Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County) 1998

Arrowood long has been one of the great Sonoma wineries, although it is now part of the Mondavi empire. As the Wine Spectator recently documented, the Mondavi wines have been slipping lately. Fortunately, longtime master winemaker Richard Arrowood remains in charge at his eponymous winery. 1998 was not a very good year for California (WS vintage chart), but some decent wines were made anyway and the Arrowood is among them. This '98 cabernet actually is a blend of all 5 major Bordeaux varieties, although dominated (>90%) by cabernet sauvignon. Grade: B The color is a medium-to-deep mulberry shading to ruby. The nose offers a strong mix of prunes, cassis, black cherries, and allspice, with an odd but pleasing hint of walnut. The palate is framed by firm but polished tannins on both the entry and, especially, the finish. The finish lingers pleasantly but somewhat astringently, reflecting its still tannic core. I get dark cherries, black currants, and mint. The good wife thought plums, cherries, and eucalyptus. (In non-blind tastings, I only pick up eucalyptus in Napa cabs, which is the argument for blind tasting. One sees only what one expects to see.) It's not going to last forever, but it's defintely got another 5 years ahead of it, maybe even a bit more. Recommended.