'94 Viader

[MikeE]

Well, I loved this upon release and still love it a couple years later. There is so much clarity of fruit and balance between its parts. The ripe cassis and blackberry flavors are complemented by a slight hint of violets (not as much as in other Cab Franc related wines but nicely present nonetheless) and earthy tones. The fruit is so focused... it's just a beatiful wine. I have to say that this is far and away the best Viader I've tasted and one of the best '94s CA Cabs, which is saying alot in my book.

ME

[Randy Caparoso]

MikeE, I think you have great taste. The Viader has always been grossly underrated, and it regularly achieves a level of elegance which 99.9% of California Cabs never approach. I think in recent vintages they've been backing off a shade on the Cabernet Franc (with more CS), but the result is still refined and compact -- only, more concentrated, with the luscious blackberries and violets you cite.

[hncjc]

When would you drink this?

[MikeE]

Well, for my money, it was drinking pretty nicely right now. If you have multiple bottles, you could pop one and see where it falls on your maturity curve. However, the '94 still has some legs on it, so you could let it age for another 3-5 years without it getting hurt. I don't know how well older vintages of Viader have aged, so it's hard for me to say anything beyond that.

Hope that helps,
ME