22/03/24 - Napa: 2005 vs 2006
location
Goodman, Mayfair - London (map link here)
corkage charge
£25 per bottle
introduction
This was my first visit to Goodman. Excellent team, we met the head sommelier who had recently been out to Napa and she gave us some great tips. We were sat towards the back of the restaurant in the library section which had some nice older wine bottles on the shelves, very fitting. Ahead of our big trip in the summer, the theme for tonight’s meal - Napa: 2005 vs 2006!
the wine
2005 Sloan Asterisk
The 2005 Sloan Asterisk is a bold wine that is dark in the glass and brooding, this being 2 of 3 recently imported. It's a proprietary balanced blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, 14.9% ABV. We decided on a limited decant - 30 minutes, it's almost black in the glass and opens to a magical bouqet. It then settled and held in place for 2+ hours. It is solid all the way through and finishes long, quite memorable. It has some smokey charcoal and pepper characteristics, with a rich dark black and blue fruit profile - all held together in a beautiful way, complex yet composed.
2005 was an excellent vintage in Napa, near perfect conditions made for a late harvest, with large crops allowing winemakers to select grapes with excellent development and balanced acidity. This bottle at 19 years is drinking perfectly in a prime window, like many other 2005’s right now. Really this is where the secondary flavours are now in the driving seat, however with such good quality fruit, it all remains present and in balance.
A brilliant effort from cult winemarker Martha McClellan, this second wine from Sloan, with excellent QPR, secured as a case of three in OWC! Rating: AW95.
2006 Continuum
The 2006 Continuum is a proprietary blend, 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc and 16% Petit Verdot with fruit from the ‘To Kalon’ vineyard, 15.1% ABV.
We drank the Continuum side by side with the Asterisk, but paused the service to ensure it could have more time in the decanter and glass, this helped to thicken everything out as it was much more delicate and subtle.
It had a wonderful, fresh nose - potentially needing more time. Or simply it was a little overshadowed by the more brutish Sloan second. From a vintage perspective, 2006 started with heavy rains that continued to spring, resulting in delayed bud break, but by mid-July there was a record-breaking 10-day heatwave. It’s worth noting that in comparison to 2005, 2006 as a vintage rates ever so slightly lower. Both are drinking very well right now.
Personally I really enjoyed this first experience of Continuum. It’s evident of both the fruit quality and the production techniques, situated high up at Pritchard Hill, which is on the east-ridge of Napa Valley. We are aiming to visit them for a private tasting in the summer, which i’m sure will be a magical experience. Rating: AW94.
the meat
We shared a near 1kg Aberdeen Angus, Bone in Rib - cooked medium-rare. Wonderful. The service was excellent and the team let us stay and play cards late into the evening, which is always a treat.
The Cards
@Wineymofo took the SH crown tonight, winning 5 games to 1 !!
