1999 Anderson's Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve

The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a dense purple-colored offering revealing impressive notes of cedar wood, spice box, black currants, licorice, and earth, noticeable but ripe tannin, and a long, heady, concentrated finish with plenty of power and fruit in reserve. However, patience is required. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020. For the record, Todd Anderson believes the three finest vintages to date are 1990, 1991 (no argument there), and, surprisingly, 1998. As I have stated in the past, Conn Valley's Cabernet Sauvignon Reserves (3,300 cases produced in most vintages) are often challenging to taste young. Bordeaux is the inspiration, so these wines do not hit you in the face with a blast of fruit and oak. I recently retasted the 1990 (rated 92+) and 1991 (rated 94). With time, these wines develop into Pauillac-like, intense, flavorful California versions of Lynch-Bages. There is no doubting that the style of wine built by the father and son team of Gus and Todd Anderson looks more to France than Napa Valley. Their wines always possess obvious structure, seem to build in the bottle, and generally taste better after a few years of cellaring, a positive sign. Because of that attribute, my tasting notes can be conservative for the quality of wines produced at this top-notch source for Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and to a lesser extent, Pinot Noir. Tel. (707) 963-8600; Fax (707) 963-7818