1997 Guilliams Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain

[RAD]

What a find. On our recent trip to Napa, the folks at Pride directed us here. We were impressed enough to pick up a mixed case--9 of the cab blend and 3 cab francs. And they ship to NY!

Deep, clear purple-black. Distinct nose of jammy plum and blackberry with a touch of brett. Solid, mouth-coating entry, lots of cassis mid-palate, and a long, long, finish with espresso, chocolate, sweet oak, leather, and tobacco notes. Full bodied, with finely integrated tannins. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cab franc. 13.1% alcohol. Roughly 1,000 cases. $30 at the winery. 94/94.

RAD

[Innkeeper]

And you already drank it!!! Thought that ddf68 and we'uns were the only ones that ever heard about Gilliams. He was directed by Pride too. The '91 that we popped and posted recently was fantastic, but just about there. So the '97 should be ready in '07.

[RAD]

Hey IK--

I did a search for "Guilliams" on the board shortly after I opened the bottle, just to see if anyone had in fact heard of them, and I saw the thread on the '91. Guilliams' cabs are mentioned in a couple of years in WS's online database, but they're hardly a well-known commodity.

As I mentioned, I bought a mixed case when I was there, due to the fact that I was highly impressed at the tasting. I've had the bottles in the EuroCave for a couple of weeks now, and wanted to pop one just to confirm my impressions, or to see if my initial reaction at the winery was influenced at all by the "romance" of the situation. Turns out it wasn't! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img] I'll try to hold on to the others for awhile.

RAD

[ddf68]

I've heard of them but didn't get to drink any as they were busy with harvest or something when Pride tried to send us their way. $30 you say? And they are still in the '97?

ddf

[RAD]

Yes, ddf, this one's a keeper. $30, and still in the 1997. Worth tracking down, IMHO.

RAD