Thunder Mountain Portfolio



The theme was a portfolio tasting of 3 wines from the renowned Thunder Mountain winery based in the Santa Cruz mountains. The wines, featured on the wine lists of world-class restaurants such as Morton’s of Chicago and the former Windows on the World restaurant in New York, are crafted by former Stanford physicist Milan Maximovich. The wines have garnered favorable reviews from wine bigwigs such as Robert Parker and Steve Tanzer, and are fast developing a cult status. We review three wines from the '98 and '99 vintage, from their premium labels.

  • Bald Mountain Vineyard '99 Chardonnay

    The pale, lemon-gold (and somewhat unimpressive visuals) gave way to an exceptional wine. An extremely concentrated nose yielded strong odors of butterscotch, smoke, and oak. Unlike the preponderance of chardonnays in the market today, the strong woody characteristics were well integrated with the fruit (green apple and pear), and did not overwhelm. On entry, the wine was off-dry, and very round, wine medium-high acidity, low tannins, and literally bursting with fruit flavors of pear and peaches. A nice, buttery finish rounded up with an aftertaste of green apples, lingering on the palate long after the wine is swallowed. Perfect as an aperitif or even after-dinner wine, this would also pair well wish broiled or grilled fish.

  • Doc’s Vineyard '98 Cabernet Sauvignon

    Medium-deep crimson, with a nose that displayed a clean, moderate blackcurrant scent underscored with a layer of oak. Some plum and black cherry could be detected, laced with a hint of licorice. Pleasant, but not altogether impressive. On the palate, the balance of the wine was a little off; in particular, acidity was a little high, and fruit, if any, did not manifest itself significantly. The medium finish was a little sour. Perhaps could do with a little aging, but certainly difficult to recommend at this point.

  • Doc’s Vineyard '99 Cabernet Sauvignon

    Visuals were similar to the '98, but on the nose, more complexity ensued; revealing dark chocolate, cassis and a more pronounced licorice nature. Tannin structure was stronger, although overall it was still too young to drink. Upon sitting in the glass, it opened up to reveal a more velvety texture, with a better balance of fruit (plum, blackcurrant) with oak. Overall, the aging potential of this wine was evident, and this was certainly a better effort than the '98.

Date: Dec 10, 2002