TN Two CA Cabs

Dinner last night on the deck, enjoying a pleasant Colorado sunset beyond Pikes Peak. Had a juicy, thick ribeye with peach puree and hickory-smoked bacon garnish accompanied with purple and gold grilled potatoes and a tomato-corn relish on the side. Forget about the taters and veggies, the focus was on beef.

A heavy dose of steer requires a full-bodied wine, so I pulled a Pine Ridge Stag's Leap District Cabernet '98. It reminded me what big cabernet is all about. Beautiful deep burgundy color and almost viscous clinging to the glass as you swirl a bit. Huge nose of toffee, chocolate, dark cherry and cassis. Wonderful mouthfeel and an explosion of toffee, vanilla, chocolate and dark fruits. Just a tweak of tannin after swallowing reminding you that the wine has a lot of years left. Wonderful, wonderful.....

Then lingering on the patio and talking about an upcoming trip to Durango, we needed another glass. This time it was Chateau Montelena Calistoga Cuvee Cabernet '97. I know this is not the flagship from Montelena, but it has offered some interest in the past. I'm down to the last two bottles from a case and in reviewing past TNs, note that the wine has been incredibly erratic. Like several bottles in the past this one came with a bucket of sediment. The lower side of the bottle from the rack was not simply dusted but chunky with sediment. The wine was murky and showed a load of tar and old rubber boots initially. The mustiness abated after about an hour and a lot of swirling, but the wine remained bitter with tar, smoke, rubber and maybe just a bit of bitter cherry flavors. Other bottles from the case have been clearer with warmer, but always intense flavors. About half of the bottles have been heavily sedimented.

The Montelena was half the price of the Pine Ridge, but no bargain.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN #1-58834-103-8

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Ed Rasimus
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Those tar, smoke and rubber notes are symptoms of a mercaptan problem that was not adequately addressed in the winery. Copper fining is the usual course of treatment for mercaptan (plus ascorbic acid if there is dimercaptan present), followed by deodorizing charcoal. Some winemakers are reluctant to use charcoal in their wines for fear of stripping the flavor, but the stink may re-emerge in the bottle if the carbon step is omitted.

Tom S

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Tom S

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