Ratings and Reviews
LAMB VINEYARD, CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Napa Valley
| Vintage | Rating | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 93 Points | Robert Parker's, Wine Advocate |
| The dense ruby/purple-hued 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard reveals beautiful blueberry and blackberry fruit along with a subtle gravelly, smoky component, a full-bodied, rich, silky mouthfeel that builds incrementally, outstanding purity and texture, and a personality reminiscent of a great northern Graves Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine from Bordeaux. This beauty is approachable, but it will be even better in 7-8 years, and should last 20-25 years thereafter. | ||
| 2006 | 94 Points | Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar |
| Inky ruby. Brooding aromas of blackcurrant and kirsch, with complicating notes of incense and fruitcake gaining strength in the glass. Expansive dark berry liqueur and bitter cherry flavors become smoky and meaty with air, gaining depth and structure too. The finish is surprisingly fresh and focused, with a strong cracked pepper note that lingers tenaciously. Really benefits from aeration, suggesting that this youngster should be stashed away for a while. | ||
| 2003 | 91+ Points | Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (May/June 2006) |
| Deep ruby-red. Reticent nose hints at cassis, minerals and licorice. Tightly wound and firmly built; less sweet than the Coach Insignia but still reasonably dense and pliant. Flavors of berries, minerals and cool tobacco leaf convey a juicy character. The firm tannins of this wine will require three or four years of patience. But this is exactly the kind of '03 that should reward cellaring. | ||
| 2003 | 90 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard (they hadn't decided whether to declassify the 2004 or not) possesses a distinctive style reminiscent of a northern Graves wine from Bordeaux. The wine's scorched earth/virile, masculine style, primordial backwardness, and big, black currant, gravelly nose with hints of graphite and hot rocks, are followed by a tannic, medium-bodied, austere wine with undeniable long term aging potential, but not the charm or seductiveness of the other reds. Give it 3-5 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following two decades. | ||
| 2002 | 92 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The 2002 Lamb Vineyard reveals that Bordeaux-like personality with notes of scorched earth/hot rocks, chocolate, black and blue fruits, and strong mineral component. Beautifully made with excellent, concentrated fruit, this 2002 requires 2-3 years of bottle age. It should drink well for 15+ years. | ||
| 2002 | 90-92 Points | Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (May/June 2004) |
| Deep ruby-red. Vibrant, cool aromas of blackcurrant, mint and cinnamon. Juicy and lively in the mouth, with firm currant and cherry flavors complemented by a note of milk chocolate. Today the wine's brightness is accentuated by firm tannins. Not lush or fat (the RCF merlot is chewier) but quite distinctive. In contrast to the Coach Insignia, this wine seemed to go into a shell in the glass. | ||
| 2001 | 91-94 Points | Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (May/June 2004) |
| Bright, saturated ruby. Cool, highly aromatic nose combines cassis, pomegranate, maple syrup, sassafras and spices. Minerally and highly concentrated; dense and quite suave. Boasts a creamy sweetness verging on liqueur-like. This has superb depth of fruit. Finishes with big, sweet, broad tannins and terrific length. | ||
| 2001 | 93 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The fabulous 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard exhibits an inky/purple color as well as a gorgeous perfume of scorched earth, graphite, chocolate, blackberries, cassis, and minerals. Dense, full-bodied, and heady, but tannic and structured, this masculine Cabernet needs 4-5 years of cellaring, and should keep for two decades. | ||
| 1999 | 91 Points | James Laube, The Wine Spectator |
| Pushes ripeness to the max, with jammy black cherry and blackberry fruit woven together with cedary oak, anise and spicy floral notes. Shows some heat and raw tannins on the finish. Needs short-term cellaring. Best from 2004 through 2012. 292 cases made. | ||
| 1997 | 95 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The awesome opaque purple-colored 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard exhibits a fabulous nose of lead pencil, coffee, minerals, black currants, and licorice. The wine's massive richness, full body, and super-intense, concentrated fruit make for a spectacular, unctuously-textured, backward wine. As it sat in the glass, some of the mountain blueberry notes came forward. This Cabernet requires 4-5 years of cellaring, and should keep for 25-30 years... at the minimum. | ||
| 1997 | 94 Points | James Laube, The Wine Spectator |
| There's wonderful richness, depth, complexity and concentration to this Napa Cabernet, its layers of spicy currant, anise, blackberry, plum and light toasty oak folding together for a delicious aftertaste, firming up nicely on the finish. Has all the right ingredients. Best from 2003 through 2014. 490 cases made. | ||
| 1996 | 91 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The powerful (14.1% alcohol) 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard has been aged in barrel, of which 50% are new. Like all of Fisher's reds, it is bottled without filtration. The color is an opaque purple, and the wine is closed, offering hints of licorice, blueberries, black currants, and spicy oak. In the mouth, it is long, rich, restrained, with the tannin still making a noticeable impression, outstanding purity, a full-bodied mouth-feel, and superb potential. This wine requires another 4-5 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020. The Lamb Vineyard emerges from a Napa parcel on Pickett Lane, near the Araujo estate. Production is limited with only 100-500 cases produced. 1996 and 1997 were strong vintages for Fisher Vineyards. The 1996s are undoubtedly lower in alcoholic power than the heady 1997s. | ||
| 1996 | 90 Points | James Laube, The Wine Spectator |
| Firm, focused and concentrated, with rich, chunky, spicy currant, plum, herb, cedar and blackberry, turning complex with earthy, mineral flavors. Strikes a nice balance between its rustic properties and a sense of elegance. Best from 2000 through 2007. 486 cases made. | ||
| 1994 | 90 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| Napa's Lamb Vineyard has turned out some marvelous Cabernets (Fisher's 1993 Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is sensational). The 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard exhibits a dark ruby/purple color, and a sweet nose of cassis fruit, lead pencil, and spice. While the wine may have been slightly tired when I saw it a few months after bottling, it still revealed plenty of intensity, sweet berry fruit nicely wrapped in oak, medium to full body, and moderate tannin in the long finish. Sadly, there are only 595 cases of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fisher produces three Cabernet Sauvignon cuvees. The least expensive is the Coach Insignia, with the more limited production Lamb Vineyard and Wedding Vineyard relatively difficult to find in the marketplace. | ||
| 1994 | 92 Points | James Laube, The Wine Spectator |
| Big, ripe, intense and concentrated, with a firmly tannic core of earthy currant, spice, plum and cherry flavors. Given the tannin level, it's best to cellar this into 2001. 570 cases made. | ||
| 1993 | 95 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| Fred Fisher has performed a complete turnabout with respect to the quality of his wines. For much of this decade his Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon have been among the most exciting wines being made in California. The 1993 reds appear to be richer and more impressive than the 1994s. Fred Fisher also produces 600 cases of a Cabernet Sauvignon from the five-acre Lamb Vineyard, located near the Eisele Vineyard in Napa Valley. The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard is an intense, concentrated, opaque purple-colored wine with gobs of black-raspberry and chocolate-like fruit. Extremely young, it requires 5-7 years of cellaring. Impressive and pure, it is one of Fisher's most concentrated Cabernet Sauvignons. My experience has been that this wine explodes in the glass with 4-6 hours of decanting! It was interesting to see how crisp, restrained, and less concentrated Fisher's 1994s were when compared to the extremely rich and successful 1993s. | ||
Join Our Mailing List