'03 Joel Gott California C.S. (Blend 815)

[newsguy]

here's the first detailed TN on the weener's highly touted value cab...

($16; 13.9%) fairly dark reddish purple. full nose dominated by blackberry, with other dark fruits and hints of cinammon and pine. very rich flavors of blackberry, earth and chocolate, but those flavors were quickly masked by a mouthful of fine tannins. after double decanting for two hours, the tannins were almost completely gone. i think that all those tannins at the onset were the result of me popping this bottle 3 days after it was shipped; it hadn't quite settled down. but after decanting, dark red fruit comes to the fore, along with blackberry. great concentration.

after opening the original bottle, a little less than half the wine had been immediately poured into a .375 bottle, sealed with a vacu vin and put in the fridge. two nights later, this wine was remarkably smooth and starting to taste surprisingly mature: blackberry had receded, while plums and spice took the lead, backed by hints of currants, licorice and sweet oak. long finish. there is some balance to this wine, but fruit obviously leads the way.

i agree that this should go 3 to 5 no problem. but i'll finish my case by the end of '08. i want this while the fruit is still plenty juicy and before the wine gets too soft. 90+ points. very nice stuff and a great value. thanks WW!


[This message has been edited by newsguy (edited 03-31-2005).]