Tasting Notes

Release Date:  Fall 1996

In 1993 our Old Vine Cabernet vineyards ripened a full four weeks after the regular Cabernet and I, for one, an very thankful we enjoy Indian Summer here in Northern California.  Waiting this long is unprecedented and anxious, yet if one is to produce something profound, risks must be taken.  The all important final ripening was slow and complete, curcial to Cabernet Sauvignon, the latest ripeing of the great wine varieties.

The wine is classic Mount Eden, giving a melange of bright cherry-cassis flavors combined with an earth-mineral nuance which speaks of our unique terrior. Graceful, polished tannins and medium density suggest improvement for another four to seven years and a superb drinking plateau for a decade beyond.

Production

457

Tech Notes

Sorry, technical notes not available for this vintage.

Reviews

94 points Wine Enthusiast Magazine 

Deep blackish red with purple highlights. Moderately full-bodied. Highly extracted. Moderately tannic. Brown spice, toasted oak, licorice, black fruits. Dark fruit aromas. Thick chewy black Cabernet fruit dominates the palate. Assertive dry finish shows fine-grained tannins and rich oak spice flavors. Cellar Selection.

90 points Robert Parker Jr's The Wine Advocate - October 1996

Issue # 107

This estate’s old vine Cabernet is usually a stubbornly backward and intense wine. While the 1993 Old Vine Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is certainly that, it has more accessibility than most vintages. The wine exhibits a healthy dark ruby/purple color, a spicy, smoky, cassis-scented nose with background scents of wood and earth, and considerable tannin, which is balanced by the wine’s outstanding extract, richness, and chewy, full-bodied finish. Tight but impressive, it could easily pass for a high class Bordeaux in a blind tasting. Give it another 5-7 years unless readers have masochistic tendencies.

90 points  Wine Spectator - '93 California Cabernet Retrospective - November 2003

Still quite hard and chewy, with youthful grape aromas and dense, earthy mineral, currant and leathery tannins holding a viselike grip on the palate. Needs time, but how much more? Decant.–1993 California Cabernet retrospective. Drink now through 2007.

88 points  Wine Spectator  - January 1997

A big, rustic, mountain-grown style, with notes of mineral, currant, oak and cedar, finishing with chewy tannins. Unevolved and deeply concentrated, it will appeal most to those who favor old-style California Cabernet. Best in 2004.