An impromptu wine tasting among friends last weekend escalated into a premium Cabernet Sauvignon summit. We started with a 2002 Gemstone (76% Cabernet) that is thriving only two years after being cellared. (The 2004, just released, is 91% Cab). The ‘02 is a beautifully balanced Yountville release, the essence of meticulous California winemaking. Then we turned our attention to the increasingly celebrated 2004 vintage.

Next on the roster, the 2004 Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer To Kalon Oakville Cab ($249/btl). This is a 537-case production destined to be a collector’s classic. It upholds all of the hype surrounding Napa’s 2004 vintage. Our assembled experts, including two devout collectors, were blown away by the Hobbs. The consensus is that this is an even juicier wine than the juicy 2002s. It presents an enormous burst of black fruit on the front end, bathing the palate in those signature Beckstoffer vineyard flavors.   

This is a huge wine that will surely settle down and mature to become even more memorable. Hobbs delivers a cab with “old world” character and balance. As it opened up, licorice and chocolate notes emerged. One of our tasters, a formidable collector, predicts this 2004 will still be improving in 20 years. Not  surprisingly, Robert Parker Jr. referenced “purity as well as nobility” in his review, which assigned 95 points.

Still reeling from the Hobbs experience, the group turned its attention to another ‘04 Cabernet that many positioned as a candidate for Wine of the Year — the Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Reserve ($124/btl). This an 8,600-case production, born principally of Oakville appellation fruit (53% from the Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyard). The Mondavi was an eye-opener. It was judged by the group to be “not as over the top” as the Hobbs. We experienced balance from front to back comprised of blackberry, plum, cassis and tobacco leaf. There is the suggestion of light milk chocolate on the finish.

Now we understand why Wine Spectator’s James Laube scored the 2004 Mondavi Reserve 95 points and listed it among his “recommended” in the magazine’s annual California Cabernet issue. And, on November 12, Wine Spectator unveiled the Mondavi Reserve at No. 9 in its 2007 Top 100 ranking.

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