BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

BUYING I GUIDE
balance and harmony, interfering with flavors of
fresh apples, lemon and cream. Imported by
Terra Firma USA Inc. —A.I.
83
Prahova Valley 2008 Reserve
Chardonnay (Sebes); $10. There are
pleasant scents of vanilla, spice and poached
pears on this Romanian Chardonnay, but the
palate suffers from bracingly high acidity and
faint apple flavors lacking depth and concentration.
The finish is short and ends on notes of sawdust.
Imported by Terra Firma USA Inc. —A.I.
83
Sole 2009 Chardonnay (Recas);
$15. Green and herbaceous on the nose,
this full-bodied, dry Chardonnay from Romania
suffers from bracingly high acidity levels, but has
pleasant flavors of lemon, stones and a hint of
almonds. The finish is short and drops suddenly
on a sour, green note. Imported by Terra Firma
USA Inc. —A.I.
82
Dreamer 2008 Late Harvest Riesling
(Dealurile Munteniei); $9.
There’s a vegetal, tinned nature to this late harvest
Riesling from Romania that dominates both
the nose and the palate. Honeyed apple and pear
flavors peek through the off-dry palate, but overall,
it’s a disjointed, tired wine with bracingly high
acidity. Imported by Terra Firma USA Inc. —A.I.
CALIFORNIA
RED WINES
CABERNETS & BLENDS
96
Long Meadow Ranch 2007 Cabernet
Sauvignon (Rutherford); $42.
An extraordinary Cabernet that stands out even in
this great vintage, and among its Rutherford
peers. Quite dry and tannic in youth, it shows an
astringency that strongly suggests the cellar.
Underneath are powerhouse flavors of blackberries,
black and red cherries, spices, tea and cedar.
Really defines balance and elegance in a Napa
Cabernet. Decant if you drink it now, but it
should develop for years to come. Editors’
Choice. —S.H.
96
Staglin 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Rutherford); $175. A big wine, rather
ponderous now in the size and forwardness of its
fruit and the volume of mainly new French oak.
The fruit is massive, suggesting black and red sour
cherry candy, with oak influences of smoky char
and pencil shavings, and complex notes of minerals
and sweet violet flowers. But it all needs time
to come together. Tasted in a large flight of 2007
Rutherford Cabernets and Bordeaux blends, this
was easily the star. Really hard to exaggerate the
wine’s beauty and elegance. Best 2013–2019, at
least. Cellar Selection. —S.H.
95
Chateau St. Jean 2005 Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma
County); $90. Texture is the name of the game
here. We’re talking pure velvet, the way the wine
glides over the palate with hardly a wrinkle.
Beyond the mouthfeel are flavors so complex,
they’re hard to describe. The blend consists of
Cabernet Sauvignon, with contributions from
Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, and each
grape brings its own distinction, as does 100%
new oak. It’s approachable now for the softness,
and should glide through the next 6–8 years with
ease. Expensive, yes, and only 344 cases were
produced, but it’s worth the search. Editors’
Choice. —S.H.
94
Alpha Omega 2007 Cabernet
Sauvignon (Napa Valley); $82.
There’s a tannic toughness to this young wine. It’s
like chewing on dried black currants. Once they
start to dissolve in the mouth, lovely flavors of
sweet blackberries emerge, and then take over
through a very long, spicy finish. It’s quite a beautiful
Napa Cabernet, but it does need time. Best
2013–2019. Cellar Selection. —S.H.
94
Cakebread 2006 Dancing Bear
Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon (How-
ell Mountain); $105. This is a very rich wine.
Complex, too. With every sip, it seems to offer a
little more of itself. On the surface, it’s dry, tannic
and fruity, with blackberry, black currant, dark
chocolate and cedar flavors. But it has mineral
and herb nuances that seem to spring from the
soil, and the depth and finish are impressive.
Drinkable now for sheer luxury, and should continue
to develop over the next decade. —S.H.
94
Chimney Rock 2007 Cabernet
Sauvignon (Stags Leap District);
$61. This is Chimney Rock’s best Stags Leap
Cabernet since the 2005, and continues a string
of successful vintages. Dry and smooth and silky
in the mouth, it’s pretty tannic, but very rich,
offering waves of cherry, blackberry, blueberry,
cocoa and sweet cedar flavors. Absolutely deli-
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cious, wonderfully elegant, and should age well
for a decade. —S.H.
94
Honig 2007 Campbell Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford);
$75. This 100% Cabernet’s dark, saturated color
testifies to its extracted ripeness and richness. It’s
a gigantic wine, buried at the moment under
smoky oak, but tremendous underneath in blackberry,
cherry, currant, sweet herb, violet and
cured meat flavors. A big success even in this
vintage. Now, with decanting, and through
2019. —S.H.
94
Justin 2007 Isosceles Reserve
(Paso Robles); $95. A tremendous
wine that easily held its own against Napa Cabs
and blends, and a worthy followup to the wonderful
2006. Mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, with small
amounts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the wine
is extraordinarily rich and balanced and refined,
showing Paso softness, but no absence of complexity.
Really impresses for the depth and range
of berries, currants, licorice, mocha, herbs, spices
and oak. Now–2015. —S.H.
94
Meander 2007 Morisoli Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford);
$120. Such are the tannins in this 100% Cab
that it demands cellar time. It’s really shut down
and astringent in youth, which emphasizes the
dryness. But it’s very fine, with a solid core of
ripe black cherry fruit that will express its sweetness
when the tannins melt away. Winemaker
Amy Aiken is really showing her stuff with this
polished ager. Best 2013–2019. Cellar Selection.
—S.H.
94
Peju 2007 Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon (Rutherford); $105.
Erupts out from the glass with beautiful Cabernet
perfume, suggesting cherry pie from the oven,
licorice, sandalwood and dusty dried herbs, like
sage and thyme. Very dry, with a long spicy finish,
but also quite tannic, although lots of the tannins
come from new oak. Best to age this polished
100% Cab for at least six years. —S.H.
93
Alpha Omega 2007 Proprietary
Red Wine (Napa Valley); $86.
There’s something very fine and compelling about
this Merlot-based Bordeaux blend. It’s powerful
in oak-inspired blackberry, black cherry and black
currant flavors, but even more noteworthy is the
quality of the tannin structure, which is firm and
classic. Just feels rich and dramatic, with great