2001 Marquis-Phillips Cabernet Sauvignon

[Drew]

Popped this at my sister's last night and oh boy...one of the nicest and best values ever experienced with a cab. Dark purple/ruby, opaque. Flavors of rich dark current, a little toasty oak and as the evening progressed, some dark chocolate nuances. The wine started a little tight but changed much over several hours showing the lush fruit with the toasty oak subsiding. Plenty of sweet coarse tannins on the long finish. A definite case buy, if you can find some. 14.5% Alc/vol. $15

Drew

[Drew]

Popped another last night with a peppercorn encrusted filet. All but a few tannins have subsided and the wine is singing. Still opaque dark purple. Lush dark fruit, currant, dark chocolate and a hint of eucalyptus. Delish. Too bad MP changed their style.

DRew

[brappy]

Have they really changed their style..... I've not noticed.

[Drew]

I think the MP wines have become more goopy, flabby, less structured and have less aging potential than his first releases.

Drew

[winoweenie]

Absolutely agree. Haven't put a bottle in the cellar since the 02 vintage. They seemed to see how far they could push the pencil. Not my cuppa'. WW

[wondersofwine]

I agree also. Bought the Sarah's blend and Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah early on but each vintage seemed to get more extracted and oakier. They used to boast about turning the tongue purple. Chris Ringland is the winemaker now while Sparky and Sarah Marquis make wines for the Mollydooker label.