Napa Valley Wine Exchange 2000 Egelhoff Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Dark, purple edged color. Dense, gradually expansive, deeply fruited nose of dark cherry, blackberry, leather, earth, briar and rich vanilla. Medium bodied with darkly stated cherry, briar, berry, earth vanilla flavors that linger impressively.  Supple in texture, but with lots of "grip", this gorgeous mountain Cabernet will improve for at least four more years and should be long lived. 350 cases produced.- Don Gillette

David Arthur
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Elevation 1147 
96 points $115 225 cases made
An ultraripe, almost syrupy Cabernet, with thick, concentrated blackberry, wild berry and currant,
with a touch of kirsch. This is a remarkably rich and expressive young wine, with deliciously ripe
fruit supported by firm, fine-grained tannins that bode well for cellaring. Best from 2005 through
2015. From California.—J.L.

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 95 points $75 485 cases made.

Ultraripe, rich and extracted, with currant, blackberry, wild berry and black cherry fruit accented by pretty mocha–vanilla oak shadings, and finishing with a full, focused, concentrated aftertaste and a sense of elegance. Best from 2005 through 2014.—J.L.
1999 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Elevation 1147
Rated 95  $115  Enormous complexity,depth and purity of fruit flavors, with layers of cassis, currant, black cherry, blackberry and blueberry flavors that are sharply focused and deeply concentrated. All kinds of extra facets and the kind of length and intensity that bodes well for aging. Best from 2005 through 2015. 400 cases made. J.L.
 
1998 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Elevation 1147
Rated 91 There are only a few hundred cases of this 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon. Extremely ripe notes of prunes, blackberries and currants intertwine with coffee and chocolate in this surprisingly dense, low acid, concentrated 1998. A dense ruby/plum/purple color is accompanied by a full-bodied, unctuously-textured, fully mature wine. I am not sure it possesses the structure necessary for extended aging, but it will provide immense pleasure over the next 10-15 years.

 
1997 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Elevation 1147
Rated 99 An extraordinary effort. Dark, firm, richly flavored and beautifully structured, with a deeply concentrated core of currant, black cherry, cedar, anise and coffee. Finishes with an amazingly long and richly flavored aftertaste. Best from2003 through 2019. 125 cases made.
(James Laube) October 31, 2000

 
1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Rated 94 Superrich, concentrated, with currant, blackberry, black cherry, spice and pretty nutmeg. Long and focused finish.
James Laube August 31, 1999

 
1997 Napa Valley Merlot
Rated 93 A remarkable effort. Dark dense, rich, deeply flavored and concen-trated, with layers of chocolate, currant, black cherry and mocha that fanout on the finish, where the tannins are smooth and muscular. Best from 2002 through 2012. (200 cases produced.)
January 1, 2001

 
1997 Sangiovese Napa Valley
Rated 92 Unusually dark, rich, complex and detailed for Sangiovese. Lots of extra plum, blackberry, cherry and toasty oak jammed into this one, yet it fin-ishes with graceful tannins. Now, if only all Sangioveses were this good. Drink now through 2007. 90 cases made.
(James Laube) November 11, 1999

 
1997 Chardonnay Napa Valley Reserve
Rating 88 Clean and crisp, with bright young pear, apple, melon, andcitrus notes that are complex and concentrated. Drink now through 2002.
May 15, 1998

 
1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Elevation 1147
Rated 95 Smooth, rich and perfumed, with plush chocolate, currant, black cherry, wild berry, spice and cedary, toasty oak.
James Laube August 31, 1999

 
1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Rating 94 Superrich Cabernet, plush, thick and concentrated, with layers of delicious currant, blackberry, black cherry, spice and pretty nutmeg flavors that are long and focused on the finish. Best from 2000 through 2008.
James Laube May 15, 1999

 
1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Aromas of violets, black cherry and burnt sugar give way to flavors of creamy cassis, boysenberry, plum and toasted oak. There are firm tannins and a slightly heated finish, but nothing detracts from recommending this as a candidate to: 5-7 years of aging. 1025 cases 19.0/20 points
March 11, 1998

 
1996 Chardonnay Napa Valley Reserve
Rating 86 Light and spicy, with the toast and peppery flavors more prominent than the modest green apple ones. Best by 1999. 500 cases made.
March 31, 1998

 
1996 Meritaggio Napa Valley
Rating 91 Offers a lot of complex flavors, with a range of earthy, leathery currant, black cherry, anise, tar and cedar, finishing with firm but subtle tannins. Drink now through 2004. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese.
May 15, 1998

 
1996 Meritaggio Napa Valley Estate
Outgoing ripe, concentrated black cherry aromas scented with briary, oaky, quietly loamy notes make a positive and compelling first impression, and the deep, almost condensed qualities of the ripe fruit flavors follow directly in step. Supple in feel and viscous in weight, this wine takes its extended ripeness to the limits of varietal comfort, yet it is all Cabernet in character and need only be paired with red meats in rich sauces to be a most welcome addition to the table
March 31, 1998

 
1995 Meritaggio Napa Valley
Rating 88 Tight and complex, with earthy tannins and cedary currant, spice, cherry and leather notes. Best to cellar into 2000. Certainly the elements are there. Best from 2000 to 2004. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Sangiovese. 800 cases made.
April 30, 1998

 
1995 Meritaggio Napa Valley
What is the perfect restaurant wine. Here is some of what sommiliers like. For roasted meats and pastas with red sauces, Meritaggio 1995.

 
1995 Meritaggio Napa Valley
Rating 90 This impressive proprietary blend (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 5% Sangiovese) displays an opaque purple color, and a sweet nose of earth, vanillin and plum scented jammy black fruits. Full-bodied with low acidity, a viscous texture and impressive purity and length. This is an exceptionally well-endowed, accessible wine that can be drunk now as well as cellared for a decade. Impressive!
August 31, 1998

 
Elevation 1147
Grown in the rich red soils overlooking the Rutherford Bench above the Silverado Trail. The wine draws its concentration and power from several sources. The com-bination of a talented winemaker whose portfolio includes Pahlmeyer and Rob-ert Craig, the very best of estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon fruit and four spec-tacular Chateau Margaux French oak barrels produces what to me is an abso-lutely riveting luscious dream in a bottle.

1996. This wine will challenge the status quo of top boutique wineries such as Dalla Valle, Bryant and Harlan. The perfume of myriad black fruits float from the glass of viscous black nectar carried in an etherial plume of coffee, cocoa butter and sweet spices. The palate possesses the dynamic combination of warm rounded toasted oak with dense, extracted, multi-dimensional silky flavors which metamorphose over two hours culminating in a glorious crescendo.

This is a wine on another plateau, Elevation 1147 is aptly named. It will take you to a level rarely attained by any of the contemporaries. Leaving you with the exhilaration that finally you have made it to the top with the knowledge that the experience will be rare indeed.

 
Doug’s Cabernet Sauvignon Winery of the Year for 1999.
Over the course of the last 6 months the winemaking staff at this winery have been releasing some of the finest wines I have tasted from California. First there was the premier release of 100 cases of their incomparable 1996 Elevation 1147 Cabernet Sauvignon which rated a perfect 20/20 points, followed closely by the 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon, 19/20 points which has about 1/3 of the Elevation 1147 blended in. The average score for these wines is an astonishingly high 19.5 points! I sold over 23 cases of the Elevation 1147 in just three days! The cabernet is sell-ing out as fast as I can reorder. I just received a twenty case order this week.

 
A lot of David Arthur consisting of one five-liter bottle of Chardonnay and one six-liter bottle of Elevation 1147 sold at the 1999 Napa Valley Wine Auction for $38,000.

 

Richard Partridge

2001 Rated 91 $55 A well-proportioned blend of rich, fleshy currant and black cherry fruit, with hints of anise, mocha, cedar and tobacco, finishing with a long, complex aftertaste that reveals extra depth and flavor dimensions.  Best from 2005 through 2012.—J.L.      992 cases made
1999 Rated 90   $75  Intense, with firm, rich blackberry and black cherry fruit that's tight and concentrated, with hints of cedary oak and anise, and a firmly tannic finish that lets the flavors sail on. Best from 2003 through 2010. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 581 cases made.

(James Laube) February 28, 2001

 
1998 Rated 94  $55  Dark, rich and chocolaty, with sharply focused black cherry, currant, toasty oak and mocha notes and a long, integrated finish. Wonderful orchestration of fruit and oak. Drink now through 2006. 500 cases made.
(James Laube) February 28, 2001

 
RED WINES CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA COUNTY
bright black fruit aromatics; dense, powerful wine with great intensity and length.

 

AXIOS
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Rated 90 $125  Remarkably complex and well-made, with a core of earthy currant, black cherry, beet root, anise, tobacco and cedary notes. Turns earthier on the finish, in a pleasing way, with firm tannins. Best from 2004 through 2012. 375 cases made.
 
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Rated 90

A Maryland Wholesaler, Constantine Wines, is the force behind this limited production, super-expensive Cabernet Sauvignon made by Bob Egelhoff, (David Arthur). An opaque purple color is followed by aromas and flavors of blackberry liqueur, spice box, licorice, and judicious wood. Dense, rich and unevolved, it is a beautifully balanced, strikingly pure, layered effort that requires several more years to reveal additional nuances. Certainly, the quality of the fruit, depth, and texture are all there. Anticipated maturity: 2007 - 2017
Napa Valley Wine Exchange 2000 AXIOS - Cabernet Sauvignon

Very forward and extremely pretty in aromatics, where fruit notes of red plum, mulberry and dark cherry are tied seamlessly to baking spice, vanilla, briar and leather complexities to create a deep, luxurious and surprisingly charming melange. The wine proves as deep and polished on the palate as the aromas imply, delivering a wonderfully supple mouthfeel, submerged tannins and loads of flavor. The finish is sleek, focused and extremely long, allowing the wine gentle cascade of cherry, mulberry, blueberry, plum jam, vanilla, spicecake, mountain and briar to stand out in high relief on the palate. Don Gillette

Amizetta

2003 Amizetta Cabernet Sauvignon

91   Amizetta 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) This little family winery, which grows it grapes high in theVaca Mountains outside St. Helena, is getting better with each passing vintage. Their Cab's are showing the ripeness isn't enough, but balance and structure count, especially at this price. The 03 is still a young wine, but a dramatically fruity, well-oaked one. It has all the drama of a fine Napa Cab, with the stuffing to last through 2009 before the fruit starts to fade. S.H.

Bounty Hunter 2000 Amizetta Merlot Napa Valley  $38

This is a damn fine Merlot, friends. Born in the ridges high above Lake Hennessey, this richly extracted red offers loads of black cherry, raspberry and eucalyptus flavors with a thoroughly juicy mid-palate structure. Winemaker Bob Egelhoff delivers on his signature style of balancing fruit with and elegant, integrated finish. It's tough to get our argumentative panel to agree on much, but we were unanimous in our praise for Amizetta.

 

Phelan
2000 Phelan Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley  $75  90 Points

This is the debut effort of Arlene and Gerry Phelan, growers-turned-vintners who moved to the Mount George area of Napa Valley in 1969. In the beginning, they sold grapes to Clos Du Val and Silver Oak. This 2000, under the tutelage of Bob Egelhoff, has much to admire. Well-structured, with a taut core of cedar, currant, new leather and chewy oak and fruit tannins. Highly extracted, rich and chewy, with plenty of woodsy oak, too, this one needs short term cellaring. Best from 2004 through 2012- J.L

Bella Vista
  1995 Merlot, Solano County, Green Valley
California State Fair Wine Comp. Gold Medal “Best of Class” “Best of North Coast Appellations”
Los Angeles National Wine Comp. Gold Medal
Eastern Int. Wine Comp. New York Silver Medal
Rating 90 Deep blackish ruby appearance. Moderately full-bodied. Highly extracted. Moderately oaked. Moderately tannic Lacquer, black fruits, black berries, cedar. Brooding black fruit aromas. Silky glycerous mouth-feel with some fine powdery tannins on the finish. Elegant and complex with a luxurious flavor profile. Drinking nicely now.
September 1997

 
  1995 Sangiovese, Solano County, Green Valley
World Wine Championship Gold Medal
Eastern Int. Wine Comp. New York Silver Medal

Robert Craig
 
1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Affinity
Rating 91 A dense and backward style, filled with complex currant and black cherry flavors with cedar, leather and spicy nuances, this red blend opens to reveal rich, seamless fruit flavors, picking up pretty oak shad-ings and turning complex and elegant on the finish. Contains Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2000 through 2005.

 
1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
Rating 91 Captures ripe, rich, even polished Cabernet flavors, with distinct earth, mineral, plum, black berry and currant. Fans out on the pal-ate, with depth and concentration, all the while keeping a tight focus on the fruit and balance.
October 31, 1998

 
1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
Rating 91 “…the wine exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, a classic mineral, black currant, and pain grillé-scented nose, deep, rich, powerful flavors with outstanding concentration, considerable finesse, well integrated tannin and a structured, well-delineated, austere, but impressively long finish. The wine will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring and keep for 15-20 years.”
August 31, 1998

 
1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder
Sweet, nicely defined ripe-cherry fruitiness takes the lead in this handsome, fairly outgoing young wine, but creamy oak is never too far from center stage, and suggestions of coffee, cocoa, plum and berry emerge as compelling accents in both its open aromas and very accessible flavors. For all of its immediate charm, however, the wine has fine depth and a sense of reserve, and while never intrusive, its firm, fine-grained tannins similarly ensure that its best is yet to come.

 
1994 Affinity Napa Valley
Rating 94 A smooth rich red, offering a plush mouthful of ripe black cherry, currant, anise and plum flavors, turning silky and polished on the finish, where the flavors linger long. This cabernet blend drinks well now. Age into 2000. 870 cases made.
November 30, 1997

 
1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder
Rating 94 A striking example of how elegant and refined Mount Veeder Cabernet can be. Serves up lots of delicious fruit flavors, with elegant, supple black cherry, herb, mineral and spice, showing off a streak of an-ise too. Finishes with tender tannins, making it appealing to drink now.

 
1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
Rating 90 Remarkably elegant and understated for a Howell Mountain Cabernet, this succeeds with harmony and finesse. Displays layers of currant, anise, cedar, sage and spice, finishes with a mineral edge and dry tannins.

 
1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder
Rating 90 Plush and harmonious, complex and well crafted, featuring currant, earth, anise and cedary oak flavors. Bold and intense, with a long, full finish, it needs cellaring into 1998. 370 cases made.
Dec. 15, 1995

 
1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mtn.
Rating 89 Smooth and harmonious given its youth, the dark cherry, plum, currant and cedary oak flavors turning smoky on the mineral finish. Could age well into 1998. 300 cases made.
Dec. 15, 1995

 
1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Affinity
Rating 87 Smells complex with currant and cherry flavor. . . austere, crisp acidity and firm tannins. Softens somewhat on aftertaste; needs cellaring into 1997. 870 cases made.
Dec. 15, 1995


 
The two 1993 Cabernet Sauvignons are beautifully built, authoritatively flavored and dense wines with an undeniable sense of finesse and elegance. There is well-integrated toasty oak and fine acidity. While both wines are acceptable, each is in need of some time in the cellar. The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder exhibits a Bordeaux-like graceful-ness and firm tannin, as well as superb blackcurrant aromas and flavors intertwined with high quality oak, minerals and spice. It should age well for 10-15 years. Impressive winemaking is evident in these efforts from Robert Craig.

1993 Affinity Proprietary Red Wine Rating 87
1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mtn. Rating 91
1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder Rating 90

 

Pahlmeyer 1992
 
Jayson 1992 Napa Valley
 A blend of Merlot: Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet Franc, Malbec & Petie Verdot. Unabating oak sets the scene early on here, but for all of the wines toasty barrel influence, it manages to hang on to a respectable measure of youthful fruit. Textured with a bit of suppleness set against a bracing tannic backbone. Give it four or five years to smooth, then try it with simply grilled medallions of beef.
Dec. 15, 1995

 
1992 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Rating 89 Supple and fleshy, displaying ripe, spicy currant and berry flavors, with tobacco and leather accents. Finishes with smooth tannins. Best after 1998.
Dec. 15, 1995

 
1992 Jayson Napa Valley
RATING 88 Dense and chewy, but it turns supple, fanning out with currant, herb, tobacco and leathery notes. Ample tannins on the finish suggest short-term cellaring, but you can drink it now if you like big, rich wines
Dec. 15, 1995