“These are all good to very good Napa Cabs, made with quality fruit, in a style that depends on the oak barrel for most any personality to be found right now.”
Click image to enlarge
In a previous life, my wife Kim and I co-owned an alcohol-sampling company with our good friends Shar Douglas and Ken Hebenstreit. One memorable gig we worked was a one-off at a high-end grocery store on the far westside, about 6 or 7 years ago. The presentation included a varied selection from Hess Persson Estates, including three of their premium Hess Collection Napa Cabs. At that time, we purchased two bottles each of these Cabernets for future gatherings among the four of us. We finally decided that, at 10 and 11 years of age, one set of these was ready to try, and so we did.
None of us drink much in the way of Napa Cabs, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like them when they’re good, so we were looking forward to seeing what these were all about with some time in the cellar. They were decanted for half an hour and tasted briefly before dinner, and then enjoyed with thinly sliced, grilled New York strips, tiny potatoes and haricots verts with sliced almonds. We neglected to record what we paid for these at the time of purchase, so I have included current prices.
2013 The Hess Collection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Allomi, 14.4% alc.: Clean, dark color, with oak being the main characteristic noticeable on the nose. Oak dominates the flavors as well, with a big, earthy black currant core. Nothing secondary here so far, and this full bodied wine has the structure to age for some years. With an hour’s air, this is still more tannic than I expected, but after two hours, it does open up some. Everyone else seemed to like it more than I did. The current vintage is selling for $29.99 at Costco. Find this wine
Click image to enlarge
2012 The Hess Collection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder, 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 14.6% alc.: Dense and dark in color, with a little more fruit and a little less oak than the Allomi on the nose. Much more drinker-friendly than the Allomi, with a full-bodied, silky demeanor, and structure that doesn’t interfere with enjoyment tonight. It shows a good dose of oak on the palate, over a nice bed of blackberry and black currant; subtle earth underneath adds to the appeal, and leathery undertones emerge with air. More oak here than I care for, but an undeniably fine Napa Cab otherwise, ready now or in five years, and easily the best of these three with dinner for all four participants. It was also highly rated, receiving 93 points from Parker’s Wine Advocate, and 94 points from Wine Enthusiast and Wilfred Wong. Current online prices range from $62.99-74.99. Find this wine
Click image to enlarge
2013 The Hess Collection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon The Lion Mount Veeder, 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 2% Petite Verdot, 14.5% alc.: Deep and dark in color, and again, a good dose of oak on the nose, over black and blue fruit. Big and well-built, but not unapproachable, with a substantial core of earthy black fruit adorned with the aforementioned oak character, this also works well with dinner for all of us. It can go awhile, so there’s no urgency to open another bottle anytime soon. No sign as of yet of any secondary characteristics, so patience might be the best option here. Your call. 96 points from Wine Advocate, 92 points from Wine Enthusiast, $150-200 online. Find this wine
These are all good to very good Napa Cabs, made with quality fruit, in a style that depends on the oak barrel for most any personality to be found right now. None show much in the way of complexity at this point, nor are there any distinctive characteristics to differentiate them from dozens of other Napa Cabs. My fellow tasters were all more generous and complimentary with their comments than me, but it’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo
