Elyse Tietjen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 $59
What the Wine Critics thought: Wine Spectator 91 points
Pushes ripeness to the max, with jammy wild berry and raspberry fruit that stretches into Zinfandel like flavors. Shows some heat on the finish, with some ultra ripe tannins. Fans of superripe Cabernets will find this more appealing than those who consider understatement a virtue. 568 cases made. Drink now through 2009.
What we thought: I get a lot of people in the store looking for that special bottle of Cabernet and I wind up warning them off many of the high end bottles because I know that they will be disappointed if they try to drink them now. So many California Cabernets in the over $50 range are designed for the long haul with monolithic tannins that finding this ready to drink offering is refreshing. Over the top? Probably! This inky, black wine features incredibly ripe black raspberry fruit that is so full and jammy that it simply over whelms the tannins, not to mention any food wimpier than a 12 ounce rare filet.

October 23, 2002