2004 McKeon-Phillips Bailey's Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Barbara County.
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This wine is a purple-garnet color with a magenta rim and very good clarity. To the nose it starts a bit heady with medium intensity dense black currant, light coffee and notes of cedar and sweet oak. In the mouth, medium intensity black currant and cherry liqueur are laced with sweet oak notes. Upper medium bodied, smooth textured with fine and lightly dusty tannins, this Cabernet has a juicy, bouncy mouth feel. The long finish of cherry and currant ends with a bit of heat. |
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14.2% Alcohol $44.00 -$49.00 Retail, winery Production in the 500 case range. |
Clean and vibrant, this Cabernet offers elegance that makes it immediately approachable and bodes well for good pairing while being robust enough to age another six to eight years. Pair with red meats, pizza or lighter fare. Works well as a stand alone wine. BOTTOM LINE: Very good. Highly recommended. |
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Production | Grapes | Producer | Vineyard | Vintage
Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (Clones 8 & 337) - Lucas & Lewellen's Valley View Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley.
Often called the "King of wines" and one of the 'big five' of Bordeaux reds, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted among the five and, with over 40,000 acres planted in the state, it is the most successful red wine in California. With its reputation for longevity and aging, California winemakers began to take example from their Bordeaux counterparts and blend it with other varietals. Soon, the Meritage Association was formed to foster this movement. It usually usually shows black currant, blackberry and black cherry flavors backed by cedar characteristics. (read more)
Clones 8 and 337 are very popular clones in California. Clone 8 has been a staple of California Cabs since the 1970s and is known for its strong fruit which bears an herbal character. 337 is another prominent clone in California viticulture. It originates in Bordeaux (where it belongs to the highest rated group of clones) and gives moderate yields of small berries.
Ardison Phillips is the proprietor, winemaker, an internationally collected and recognized artist and professor at the local Allan Hancock College - where he teaches a variety of subjects pertaining to food and wine. If you visit the McKeon-Phillips tasting room when Ardison is there, you may get to see this teacher in action as he takes you through the wines in the winery's line-up. His general wine making philosophy is to produce quality wines at affordable prices. More importantly, he makes his wines with food pairings in mind. He also does not release young wines. McKeon-Phillips wines are always released with much more time in the bottle than most of the wineries in the area.
The Lucas & Lewellen Valley View Vineyard is located in the Santa Ynez Valley. The lower elevations of this south-facing vineyard is known for producing excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah. The hilltop portion of the vineyard produces excellent Cabernet Franc and Syrah. In addition, small quantities of Petit Verdot and Malbec are grown to round out the Bordeaux spectrum of varietals.
The hot 2004 growing season was one of the shortest in the history of the state. Harvest came two to three weeks earlier than usual, at the start of August. Statewide reports of light to normal yields of excellent quality fruit with superb extraction raised anticipation of the wines to come. While this "crop of crops" was lauded as producing highly extracted fruit, some wines have been rather unbalanced while others were stunning an memorable. This seems to depend more on the combination of AVA and vineyard management, rather than winemaking techniques. Each offering from this vintage should be judged individually and not by virtue of vintage alone since the shortened growing season affected different varietals in different AVAs and even vineyards.
Rating
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Color |
5 points |
(5 points max) |
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Nose |
4 points |
(5 points max) |
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Palate |
3 points |
(5 points max) |
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Finish |
4 points |
(5 points max) |
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Tannins |
4 points |
(5 points max) |
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Acidity |
5 points |
(5 points max) |
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Alcohol |
4 points |
(5 points max) |
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Aging potential |
3 points |
(5 points max) |
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Overall quality |
9 points |
(10 points max) |
Cumulative Score: 92 Points
Rating System & Scoring Criteria explained
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