley; BR Cohn, 1998 Olive Hill Estate Vineyards, Sonoma Valley; Heitz Cellars, 1998 Napa Valley; Joseph Phelps, 1998 Napa Valley; Kenwood, 1998 Sonoma Valley.

Three contenders were corked and pulled from the tasting.OUR TOP PICK

Shafer Hillside Select

1998 Stags Leap, Napa Valley


All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.

Add a Comment

Only moderator-approved comments are shown on this page. To see all comments, please visit the forum. We at PressDemocrat.com created these forums as a place where our community can exchange ideas on news issues and express their thoughts. Please be courteous and respectful. Avoid expletives, false statements, veiled or overt threats and personal attacks. Stay on topic. (View full Terms of Service.)
    Post a comment | View all comments on this topic.

Next Article in Lifestyle-Wine