Cabernet Sauvignon: Blind Tastings

CABERNET SAUVIGNON: Double Blind Tastings

DOUBLE BLIND TASTING on 8/12/95 -- 5 cabernets

The Contestants:

1. Rodney Strong (Sonoma County) Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 Alcohol 13.0% Price: $8

JG: Accompanied by a pipe, old leather. Spicy -- cinnamon, nutmeg -- Thanksgiving spices. Beefy and hearty, yet refined and gentlemanly. Royal color. RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Silver Lake.
PB: Deep ruby red color. The nose is light and cheery. Weak dry cherry taste overpowered by oak. Must taste wines tonight to loosen my language center... but this is a no sh** cabernet. [Back later]: Evening fave. RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Carmenet.

ES: Deep red, green pepper nose. Slightly tannic; very good! Sharp initially, smooth finish. The nums, I love it:

     This is a very good wine
     It seems to be quite in its prime
     It's highly complex
     Reminds me of sex
     I know, I've got a warped mind.

RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Silver Lake.

ME: Not an exciting armoa but a pleasant, flexible taste -- like wow, man, what is that aftertaste? Is a Merlot peaking out of that? Nah! RANK: 3. GUESS: Columbia Crest.
MF: Strong. Initially sweet, a little smooth. Rolls off the tongue nicely. Good. RANK: 2. GUESS: Columbia Crest.
SD: Color and nose: strong and simple, a little harsh but with some mellowing chocolate overtones. A little tannic, hints of oak and complexity. I think further aging will improve it even more. A slightly rubbery taste and texture, but it's really good quality rubber and I like it alot. RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Silver Lake.
BW: Nice black cherry color, medium body, easy to drink and downright tasty. Aroma is mild, finish brief. RANK: 3. GUESS: Silver Lake.

Additional review sent in by the feedback form from MF (received 10/9/95):

Price is now $9.75 at Busters. Still good for the price... (the price on the 90 and 91 are $30 and $20 respectively). More "roomy" than I remember (i.e. I remember a "thickness" the 1st time around. The circumstances may have been different. Then again, I had it w/a meal which was varied enough (Chinese) to have some effect. In any case, I used your reviews for info, and decided on this one, as I didn't see the Hedges at Busters...

2. Carmenet Moon Mountain Dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County Table Wine), 1992 Alcohol ?? (couldn't find on label) Price: $17

JG: Transfusion red. Smell slightly off -- did the stomper leave their running socks on? Offends the tongue. Needs finishing school. Good on a dulled tongue. RANK: 3. GUESS: Carta Vieja.
PB: Dark like squid's ink -- it actually appears to be purple. An extremely young little tart... uh, tart little young wine. I frighten myself by pretending I think it doesn't have the right "balance" -- too much oak. Good potential in the fruit. Probably one of the Washington wines -- Silver Lake despite their rant about balance. RANK: 2. GUESS: Silver Lake.
ES: Almost no nose, but "no nose is good nose", Joan and Paul always say! Deeper reddish than #1. Tastes barely tannic, very smooth, but not a lot of complexity -- wait -- simple! RANK: 2. GUESS: Carmenet.
ME: Buddy said "not on this one" referring to aromas, and I believe Buddy to be right all the time. A nice dark wine with a very smooth taste. Less tannic than #1. Full-bodied to be sure, hearty. Ranks up there with #4. RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Silver Lake.
MF: Smells overly alcoholic, smoothish, a little twang in the aftertaste, but only slightly. Almost a hint of pepper in the aftertaste, maybe... RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Silver Lake.
SD: Yep, this is cab. Not as full-bodied as #1, but still satisfying. Nose a little weak. Taste reminds me of #1, just a little simpler and a shade paler -- as if someone photocopied #1 a few times until it got grainy. Hints of butter maybe? RANK: 2. GUESS: Columbia Crest.
BW: An angular wine, quite different from #1. Too upright for my tastes, but probably delicious if you're in that groove. Good strong color. On later tasting, I like it much better. RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Carmenet.

3. Columbia Crest (Columbia Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon, 1990 Alcohol 13.0% Price: $12.70

JG: Supple aroma, hint of spice. Smooth, perhaps dull. Slightly bitter. RANK: 2. GUESS: Columbia Crest.
PB: The other Washington wine. A "prescription wine" as Mike Frohme might say. You know... unscrew the plastic top, pour a little bit onto the spoon, shut your eyes and choke it down. RANK: 3. GUESS: Columbia Crest.
ES: Dark, almost no nose, tannic, simple, cheap tasting (the wine, not the party). RANK: 4. GUESS: Columbia Crest.
ME: If this isn't a $3.99 special... rough to the back of the throat but probably good for replenishing my fiberglass epoxy stores. A regular nasty aftertaste. RANK: 4. GUESS: Carta Vieja.
MF: Smells sweet on first whiff. I don't particularly like this one -- the aftertaste is kind of Metallica. RANK: 4. GUESS: Rodney Strong.
SD: Dark, deep blood red. Strong but kind of boorish. It's like the loud uncle who keeps telling the same story -- not bad at first, but it gets tiring pretty quickly. A few years penance in the closet might bring it to its senses. Still, it has potential, and at least it's not watery and shamefaced, like some wines to be reviewed soon... RANK: 3. GUESS: Rodney Strong.
BW: Different again! Reminiscent of green olives; rather appealing at first but falls flat after further consideration. Is this a young wine? Nice dark color. I think it just needs a long breathing time. RANK: 2. GUESS: Rodney Strong.

4. Carta Vieja (Maule Valley, Chile) Cabernet Sauvignon, 1993 Alcohol 12% Price: $4

JG: Scent of cranberry, sweet. Pour over pancakes. Limp. The Cheez Whiz of cabernets. Yucko. RANK: 5 (lowest). GUESS: Rodney Strong.
PB: The nose of "ropa vieja." Soft and doughy -- strong fruit but there is an off taste of something "burned". A comedown from those that have gone before. Chilean. RANK: 4. GUESS: Carta Vieja.
ES: Lightest in color, fruity nose, light, wimpy, but nice -- Mike Ellis? Nice drinking wine, wouldn't want it with food. Gosh, I feel guilty, not only for insulting Mike E., who doesn't deserve it, but for writing so little. Mike F. does deserve it:
```
     There once was a wine from Chile
     That we all drank up willy nilly.
     At wine number 4
     Mike fell on the floor
     And at 5 we noted that he looked quite silly.
```
[Editor's note: At dinner ES recanted again, apologizing since Mike F. doesn't deserve it.] RANK: 3. GUESS: Rodney Strong.
ME: A stink at last -- a taste like no other, like walking into an empty TARDIS, i.e., emerging into a larger dimension (larger even than Kagan's) and finding it [null]. Joan says it's got cherry aroma; I wish I had her (or anyone's) nose for sniffing. I should have tacked before capsizing... RANK: 2. GUESS: Carmenet.
MF: Smells kind of spicy and flowery. Tastes clean and sweet, but kind of light. Aftertaste is thin, like the body. RANK: 3. GUESS: Carmenet.
SD: A sharp balsamic nose that makes me hunger for salad. But then the taste: flaccid and weak. It's watered down so much you could sell it for $3.99 a bottle. My slogan: "Cab Flavored Water-In-A-Bottle". RANK: 5 (lowest). GUESS: Carta Vieja.
BW: Thin and vinegary, would be good on salad. Color too pale. Still, it's not awful. RANK: 5 (lowest). GUESS: Carta Vieja.

5. Silver Lake (Columbia Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon, 1990 Alcohol 13.5% Price: $13

JG: Medicinal smell (cough medicine). Interesting but not unlike paregoric. Oooh - gives heebie-jeebies. RANK: 4. GUESS: Carmenet.
PB: Pepper and cherry and oak. That's green pepper. Not a well-balanced wine -- an unhappy marriage of opposites. RANK: 5 (lowest). GUESS: Rodney Strong.

ES: Medium ruby, Robitussin DM-like nose. Right now it tastes awful:

     There is a dark red cabernet
     That cannot be drunk with poulet
     French it sure ain't
     It tastes like bad paint
     And looks like tomato puree.

RANK: 5 (lowest). GUESS: Carta Vieja.

ME: A wowee of a stink! Robitussin DM. Ha! THIS must be the cherry, a yukky medicinal taste I really should have tacked... This is ranking bottom with #3. RANK: 5 (lowest). GUESS: Rodney Strong.
MF: Smells medicinal / fruity / reminiscent of grandma's basement. Honks... loudly. RANK: 5 (lowest). GUESS: Carta Vieja.
SD: Looks purple. Smells purple. Tastes purple. This is like a strange purple candy. I'd probably love this if I were a little kid age 7 to 9, like Mike (either one, take your pick.) [Editor's Note: In ES's grand tradition of insulting Mikes and then apologizing (see wine #4), I too recant this unecessary comment.] With its youthful exuberance and goofy flavor, it probably has a Mighty Morphin name like "Moon Mountain Dynamite!" RANK: 4. GUESS: Carmenet.
BW: The cherry flavor is overpowering and artificial. It's otherwise bland and flat. RANK: 4. GUESS: Columbia Crest.

Overall Comments: Interestingly enough, the wines were generally perceived as going from best to worst during the course of the evening. Both the Rodney Strong and the Carmenet did quite well: everyone's favorite was one of these wines, and no one ranked either wine below the median. The Columbia Crest ranked in the middle; most of the judges found it somewhat obnoxious. Three judges (myself included) ranked the Carta Vieja the lowest, finding it too weak and thin, although others appreciated its fruity and flowery character. We all found the Silver Lake to be medicinal and artificial tasting, and it was ranked worst by four of the judges and second-to-worst by all the others.

My own personal ratings, on an absolute scale [HTML Table Tags Alert]:

WINE The Seismo-Zombie (SD) sez: Total Sum of Rankings (low is better):
#1 (Rodney Strong) Very good (B) 12
#2 (Carmenet Dynamite) Good (B-) 12
#3 (Columbia Crest) Might be good someday (C) 22
#4 (Carta Vieja) Inexcusably watery (D) 27
#5 (Silver Lake) Fun but really weird (D+) 32
Given the low cost, the Rodney Strong appears to be a good buy.

WINE	The Seismo-Zombie (SD) sez:	Total Sum of Rankings (low is better):
#1 (Rodney Strong)	Very good (B)	12
#2 (Carmenet Dynamite)	Good (B-)	12
#3 (Columbia Crest)	Might be good someday (C)	22
#4 (Carta Vieja)	Inexcusably watery (D)	27
#5 (Silver Lake)	Fun but really weird (D+)	32

The judges did rather poorly in guessing the identity of the contestants; none correctly named more than two of the wines. Everyone thought their favorite wine was either the Carmenet or the Silver Lake (the most expensive wines), and everyone thought their least favorite was either the Carta Vieja or the Rodney Strong (the cheapest wines). The wines that were apparently easiest to guess were the Columbia Crest and the Carta Vieja (three judges correctly named them in each case); nobody correctly identified the Rodney Strong or the Silver Lake.

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DOUBLE BLIND TASTING on 8/23/96 -- 4 cabernets

The Contestants:

1. Cakebread Cellars (Napa Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon, 1992 Alcohol 12.5% Price:

BW:

Nose Color Flavor Finish Comments
mild but pleasant pretty cranberry hue bright cherry and vanilla brief Maybe a young wine? enjoyable
RANK: 2. GUESS: Preece.
KO:

Bouquet Color Taste Finish Comments
somewhat odorless clear burgundy oakey, peppery -- very nice! third on my list!
RANK: 3. GUESS: Staton Hills.
FT:

Bouquet Color Taste Finish Comments
? dark ruby complex. oakey, dry, cherries -- low acid, good balance touch bitter could be the Aussie
RANK: 3. GUESS: Preece.
JH: This flamboyantly ruby wine is actually quite meek, with occassionally peppery overtones but [under?] finish. This wine is perhaps too unsophisticated for this crowd. RANK: 4 (lowest). GUESS: Staton Hills.
CF: The color of this wine is a red-light district wine; bouquet is a south of the border swampy redolence; taste is a bit twiggy thin, with hints of dark fruits. All in all a bit too subtle for a Dakota Boy. Give me a slug of some real libation, not this wimpy mouthwash. RANK: 4 (lowest). GUESS: Preece.
SD: Medium body; light 'n simple cab nose. Some blackberry and a little green apple. Young tannins and fruit, and excitable and ebullient wine that starts to get on my nerves after a few sips. A character that is a bit raucous and uncouth makes this my least favorite. Only a snob and a boor would assume from this information that this is the cheapest wine. I think this is the Santa Rita. RANK: 4 (lowest). GUESS: Santa Rita.

Nose	Color	Flavor	Finish	Comments
mild but pleasant	pretty cranberry hue	bright cherry and vanilla	brief	Maybe a young wine? enjoyable

Bouquet	Color	Taste	Finish	Comments
somewhat odorless	clear burgundy	oakey, peppery	--	very nice! third on my list!

Bouquet	Color	Taste	Finish	Comments
?	dark ruby	complex. oakey, dry, cherries -- low acid, good balance	touch bitter	could be the Aussie

2. Preece (South Eastern Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon, 1993 Alcohol 12.5% Price:

BW:

Nose Color Flavor Finish Comments
very shy wonderfully dark and rich looking milder and more refined then #1, but lacking friskiness ?? rather boring
RANK: 3. GUESS: Staton Hills.
KO:

Bouquet Color Taste Finish Comments
somewhat odorless dark burgundy very smooth -- very good! my second choice!
RANK: 2. GUESS: Cakebread Cellars.
FT:

Bouquet Color Taste Finish Comments
vanilla dark plain, flat. no taste. flat, no acid -- boring not a complex wine, not objectionable, but...
RANK: 4. GUESS: Santa Rita.
JH: Unexpectingly dark, spicy and evocative of Christmas. Voluptuous but not complex, with a bitter aftertaste. RANK: 2. GUESS: Cakebread Cellars.
CF: Oh my! In comparison to #1, this wine addresses a man's higher appetite, but fortunately, not too high. The wine is dark, as befitting a wine from the deep recesses of the country. In flavor there are hints of peppermint: all in all it is pleasant but perhaps a bit too sweet for the serious self-abuser. This is a wine to be enjoyed but not to be taken too seriously. RANK: 2. GUESS: Staton Hills.
SD: Darker color; sultry smokey bouquet. Smooth, more mature than #1: relaxed and confident. Brings to mind the Great Smokey Mountains: majestic but round with age, and a haze of cool fog and firewood smoke and just a hint of gasoline. Apple blossoms in the finish. On later tasting, some cola and Dr. Pepper. A little confusing, but I like it. RANK: 2. GUESS: Staton Hills.

Nose	Color	Flavor	Finish	Comments
very shy	wonderfully dark and rich looking	milder and more refined then #1, but lacking friskiness	??	rather boring

Bouquet	Color	Taste	Finish	Comments
somewhat odorless	dark burgundy	very smooth	--	very good! my second choice!

Bouquet	Color	Taste	Finish	Comments
vanilla	dark	plain, flat. no taste.	flat, no acid -- boring	not a complex wine, not objectionable, but...

3. Staton Hills (Washington State) Cabernet Sauvignon, 1990 Alcohol 12.5% Price: $15 ($10 at End-O-Bin)

BW:

Nose Color Flavor Finish Comments
cherries another nice dark wine sharp and raw, lacking body medicinal I'd drink this if I had a llama as a drinking companion.
RANK: 4 (lowest). GUESS: Santa Rita.
KO:

Bouquet Color Taste Finish Comments
somewhat odorless deep burgundy bites a little -- o.k. -- fourth place
RANK: 4 (lowest). GUESS: Santa Rita.
FT:

Bouquet Color Taste Finish Comments
berries ruby complex, good acid balance, bright berries, low on oak good, fruity, complex, better best so far
RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Cakebread Cellars.
JH: After a hectic day in a crowded market, my lover bought this wine in an unnamed foreign village. Perhaps the wine was not the best, but it was good enough and neither of us cared. RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Preece.
CF: The color here is a twin to #2, but the bouquet is much more subtle, a "dusty root cellar" smell. Upon tasting one is displaced from the cellar into a glorious forest of wildflowers, bark flavors, and yes, a "come hither, young man, yes, that's you Cliff" flavor. If this wine were a woman, I would ask her to move in with me -- I am sure Jackie would understand. RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Cakebread Cellars.
SD: Garnet color. I hear "no smell" but I detect a faint angry scent, thorny vines and sharp pepper. Black pepper on the tongue is very nice. Tasty body but with a tilt to it: this is clearly from another hemisphere... but is it East (Australia) or South (Chile)? Actually, Australia is south AND east, which isn't important to this review but I wanted to look like I have a lot to say so I'll keep writing. Well, I already guessed Santa Rita for #1, so this must be a Preece of Australia. No wait -- it's the Cakebread. I think this is my favorite. At least I wrote more words about it than any other...: RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Cakebread Cellars.

Nose	Color	Flavor	Finish	Comments
cherries	another nice dark wine	sharp and raw, lacking body	medicinal	I'd drink this if I had a llama as a drinking companion.

Bouquet	Color	Taste	Finish	Comments
somewhat odorless	deep burgundy	bites a little	--	o.k. -- fourth place

Bouquet	Color	Taste	Finish	Comments
berries	ruby	complex, good acid balance, bright berries, low on oak	good, fruity, complex, better	best so far

4. Santa Rita (Rapel Valley, Chile) Cabernet Sauvignon, 1994 Alcohol 13% Price: $5

BW:

Nose Color Flavor Finish Comments
mild good dark appearance nicely balanced, full bodied, cherry notes brief finish I'm looking forward to drinking more of this!
RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Cakebread Cellars.
KO:

Bouquet Color Taste Finish Comments
somewhat odorless deep burgundy extremely smooth -- great! the best of the four!
RANK: 1 (fave). GUESS: Preece.
FT:

Bouquet Color Taste Finish Comments
slightly fragrant, berries -- slightly complex, like #3 -- like a weak #3 slightly bitter, rough --
RANK: 2. GUESS: Staton Hills.
JH: A sturdy everyday wine, dark and hearty, but possessing neither mystery nor mischief. Cliff would bring this wine home. RANK: 3. GUESS: Santa Rita.
CF: Here the bouquet is a disappointment, with a bit of gasoline or benzine. The color much like #2 and #3. The taste isn't that bad -- quite reliable if quaffed with some good south American beef -- but not a drink-alone wine. RANK: 3. GUESS: Santa Rita.
SD: A blackberry red. (Yes, Barbara, they all look the same, but I can pretend...) First impression is one of an exotic nature: tea leaves, green tea. Younger tannins, maybe a '93? Oak in the finish. There are differences between wines 2-4, but they are somewhat subtle. They are all good. RANK: 3. GUESS: Preece.

Nose	Color	Flavor	Finish	Comments
mild	good dark appearance	nicely balanced, full bodied, cherry notes	brief finish	I'm looking forward to drinking more of this!

Bouquet	Color	Taste	Finish	Comments
somewhat odorless	deep burgundy	extremely smooth	--	great! the best of the four!

Bouquet	Color	Taste	Finish	Comments
slightly fragrant, berries	--	slightly complex, like #3 -- like a weak #3	slightly bitter, rough	--

Overall Comments: A very interesting selection, with four wines from all over the globe (Napa Valley, Washington State, Chile and Australia)... and we did such a terrible job guessing which wine was what! Indeed, the only judges to get any wine correct were JH and CF, who picked out the Santa Rita -- and both of them admitted to recognizing the taste, as Santa Rita is a wine they regularly imbibe. (We also note that BW was only allowed a tiny sip of each wine on which to base her review). The most controversial contestant was the Staton Hills, a wine that every judge either picked as their favorite (JH, FT, CF, SD) or least favorite (KO, BW). The lowest scoring wine overall was the upper scale Cakebread, although BW did profess somewhat of a liking for it. The inexpensive Santa Rita held up amazingly well against it's higher priced companions, and was even chosen as the favorite wine by the judges who didn't like the Staton Hills. As KO noted, the contestants generally lacked a prominent nose.

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