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| Rob Williams - Cabernets and Blends | ||
Rob's "Wine of the Week" Archives So here is my wine review for the week of November 27th... 2002/2003 CALIFORNIA CABERNET OVERVIEW Description: Rather than review one or two wines this week, I have decided to use the long Thanksgiving weekend to my advantage and taste a variety of cabernets released recently, covering much of the 2002/2003 vintage in Napa Valley. Overall, both vintages are turning out to be just "ok," with a few shining stars, similar to the 2000 vintage when you had to really pick good wines to get quality. How to Get it: I have chosen to list here only wines that widely accessible via Bevmo, warehouse stores, some grocery stores, prominent on restaurant wine lists and/or from popular Napa wineries. How Much: The wines range in value and price, as reflected below. My Thoughts: There is hope that the 2004 vintages will rival the 1999 and 2001 lots, but with the explosion of wineries in Napa this century, it has really become what I call a "wine picker's market." Regardless of the overall quality of the grapes and the weather, there are now, every year, great finds and amazing disappointments. The 2002 and 2003 vintages are no different. I have focused here not on the Cadillac's of the reds (Insignia, Caymus, etc) but rather on the $20-60 range which are most accessible to most people: The Good: Beringer Napa Valley 2002 ($35), Mondavi Oakville 2003 ($35), Pride 2003 ($64), Whitehall Lane 2003 ($35), Cakebread 2003 ($50), Chalk Hill 2003 ($50) The Bad: David Arthur 2003 (For $100 this is a huge disappointment), Trefethen 2002 ($45), Anything from Stag's Leap 2002 ($50-125), The Ugly: Anything from Beaulieu (B.V.) continues to be rot gut, including the Georges Latour, St Supery 2002, Chateau St Jean 2003.
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