by Fred McMillin
"California's 2003 vintage overall is one of the weakest in the past decade and a half." —Wine Spectator magazine
Not all California vintages are good. For example, in our tastings at Fort Mason, two out of three times the 1998 vintage wines scored lower than their 1997 and 1999 counterparts.
So when various press reports trashed the 2003, we set up a tasting versus 2004 & 2002 bottles to see if we had another vintage from hades. Here are the winners of each match, listed in order of increasing price.
|
Fred's Tasting Panel Ranks California Vintages | ||
|---|---|---|
| RANK | WINE | WINERY |
| 10th | '03 Pinot Noir | Coastal Ridge, California, $7 |
| 9th | '02 Syrah | Gallo of Sonoma, Sonoma, $12 |
| 8th | '03 Chardonnay | Hahn, Monterey, $15 |
| 7th | '02 Carignane | Frick Winery, Mendocino, $16 |
| 6th | '03 Zinfandel | Sobon Estate, Fiddletown, $20 |
| 5th | '03 Merlot-Reserve | Kenwood, Sonoma, $25 |
| 4th | '03 Cabernet Sauvignon | Simi, Alexander Valley, $26 |
| 3rd | '03 Barbera-Signature | Deaver, Sierra Foothills, $30 |
| 2nd | '03 Cabernet Sauvignon | Valley of the Moon, Sonoma, $50 |
| 1st | '02 Encounter | Gary Farrell, Sonoma, $65 |
Vintage 2003 won 7 of the 11 matches. My tasters felt 2003 was closer to heaven than hades.
Warning: This Simi Cabernet may be hazardous to light-colored clothing.

Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. For information about the wine courses he teaches every month at San Francisco City College (Fort Mason Division), please fax him at (415) 567-4468.
Copyright © 2007, Fred McMillin. All rights reserved.
This page created February 2007

Return to the
Global Gourmet®
Main Page

Mother's Day Gift
and Menu Guide
Global Gourmet®
Shopping
Gourmet Food, Cookbooks
Kitchen Gadgets & Gifts
Kate's Global Kitchen
Kate's Books
Cookbook Profiles
Global Destinations
I Love Desserts
On Wine
Shopping
New Green Basics
Cooking with Kids
Archives
Conversions & Charts
Forums/Message Boards
Search
About the
Global Gourmet®
Contact Info
Advertising
Feedback
Privacy Statement
Fish Forever
Local Breads
Asian Flavors (Jean-Georges)
Morimoto: Japanese Cooking
Chocolates & Confections
Julia Child
Cook with Jamie
The World Atlas of Wine
Food: The History of Taste
Cook Everything Vegetarian
All Cookbook Winners
Egg
My Bombay Kitchen
Revolutionary Chinese
A Baker's Odyssey
Great Bar Food at Home
Chez Jacques
Super Natural Cooking
Lidia's Italy
Geography of Oysters
Cheese Essentials
Vegetable Harvest
All Cookbook Nominees
Betty Crocker Why It Works
The Bon Appétit Cookbook
Joy of Cooking
Fifth Taste...Umami
The Professional Chef
New American Cooking
Vegetable Love
Copyright © 1994-2008,
Forkmedia LLC