Thread: Best Cabernet?

seems like you have some good bottles there Hovy, i'm sure you'll find something palatable., let us know which was your favorite.

I like a lot of '05 Cabs, Chaulk Hill, most Stags Leap district wines, Chateau Montelena, Frank Family, Elizabeth Spencer, Opus 1, etc....

Originally Posted by Hovy

Got few Cabs but haven't tried them yet: Caymus, Opus I, Shafer and few more Domiunes (loved that one).

I can't overstate the importance of laying down premium cabs before cracking them open. The inexpensive stuff is built for more immediate consumption and doesn't improve much with age. But you'll really understand how great the premium cabs can be if you've aged them properly.

I had a dinner with my team and one of our vendors last night at Ruth's Chris in San Francisco. A co-worker and I ordered several bottles in the following order:

1) 2005 Rubicon Cask cab - this was our pre-dinner beverage
2) 2005 Peter Michael Les Pavots Knights Valley cab - consumed with beef filet
3) 2002 Rubicon Estate cab - prelude to dessert

The Cask was tasty and a good value ($75). The Peter Michael was fine but nowhere near it's peak, and as the most expensive of the 3 ($250) it was the most underwhelming. Pop this bottle 5-6 years from now, and it will be a monster. The Rubicon Estate ($130) was definitely the most scrumptious of the 3 and received the highest praise.

If you really have to open any of the bottles you mentioned in the immediate future, I've found the Caymus to be the most approachable in its infancy. The Dominus will be the tightest and most shut down when young IMO, which is fairly predictable for anything made in a traditional Bordeaux style. I've never had the Shafer Hillside Select at a young age, though the Shafer 1.5 is pretty good shortly after release. Neither have I had an Opus without decent bottle age.

i'm not generally a cab fan but i had a 2005 Martin Estate Reserve the other day during a business meeting (at the winery) - wow. the small winery (coolest one i've ever seen, private invitation only) is in Rutherford, close to Caymus. there's definitely something about that "Rutherford dust" - great stuff.

i've generally been an old-world wine dude, but that changed my outlook...

(my meeting was in the cask room pictured in the link below:
MartinEstate.com - Winery )

- chuck

Originally Posted by carendt242

i'm not generally a cab fan but i had a 2005 Martin Estate Reserve the other day during a business meeting (at the winery) - wow. the small winery (coolest one i've ever seen, private invitation only) is in Rutherford, close to Caymus. there's definitely something about that "Rutherford dust" - great stuff.

i've generally been an old-world wine dude, but that changed my outlook...

(my meeting was in the cask room pictured in the link below:
MartinEstate.com - Winery )

- chuck

funny you just posted that!
i was trading emails yesterday regarding cases of martin

mr. g. martin has a CRAZY gun collection too . . .

Originally Posted by MTK

funny you just posted that!
i was trading emails yesterday regarding cases of martin

mr. g. martin has a CRAZY gun collection too . . .

i saw

- chuck

My favorite cabernet from the Napa Valley area is from Cuvaison....its called Brandlin. 100% Cab from Mount Veeder and is only available at the winery. Deep concentration, purple/red color, and fruit aromas that you expect from this area.....amazing.

Just my 2 cents.

Chris

Cuvaison - Products - 2006 BRANDLIN Cabernet Sauvignon

Cracked these open over the weekend for my birthday rack of lamb dinner.

2001 Sloan
1999 Colgin (Herb Lamb Vineyard)
1997 Dalle Valle Maya

All three were exceptional although the Sloan was the clear heavy weight with tons of extraction and purple fruit.

Valentines Day today so the wife and I enjoyed the following:

2001 - Lokoya - Diamond Mountain
2001 - Sine Qua Non - Albino

Both were trmendous especially the Albino. Sine Qua Non continues to produce white wines for the red wine drinker.

Originally Posted by GranCruBa

Cracked these open over the weekend for my birthday rack of lamb dinner.

2001 Sloan
1999 Colgin (Herb Lamb Vineyard)
1997 Dalle Valle Maya

All three were exceptional although the Sloan was the clear heavy weight with tons of extraction and purple fruit.

Originally Posted by GranCruBa

Valentines Day today so the wife and I enjoyed the following:

2001 - Lokoya - Diamond Mountain
2001 - Sine Qua Non - Albino

Both were trmendous especially the Albino. Sine Qua Non continues to produce white wines for the red wine drinker.

Sounds like you've got a great palate and cellar (and wallet)!! Cheers!!