Thursday, May 10, 2012

Vertical Tasting Notes

Simi Landslide Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

2001    93 rating    Drink or Hold 
This 11 year old wine is continues to drink fabulously.  Although near it's peak, this wine will continue to hold it's own.  Wonderfully balanced with a nose of smoke, cherry, charred oak and vanilla.  The mouth is beautifully soft and round with notes of cherry, raspberry more smoke and cedar notes.  If you are fortunate enough to own or find any of these bottles they are sure to please.

2005    92 rating    Drink or Hold
Another beautifully crafted and balanced wine.  Showing notes of cherry and oak, this wine still possessed a very earthy nature that leads me to believe this wines best years still lie ahead.

2006    90 rating    Drink or Hold
A beautiful and complex wine showing a more fruit forward quality.  The wine has a sweet nose of hard candies, toasty oak and cedar box with tones of raspberry and plum.  These fruits turn soft in the mouth and give way to big smokey tannins and nuances of leather, tobacco and black pepper.  A good solid effort by the winery.

2007    88 rating    Drink or Hold
This wine possesses smoke, cedar and shades of black and red fruit on the nose.  It is very creamy in the mouth with hints of smoke, earth, raspberry and leather.

2008    89 rating    Hold
This opens with beautiful scents of raspberry and cedar.  The tannins still remain firm and dry.  In the mouth this wine was very closed showing an herbal quality of rosemary or bay leaf and nice raspberry fruit.  Give this wine 3-5 years of cellaring to show it's potential.

By Tom Cook