Here is the preparation for this Friday’s New World vs. Old World Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot and the other Bordeaux varietals blend tasting.
2004 Château d’Aiguilhe Comtes de Neipperg Côtes-de-Castillon, 13.5% abv, $25.97
70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Villa Mt Eden Grand Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.2% abv, $13.99
87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec, 2% Merlot
2005 Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild Pauillac, abv 13%, $45 (reg. $75)
71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot
2005 Château La Bienfaisance Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Bordeaux, 14% abv, $28.99
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
2004 Havens ‘Bourriquot’ Napa Valley, 14.5% abv, $24.99
70% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot
2006 Snowden Cabernet Sauvignon The Ranch Napa Valley, 15.4% abv, $37.99
82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
2005 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled Santa Cruz Mountains, 13.9% abv, $49.99
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc
What are we missing? What would you recommend we add, or skip?
20/02/2009 at 4:05 pm Permalink
I’m looking forward to the results of this one. I love to see Old World vs New World wine wars. Love to see how we stack up.
Wish I could have attended this one, but you all know my prior engagements. Have a blast.
20/02/2009 at 4:52 pm Permalink
I’m sure there will be top Bordeaux but California has a flashy accessible style that usually pleases in blind tastings. Which brings up the Paris 1976 tasting, and that’s a-whole-nother blog in itself. Suffice it to say that there is a large “intellectual” component to wine tasting, or any aesthetic evaluation, hence to be fair we here at The Royal Tannin Bombs always do wine tastings blind to remove as much bias as possible. That being said you have to keep in mind that the “show-girl” style of wine that is so flamboyant in a tasting is not necessarily the wine that you should award the most points nor your highest ranking. Keep in mind the subtleties of the art, the longevity components, the aging characteristics.
My prediction for tonight is that the 2005 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon will show well in both fruit and structure, the 2005 Villa Mt Eden Grand Reserve Napa Valley will take top honours in the “value” bracket, the 2005 Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild Pauillac will be too tight to enjoy but show good potential, the 2004 Havens ‘Bourriquot’ Napa will be very disappointing (Parker calls it a “Cheval Blanc look-alike”), and the other Bordeaux will place slightly below the middle-of-the-pack mark due to their austerity.
So my line-up guess would be something like this:
2005 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled Santa Cruz Mountains, $49.99
2006 Snowden Cabernet Sauvignon The Ranch Napa Valley, $37.99
2005 Villa Mt Eden Grand Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $13.99
2004 Château d’Aiguilhe Comtes de Neipperg Côtes-de-Castillon, $25.97
2005 Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild Pauillac, $45
2005 Château La Bienfaisance Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Bordeaux, $28.99
2004 Havens ‘Bourriquot’ Napa Valley, $24.99
Which of course is not what I would ideally want, being the Bordeaux snob that I am. I would want the Bordeaux to stomp all over the Cali offerings, as I love Côtes-de-Castillon, Saint-Émilion and Pauillac, in that order believe it or not.