1990 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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Tasting notes
(12.7% alcohol): Healthy bright red-ruby. Darker aromas of black- and redcurrant, cherry, smoked meat, coffee and dark chocolate are complicated by wild spices and a balsamic cedary suggestion. The plushest and silkiest vintage to this point in my tasting, but with a firm spine of tannins and healthy acidity giving serious grip to the wine's dark berry fruit. "I started allowing the fruit to get ripe in 1990, then even riper beginning in 2003," admitted Forman. Offers a lovely combination of complexity and tannic power for such a low-octane Cabernet and finishes with a slight oaky edge (this and post-1990 vintages have been aged in 50% to 75% new barrels).
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Ric Forman's 1990 Cabernet Sauvignon is silky, polished and elegant, but not quite as thrilling as his very best wines.
Forman's 1990 Cabernet Sauvignon may be this winery's best effort to date. This deep purple-colored wine displays a super-expressive nose of blackcurrants, licorice, and vanillin. With a beautifully etched, medium to full-bodied feel, exquisite concentration, decent acidity, and firm but soft, sweet tannins, this is a graceful, authoritatively flavored Cabernet for drinking over the next 12-15 years.