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WTN: Two Cabernets..(short/boring)

PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 10:59 am
by TomHill
Tried these two over the last two days:
1. DallaValleVnyds CabSauv NapaVlly (13.5%; 2.5 tons/acre; 9% CabFranc) 1994: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; very strong herbal/blackcurranty/Cab rather smokey/cedary/oak/toasty slight dusty/loamy bit alcoholic rather old-timey NapaVlly Cab nose; soft rather herbal/blackcurranty/Cab/spicy strong toasty/Fr.oak/smokey some tannic/hard/angular/young flavor; very long strong toasty/charred/smokey/Fr.oak strong blackcurranty/Cab/herbal/licorice finish w/ some tannins; a strong/4-square classic NapaCab that needs more age and not showing much evolution or development; boring as hell. $41.00
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2. Foxen CabSauv MamereVnyd/SantaMariaVlly (EB; 13.5%) 1996: Very dark bit murkey color w/ some browning; very intense herbal/blackcurranty/Cab/loamy rather Bdx-like very strong minty/menthol/eucalyptus some toasty/charred/smokey/pungent/Fr.oak complex beautiful nose; fairly tart rich/angular intense herbal/blackcurranty/Cab/earthy/very Bdx-like quite minty/menthol/eucalyptus/koala bear poop charred/smokey/toasty/Fr.oak complex flavor w/ smooth/lush/round/graceful tannins; very long/lingering rich/mouthfilling/angular rather tart very strong charred/burnt/Fr.oak intense herbal/blackcurranty/Cab/DrPepper rather strong minty/menthol/eucalyptus/pungent complex finish w/ rich/ripe/round/structured tannins; lots of eucalyptus and lots of charred oak and lots of herbal/Cab character w/o straying into vegetal/underripe territory; probably near its peak w/ plenty of youthful vigor; easily the best most complex SB Cab I've ever had w/ some real Bdx-like character and some Languedoc character; terrific Cab and almost enough to make me start drinking Cabernet again. $38.00 (WCFutures)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. SantaBarbaraCab: This was a wine I bought at a WineCask futures tasting (RIP...sniff/sniff). Back then, I was quite taken by its intensity and its powerful eucalyptus character. That's still there. Back then, SantaBarbara Cabs were not very good and ths one stood out like a sore thumb. The Foxen wines of that era always had a pretty strong hit of charred Fr.oak..which I think they've backed off since then. Since then, I've had a fair number of SantaBarbara Cabs, especially from out in the HappyCanyon area, that I've thought were as good as any being made in Calif. SantaBarbaraCnty...it ain't just Syrah anymore.
Tom

Re: WTN: Two Cabernets..(short/boring)

PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 11:46 am
by Brian K Miller
"koala bear poop" I think I am going to Google search that some time! :P

Well....

PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 1:49 pm
by TomHill
Brian K Miller wrote:"koala bear poop" I think I am going to Google search that some time! :P


Well, Brian...I must admit that I've never smelled the nether regions of a koala bear.....but there was just a slight
sauvage/gamey character in there that made me think of that.
Tom

Re: WTN: Two Cabernets..(short/boring)

PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 4:20 pm
by Brian Gilp
Brian K Miller wrote:"koala bear poop" I think I am going to Google search that some time! :P


I use to think that Tom threw lines like that in to see if we were reading. Over time I have come to understand that Tom stops to smell the roses and anything else he comes across just in case......

Re: WTN: Two Cabernets..(short/boring)

PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 6:41 pm
by Brian K Miller
I did it. Using the most specific wording possible, "koala poop" brings up 1,360 results. One can purchase "koala poop" earings. There is koala poop coffee. There are adventures wading through koala poop!


I promise....no more on this topic! :twisted:

Re: WTN: Two Cabernets..(short/boring)

PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 11:41 pm
by Jon Leifer
Promise, promises, Brian M..I do, think, however, that there is a lot of merit in what Brian G said he used to think about Tom's pearls as well as his current position on the subject...More than a few of those descriptors have had me scratching my head.

Well....

PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:44 am
by TomHill
Brian Gilp wrote:
Brian K Miller wrote:"koala bear poop" I think I am going to Google search that some time! :P


I use to think that Tom threw lines like that in to see if we were reading. Over time I have come to understand that Tom stops to smell the roses and anything else he comes across just in case......


Well, Brian....oftentimes in the BloodyPulpit I'll throw in something so outrageously wrong...just to see if anybody picks it up.
But..in the case of "koala bear poop"...that was just the descriptor that happened to come to mind....eucalyptus intertwined w/ a gamey character.
Tom