1997 Fife Cabernet Sauvignon

Napa Valley. 14.2% alcohol.
I was a bit worried when I removed the capsule as there was a small amount of wine evident on the outside of the cork. I opened the bottle anyway and found that the wine showed no signs of oxidation or being corked. Sometimes you just get lucky. I opened this to make room in my storage for the upcoming spring releases. This is in one of those funky tall bottles that are a pain to store. I need to make room for more special wines anyway.

Appearance: Dark garnet tending to the opaque. It is difficult to see a light shining through it.

Nose: Reserved in nature with a hint of dusty earth and blackberry jam.

Taste: Nice blackberry fruit and very earthy. Tannins are present but soft and well balanced. A candy like texture, ripe and sweet like many of the better 97 Cal Cabs. Overall a dusty taste reminiscent of Rutherford wines although this one is not appellation specific.

Finish: Sweet and jammy with some menthol notes and a touch of oak and dusty spices, medium length with a bit of tannin showing on the end.

Overall impressions: A decent effort from Fife but a definite step below the best of the bunch from 1997. I found it to be enjoyable but not particularly special. This one could last for a few more years but is unlikely to improve significantly. Drink now to 2005.

JL 92 points
GA 90-91

Good to hear that it held up and was jammy. This reminds me. We have a few 1996 Fife Cabs that we might need to open...like tonight.

GA, that sounds about right. Most of my experiences with Fife cab and zins are in the 90 point range. Always a solid bottle but never extraordinary (although I have never had their reserve bottlings).

Thanks for the TN.