Wine Club - 'Bonus' Tasting

This was the 7th and final meeting of Wine Club. Adam and I asked everyone to commit to 6 monthly meetings at $25 each. For the $25, everyone got to attend the tasting and take home a bottle after each tasting. We had enough money left over to do a bonus tasting. There wouldn’t be a bottle for everyone to take home but we did get to try some really nice wines.

In one of the early meetings, I was asked is there was a big difference between a $10 bottle and a $20 bottle. I figured the best way to demonstrate the differences was to let people experience it for themselves. That was the goal of this bonus tasting. I went with California Cabs at three different price points – a 2003 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon at $20, a 2001 Robert Mondavi Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at $37 and a 2001 Robert Mondavi Private Reserve Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at $169.

I prepared some Grilled Steak Sandwiches in Zippy Sauce and served it with some Miss Vickies chips and dark chocolate squares for dessert.

Robert Mondavi Napa Cab (Forgot to take pictures so I used the 2002 rather than the 2001)

LCBO Information - “2001 NAPA VALLEY RESERVE” Cabernet Sauvignon by Robert Mondavi

Stock Number – 670463
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 169.00 (+ $.20 deposit)
Made in: California, United States
By: Robert Mondavi Winery
Release Date: May 9, 2007

Tasting Note - The finest Private Reserve since the 1991, 1990, and 1987, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is extraordinary. There are 8,000 cases of this blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and small dollops of Merlot as well as Petit Verdot. A perfume of smoke, camphor, creme de cassis, cedar, and fruitcake is accompanied by a gentle giant of a wine. Powerful and impeccably balanced, with outstanding concentration, well-integrated wood, acidity, and tannin, and a long, nearly 60-second finish, this saturated ruby/purple-hued effort is a prodigious example of Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: now-2020+. Score - 94 ((Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Feb. 2005))

Wine Spectator – 2001 Rated 94

A superrich, polished, multifaceted wine, with layers of ripe currant, blackberry, herb, cedar, sage and a touch of pencil lead. Deep and concentrated, the flavors pour through on the finish, and while the tannins are chewy, the texture is supple. Best from 2005 through 2012. –JL

LCBO Information - “NAPA VALLEY” Cabernet Sauvignon by Robert Mondavi

Stock Number – 255513 (current year not the 2001 from the tasting)
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 37.95 (+ $.20 deposit)
Made in: California, United States
By: Robert Mondavi Winery
Release Date: NA

Description - Mondavi’s original Napa Cab has an intense bouquet of red and black currant, licorice, and cedar. Full-bodied and well balanced with black fruit flavours and ripe tannins on the palate. Long, firm, spicy finish. Enjoy now with rib-eye steaks, or cellar for two to three years.

LCBO Information - “PRIVATE SELECTION” Cabernet Sauvignon by Robert Mondavi

Stock Number – 392225 (current year not the 2003 from the tasting)
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 20.15 (+ $.20 deposit)
Made in: California, United States
By: Robert Mondavi Winery
Release Date: NA

Tasting Note - Medium deep ruby red colour; cassis, sweet cherry, hints of black pepper and spicy oak aromas; dry, medium bodied with cassis fruit flavours and cedar notes in the finish.

The bad news for the day was the $20 Mondavi was ‘corked’. It smelt mustier than my grandparent’s basement. On the upside, at least it was the $20 one and not the two more expensive ones.

I was surprised that on the initial tasting most people preferred the middle Cab rather than the high end. The $37 Napa Cab didn’t have the structure that the $169 Reserve did but it did have more fruit. I think that is why people liked it over the high end one. With the Steak Sandwiches opinions flipped and the Private Reserve was the favourite. Finishing up with the dark chocolate people liked the $37 one more.

Everyone enjoyed this tasting and the main opinion going around was that the $169 Cab was good but not 4 times better than the $37 one. I will admit that the $37 was exceptional and much better than I expected it to be.

The entire Wine Club agreed to sign up for another 6 month run which I was pleased to see. It has been a fun journey for me as we had agreed to not repeat a Country or Grape in the six months so it forced me out of my California comfort zone. In the end we tried 7 different types of Grape from 8 different countries.

Now that we’ve started the next six month run of Wine Club, we are allowed to re-visit grapes and Countries that we experienced in the first one, but I am going to try not to do this. We will have to see if I can do this or not.

Cheers!

Mark