1996 Cult CA Cab Tasting -- Are they worth the bucks?

[Randy Caparoso]

Very harsh, Bucko. Sounds like your senses were assaulted. But this was truly a wonderful collection, and it always seems such a shame for them to be thrown together like this. It's like shopping -- it's much more satisfying to buy coveted items one at a time. All at once, and one loses one's bearings in respect to value and appreciation. A human trait.

This happens to me time and time again (thank goodness, I'm human), where blue chip wines are not-so-hot in oversized tastings, but quite attractive when enjoyed on their own and judged by their own standards. This is why, logically, "taste-offs" prove almost nothing. During the past two years Decanter has run stories on several tastings involving two sets of expert panels judging the exact same wines, conclusively demonstrating that no individual or group has a lock on authority.

In any case, clearly the market for California Cabernet Sauvignon is dominated by people who prefer a wealth of flavor and almost hedonistic levels of intensity -- and these people have the wealth to drive up the asking prices. There is a lot to be said for knowing-what-you-like, but the drawback is that you are likely to fall victim to your own predilictions. The only remedy is to continuously expand one's taste. Develop a prediliction for, say, Chilean Cabernet/Merlot/Carmenere blends, Southern French Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenaches, Central Italian Cabernet/Merlot/Sangioveses, or "new" regions like Argentina, Arizona, Margaret River or Lazio. Quality is as much a state of mind as a sense of permanence.


[This message has been edited by Randy Caparoso (edited 06-04-2000).]