Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 1993

A touch earthy and leathery, but works its way past those flavors into a range of currant and cherry before the tannins kick in and dominate. This young and vibrant wine may move up a notch with time, but for now its rugged and tannic, even as the coffee and currant flavors pour through.

The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon is presently in a dormant stage of development. The wine's dark ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of sweet, earthy, blackcurrants, but it then retreats into a shell. Full-bodied, but noticeably tannic, it possesses the extract and fruit to balance out the tannin, but it is currently closed and in need of 1-3 years of cellaring. This is a candidate for 15-20 years of aging. As I have said before, the Cabernet Sauvignons produced at Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyard represent a synthesis in style between the extravagant ripeness so frequently achieved in top California vintages, and the more elegant, restrained style produced in Bordeaux. Recent vintages are all consistently good, although the 1994 Cabernet may not be the hugely successful wine that so many other estates produced in this benchmark vintage. I would have expected it to be much better than the 1993. Admittedly, I saw the wine immediately after bottling (no fining or filtration take place at Conn Valley), but the wine tasted reticent, although impressive, and possibly meriting an outstanding score.