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Tasting of Napa Valley’s 1994 Cabernets

This past&nbsp;March I conducted a fascinating 20-years-after tasting of Napa
Valley’s 1994 Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux blends alongside my
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinousmedia.com/articles/horizontal-tasting-of-napa-valley-s-2004-cabernets-jun-2015">10-years-after look at the 2004s</a>. In many ways the experience was like tasting
wines from two different generations. For starters, many of the wineries that
submitted samples of their 2004s didn’t exist in ’94. Then too, 1994 was essentially
a time when alcohol levels had just begun their inexorable climb to today’s high-octane
levels. As a general rule, the 1994s were about a full degree lower in alcohol
than the 2004s I reported on last week. And they appear to be developing even more
slowly than the 2004s are. 

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1435781877324-Corison+winery.JPG">

Cathy Corison’s winery in St.
Helena, home to Kronos Vineyard, which is planted with diseased, head-trained
Cabernet Sauvignon&nbsp;

The Growing Season and Wines

What made
1994 such a successful vintage for the North Coast’s big reds? Compared to the
very early and warm growing season of 2004, during which growers had to deal
with an extended heat spike in early September, 1994 was a walk in the park. Following a fairly dry winter, a cool, long spring was followed
by a mild summer, and the moderate crop loads ripened slowly and consistently.
A period of very warm weather during the first half of August just after the veraison brought some unevenness in coloration
but the better growers simply thinned their fruit to achieve more even ripening
of the grapes that remained. The harvest took place under relaxed conditions in
September and the first half of October, with just a single minor, short heat
spike in mid-September.

Although the 1994s presented themselves
well virtually upon release, it was clear from the start that they had all the
elements for a slow and rewarding evolution in bottle: solid stuffing owing to moderate
yields, good ripe tannins and healthy acidity. Back in the spring of 1996, I wrote in Issue 66 of the International
Wine Cellar that “a very long, cool growing season resulted in extended
hang time for the grapes, allowing growers to harvest fruit with extraordinary
flavor development and completely ripe tannins. The better ’94 reds I tasted
show dark colors, great density and texture, unusually complex aromas and flavors,
and long, ripe finishes. They are admirably complete, balanced wines . . . .” In
fact, a good percentage of the 1994s I tasted this spring were fully mature but
in no danger of dying anytime soon. Only a few were past their peaks or in
decline.

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1435781916355-Robert+Mondavi+muse.JPG">

The Robert Mondavi Winery and the To-Kalon
Vineyard, Oakville

A Little Historical Perspective

Nineteen
ninety-four was a more innocent time for California wine. The first cult wines
barely existed then, and very few California Cabernets or Bordeaux blends had
reached triple-digit prices. The first vintage of Screaming Eagle, the 1992,
was just getting set for release, Harlan Estate had not yet appeared in the
market (their first two vintages, 1990 and 1991, were released together in January
of 1996). Wines like Colgin and Bryant Family Vineyard, both initially made by
Helen Turley, had not yet entered the market (the first vintage for each was
1992). And of course estates like Blankiet, Bond, Colgin, Hundred Acre, Kapcsándy,
Scarecrow, Sloan and Verité did not yet exist.

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1435781931342-Bryant.jpg">

High atop Pritchard Hill at Bryant Family
Vineyard

If
you're lucky enough still to be sitting on top ’94s—and you have ideal cellar
conditions—you’ve got some very mellow drinking to look forward to over the
next several years.You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/horizontal-tasting-of-napa-valley-s-2004-cabernets-jun-2015">Horizontal Tasting of Napa Valley’s 2004 Cabernets</a>, Stephen Tanzer, June 2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/vinous-event-2010-napa-valley-at-the-nomad-rooftop-jun-2015">Vinous Event: 2010 Napa Valley at the NoMad Rooftop</a>, Antonio Galloni, June 2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/2014-napa-valley-vintage-report-jun-2015">2014 Napa Valley – Vintage Report</a>, Antonio Galloni, June 2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/vinous-event-2010-napa-valley-at-the-nomad-rooftop-jun-2015">Vinous Event: 2010 Napa Valley at the NoMad Rooftop</a>, Antonio Galloni, June 2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/pride-reserve-cabernet-sauvignon-vertical-tasting-jun-2015">Pride – Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical Tasting</a>, Stephen Tanzer,&nbsp;June 2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/blankiet-proprietary-red-1999-2012-may-2015">Blankiet: Proprietary Red 1999-2012</a>,&nbsp;Stephen Tanzer,&nbsp;May 2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/vertical-tasting-of-turley-wine-cellars-petite-syrah-hayne-vineyard-napa-valley-may-2015">Vertical Tasting of Turley's Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard</a>,&nbsp;Stephen Tanzer,&nbsp;May&nbsp;2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/colgin-cabernet-tychson-hill-sauvignon-tychson-hill-retrospective-2000-2012-apr-2015">Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill – A Complete Retrospective: 2000-2012</a>,&nbsp;Stephen Tanzer,&nbsp;April&nbsp;2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/sean-thackrey-s-orion-a-complete-retrospective-apr-2015">Sean Thackrey’s Orion: A Complete Retrospective</a>,&nbsp;Stephen Tanzer,&nbsp;April&nbsp;2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/articles/new-releases-from-napa-valley-2012-and-2013-dec-2014">New Releases from Napa Valley: 2012 and 2013</a>,&nbsp;Antonio Galloni,&nbsp;December 2014--
Stephen Tanzer

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