Boston Wine Expo 2001 -
Cain Five Seminar

On Sunday a blizzard rolled into town, finishing around noon. We got into the expo late, missing the first few minutes of the Cain Five seminar. Cain Five is a Napa Valley high end blended wine, which is made each year with a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The exact proportion of each varies from year to year, and the prices start around $80/bottle.

We arrived just as Brad, the rep from Cain, was talking about how the 2000 vintage would be bottled in the fall of 2002, spending 20 months in the barrel. During this time they perform several trial blends in the barrels, and in the end "come to a decision, not necessarily a consensus" on what each year's combination will be.

Unfortunately, we were too late to taste the 1990 [65% Cab Sauv, 27% Merlot, 4% Cab Franc, 2% Malbec, 2% PV]. He explained that this year was characterized by low yields, and was the earliest harvest season, being picked just after Labor Day. This one is said to taste cocoey, with flavors of dried cherries.

We started with the 1991 [60% Cab Sauv, 19% Merlot, 14% Cab Franc, 4% Malbec, 3% PV]. This was a red/orangish color, with a full, rich, tobacco and cherry flavor. It had a great, long finish, not very tannic, with mouth-sucking flavor. They only macerated 1/3 of this vintage, and with higher yields these grapes had less tannins.

The 1992 [53% Cab Sauv, 34% Merlot, 9% Malbec, 3% Cab Franc, 1% PV] was more tannic, with an orangish color and fruity, cherry flavor. The 1993 [53% Cab Sauv, 30% Merlot, 11% Cab Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% PV] was again more tannic, witha sharp, dusty flavor and a slight cherry finish. Apparently 1993 was a hot year, and is not considered ready for consumption yet. According to the Cain people, the 1993/94 is the current 'age line', where you see orangish colors and aging characteristics in the 1993 and older years, but not in 1994 and up.

Indeed, the 1994 [63% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot, 6% Cab Franc, 4% Malbec, 2% PV] was not as full, with less aroma, a thinner, furry flavor, mostly sharp and dusty with a slightly fruity finish. 1994 is considered the best vintage of the 90s, with moderate yields, later, more ripe picking, with thick skins. The grapes sat on these for 3-4 weeks during winemaking and ended up very tannic.

The 1995 [63% Cab Sauv, 23% Merlot, 9% Cab Franc, 4% Malbec, 1% PV] was smoother and fruitier, with the Bordeaux 'stinkiness' to it. It did have a bit of a tannic kick. The Cain rep explained that 1996 was a warm year, giving the wine a good structure. We found the 1996 [63% Cab Sauv, 18% Merlot, 12% Cab Franc, 5% PV 2% Malbec] to be lighter, fruitier, with a strong cherry and lightly dusty flavor. It was both acidic and tannic.

The newest wine, the 1997 [87% Cab Sau, 11% Cab Franc, 1% PV, 1% Malbec] was very strong aromaed, with a dustry and light fruit flavor to it. It was not very tannic.

They create four wines - three Cab blends and one Sauvignon Blanc which is less than 10% of production. The three Cab blends are their Cuvee line at $24, the Concept at $45, and the Five at around $80. They've just released the 1997. He explained that they have no wish to join the $150/bottle club, but try to make the best wine they can in a way that people can still afford.

He explained how in off years, where the good vineyards' grapes aren't quite good enough for Cain Five, they end up in the lower blends, bringing them up a notch. So a 'bad year' for Cain Five actually turns into an excellent year for the other blended wines.

Boston Expo 2001 Main Page