Wine Spectator

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Vintage Charts

Vintage Chart California Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage Napa Sonoma Drink Rec Description 2002 91-93 87-89 NYR Supple and balanced; expect solid values in Sonoma 2001 93 87 Drink or hold Excellent weather; many stunning wines, a few disappointments 2000 85 81 Drink Overall mixed and a bit green, but some stellar wines that may be overlooked and undervalued 1999 97 87 Drink or hold Tremendous depth, concentration and structure from a cool, moderate year; age-worthy 1998 84 82 Drink Cool, damp year with mostly green, herbal wines marked by gritty tannins. Few memorable wines 1997 99 90 Drink or hold Huge crop of ripe, opulent, fleshy, concentrated wines, from near-perfect weather. Super in Sonoma too 1996 96 88 Drink A sleeper, with a remarkable number of compelling wines. Warm year with fine concentration and depth 1995 97 86 Drink or hold Surprisingly fine year, with wines marked by great flavors, balance and structure 1994 97 88 Drink A showy year all around; ripe, complex and fleshy, with excellent depth 1993 88 88 Drink Just off the pace, with well-balanced, supple wines and a few stars 1992 93 86 Drink Fine growing season led to uniformly rich, fleshy, supple and balanced wines 1991 91 86 Drink A star early on, only to be eclipsed by others this decade. Big crop, ripe and complex 1990 89 86 Drink Small crop but many deeply concentrated wines that have aged well 1989 85 81 Drink Big crop. Cool year and rain at harvest made it challenging, 1988 83 83 Drink A small crop, very early maturing led to simple wines with earthy, diluted flavors 1987 95 87 Drink Small crop, early harvest, but some impressive wines mixing ripe flavors with fine structure 1986 96 87 Drink A big crop with lots of intense, richly flavored wines 1985 97 87 Drink A superstar at the time, ripe, rich and fleshy, with superb balance; many still quite showy