Tasting Notes: Napa Cabs (Dec. 13)

I thought about giving this post the subtitle, "a lesson in terroir," because that's what it was. "Terroir" is difficult to translate from the French, but it is generally used to indicate the combined effect of soil, climate, and topography on the flavor of a wine and is usually applied to wines that have a distinct regional character. And while it can be difficult to tell where terroir ends and winemaking techniques begin (it's been said that American winemakers manipulate their wines to the detriment of their natural terroirs), last night's lineup of Napa Cabernets had enough in common that I have to believe they were expressing, at least in part, the place from which they came. So here they are. Can you get a sense of the terroir from my notes? (All wines are Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons except the Tokaji dessert wine at the end):

1. Ehlers Estate 2004 ($34.99/bottle)
With aromas of cassis, black currant, oak, and the slightest suggestion of smoke, this uncomplicated but very tasty medium-full bodied wine offers flavors of currant, tart plum, and oak, with a light herbal note on the finish. I want to drink this with a gourmet hamburger.

2. Robert Craig Affinity 2003 ($44.99/bottle)
Wonderful, enchanting aromas of dark berries, clove, cinnamon, and toasty oak gives way to flavors of tart raspberry fruit, oak, clove, and spice.

3. Whitehall Lane 2004 ($43.99/bottle)
Despite my comments about terroir above, this wine's nose stood out as different from the others, showing more cherry and adding a cedary layer to the more expected oak aromas (see also #5 below). It offers flavors of blackberry, oak, and a hint of cocoa, with firm tannins emerging on the finish, suggesting a need for longer aging. It's good now, but it will be better in two or three years.

4.Schweiger 2003 ($49.99/bottle)
Cassis, oak, and red licorice aromas lay the groundwork for flavors of blackberry, black currant, black pepper, and coffee, all rounded out by toasty oak. Full-bodied, this wine's plush mouthfeel mitigates the drying tannins on the finish.

5. Ghost Block 2004 ($59.99/bottle)
With ripe jammy fruit, green pepper, and a touch of smoke on the nose, this wine smells as much like an Argentinian carmenère as a Napa cab and, so, is one of two wines whose aromas don't fit this lineup's standard profile (see also #3, above). But with flavors of concentrated dark berry fruit, coca-cola, cinnamon, and fig, who cares? This is a big, rich, new-world wine, and I like it.

6. Fisher Coach Insignia 2003 ($71.99/bottle)
The berry and oak aromas of this wine are so concentrated and rich that they suggest a mixture of black cherry and cream sodas. The flavor reveals dark berry fruit that is very ripe without being sweet or cloying, followed by a hint of bitter herbs on the finish. The real strength of this wine, however, is its combination of plush mouthfeel--seamless red velvet--with surprising but well-balanced acidity. It simply screams for a rich slab of prime rib. Red velvet? Prime rib? Christmas, anyone?

7. Robert Mondavi Reserve 2004 ($125.99/bottle)
Very expressive nose of rich, concentrated cassis, vanilla, spice, and molasses cookie. Ripe cassis and berry fruit is well-balanced with candied spice and a hint of tar, all set against firm but integrated tannins. Oak is present but restrained. This wine is fantastic now; in five years it will be stunning. Don't forget the steak when you pop this knockout.

8. Tokaj Kereskedohaz Tokaji Aszu 2001 4 puttonyos (26.99/500 ml bottle)
This opulent dessert wine from Hungary will please both the palate and the intellect. It smells like smoked peach and apricot nectar mixed with just a splash of diesel fuel. (Somehow, it works.) Its flavor is even more intriguing, managing to be simultaneously very sweet and pleasantly bitter--apricot syrup infused with medicinal herbs and cigarette tobacco, which transsubstantiates into sweet pipe tobacco on the improbably long finish. This is Sauternes after reading Kafka.