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ChangeMe
Barrel Filler
Posts:1010
 | | 11/25/2002 12:45 AM |
| 1994 Justin Isosceles
69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot. These percentages are from memory so I apologize if they are not exactly correct. This vintage relied heavily on the fine quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc that Justin produced in 1994. The Merlot is a minor player compared to other vintages. Served in fairly large balloon style restaurant crystal of unknown manufacture. Paired with seared venison medallions in a cabernet reduction with braised root vegetables and a poached pear. The wine was not decanted and no sediment was apparent. I haven’t had this wine since it was released in 1996 or 1997. At that time, this wine was rather tight and brooding with a significant tannic element. Alcohol 13.6%.
Color: As far as I could tell under restaurant lighting this one was a ruby purple tending to a darker center but not opaque.
Nose: The flowery Cabernet Franc is right up front when this is opened. It has a floral bouquet with some sandalwood and blackberry aromas. It was extremely pleasant and was a harbinger of good things to come.
Taste: This wine is reaching its prime. The tannins, while still present in the background, have softened and integrated into what is a very seamless full palate flavor profile. A beam of lovely dark berry fruits, a coffee-mocha element and a cigar box cedar overtone is in ample evidence on what is now a fully mature wine. The mouth-feel is soft and the flavors reveal themselves a layer at a time. The fruit has indeed outlasted the tannins that I remember from this wine’s youth. This vintage is stylistically different than what Justin’s new winemaker Jeff Branco is making. It’s much more subdued and not as full throttle on the fruit as the 1999. If you have any of this in your cellar, I recommend taking one out and giving it a shot. I would pair it with a hearty beef or game dish to get the most out of it.
Finish: Long, 45-60 seconds of blackberry and dark sweet cherries with a cedar quality that is quite delicious. It makes you wish it were a magnum.
I have three bottles left and I will start to consume one every six months until they are gone. The wine has the stuffing to last a few more years but in my opinion it is drinking beautifully now and will not improve significantly with more aging. I think this is the best Isosceles to date with the possible exception of the 1997. I think the jury is still out on the 1999 but I prefer the style of this vintage.
WS 92
GA 94
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