News From Napa And Beyond
Posts tagged Cabernet
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Jun 11th
Dumas Cabernet
Everything about this sophisticated wine impresses from the beginning including the dense purple color, the aromas of lavender and creme de cassis, and the ULTRA silky smooth texture. Captivating flavors include a luscious symphony of ripe plums, blackberries, and deep dark chocolate and mocha in the mid-palate. The sensuous finish crescendos with a hint of savory spices including truffle, cherries and flawlessly integrated toasty oak flavors that bode well for aging at least 5 – 7 years; peaking around 2014 in our estimate. BRAVO! 95+ points. Only 56 cases bottled” THE WINE INSIDERS
BUY: Dumas ‘Neighbors Vineyard’ Reserve Cabernet 2006
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May 12th
This beauty emanates blackberry and cassis aromas, rich dark berry flavors, espresso, cocoa, and a lush, velvety texture. This wine is well suited for immediate enjoyment however given its terroir and balance graceful aging is anticipated for 5 to 8 years. 94 Points The Wine Insiders
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Apr 28th
THE WINE INSIDERS TASTING NOTES:
This 2006 Ravenous is a powerful sensation, BIG on fruit, that combines the best characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon with a dollop of Petit Sirah to give it the exotic “X” factor + guarantee age worthy extravagance. Concentrated crème de cassis, licorice, and inky blackberry elicited from the Petite Sirah, mixed with all the power of the mocha, currant, dark chocolate, and blueberry from the Cabernet Sauvignon, with a hint of tobacco creates a smooth and silky tannin structure that finishes well in the palate. Will be at its peak between 2010-2013.
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Mar 26th
A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot, this wine has aromas of cassis, new leather and mocha. Dense, creamy-sweet and juicy, with excellent concentration to its luscious flavors of dark berries and semi-sweet chocolate. This grand creation features ultra luscious fruit flavors deftly melded together with plush tannins that bode well for long term cellaring (if you can wait). Enjoy tonight, after decanting an hour, or anytime over the next 7 – 10 years, peaking around 2014. Hurry because I plan to stock a few bottles in my personal cellar! 95 points
BUY: Chateau Boswell Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 2006
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Mar 23rd
100% Cabernet with well integrated aromas of strawberry preserves, dried orange peel, and violets that introduce an ultra-smooth texture on this oh so sexy wine bargain. Rich and complex dark fruit on the palate lingers through the finish with a nice balance of toasted oak and exotic spices. The structure and balance is definitely Cabernet, and the elegance this wine shows is an attribute of this wonderful vineyard site. 94 points
BUY: Korbin Kameron Cabernet Sauvignon Mt Veeder 2004
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Mar 23rd
Big and rich, with thick layers of espresso, chocolate, dark berries, tobacco, cedar box, currants, truffle and gorgeous minerality this wine way over-delivers on value. Voluptuous tannins and a 30+ second finish round out a fantastic Napa Cabernet. HIGHLY recommend!
BUY: Jericho Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006
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Mar 11th
Orin Swift Papillon Cabernet
THE WINE INSIDERS “94+” Rating: “We just sampled this exciting new release, even more luscious than the last vintage, and proclaim it to be a true thriller for tonight or anytime over the next 5 years. Rich and savory, this Cabernet blend (65% CS, 27% Merlot, 2% Cab Franc, 4% Petite Verdot, and 2% Malbec) glides lightly across your palate and features soft layers of dark cherry, ripe sweet plums, anise, toffee, cocoa, rich smoky oak and a hint of milk chocolate truffles on the luscious finish. While this BIG wine is delicious tonight (after 1/2 hour decanting) we estimate it will peak in 2012 – 2014.”
BUY: Orin Swift Papillon Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
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Feb 25th
Premiere Napa
The closest thing the wine world in Napa has to the film world’s Academy Awards in Hollywood is called “Premiere Napa Valley.” Ironically, both events occur on the same weekend with “Premiere Napa” this past Saturday and then the Academy awards of course on Sunday. The analogy isn’t perfect since one event is strictly an awards ceremony and the other event is a charity auction but the similarities include:
Premiere Napa Valley is the largest annual gathering of the most influential individuals at the highest level of California collector wines (cult winemakers including Screaming Eagle’s Andy Erickson pouring his own Realm Cellars, legendary winery owners including both Mondavi brothers, and renowned critics such as James Laube of the Wine Spectator). The most fun aspect of Premiere Napa is the opportunity to rub shoulders with the most talented ‘up and coming’ wine talents as well as the world famous luminaries while tasting their best wines (favorites listed below) all before noon a Saturday morning.
Similar to the Oscars, Premiere Napa is a very private, invitation-only event. The venue is the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in the heart of Napa Valley. Having attended both Premiere Napa and the Oscars, I can assure you the food (and wine of course) is tastier in Napa! After savoring barrel samples of the finest new Cabernets (preview tastings of 2007 vintage this year) attendees rise to the CIA’s test kitchens and nosh on the student chefs’ most accomplished cuisine. Believe me, nothing tastes better than a plate full of gnocchi and roast beef after drinking Cabernet for 2 hours!
The last similarity to the Academy Awards is that Premiere Napa ends with perhaps the most high drama in the collector wine world. The auction is an annual barometer of which winery’s “stock” is high this year as well as which undiscovered winemaker is most likely to achieve the coveted “cult” winemaker status (and salary). The final tally on each winery’s barrel lot value is seen as not just a testament to the quality of their next vintage release but also the overall popularity of the brand. This year, there was a particularly tense air as the auction began due to the extreme consumer market uncertainties. Several big name wineries (names withheld to protect the ‘innocent’) barrel lots sold for a mere fraction of their closing price years ago while a few new names achieved bids reminiscent of Napa’s boom days in the late 1990’s.
GENERAL COMMENT ON TASTING:
The wines we tasted (95% of the barrel lots were Cabernet or Cab. blends) fell into three camps:
- Exquisitely balanced with a galaxy of sensuous fruit carefully melded together with plush tannins to age a decade plus (this describes most of the wines listed below)
- Extremely tight tannins and way too young to even form an opinion about the potential journey ahead. This list (undisclosed) includes many big, big, big name wines that surprised me by their intensity at this point. I hope they will evolve gracefully with a bit more time
- Disappointing wines that were either thin, overly vegetal, downright funky, or just completely uninspiring. The particularly disappointing aspect for these wineries is that, for the most part, Premiere Napa is seen as an opportunity to “put your best foot forward” so this list (undisclosed!) included a few former favorites that made me pause as I think about the ability for these wineries to maintain their lofty reputations in the years to come.
Favorite Wines sampled at Premiere Napa on 2/21/2009 include:
NEW DISCOVERIES (not ranked)
Ovid
Chateau Boswell
Realm
Continuum
Hewitt
Hourglass
OLD FAVORITES (that continue to impress!)
Plumpjack
Lewis
Cliff Lede
Vineyard 29
Quintessa/Faust
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Feb 24th
Shelter Cabernet
The holy grail for many Cabernet collectors might be something like finding a Cult Cabernet at less than 1/2 the auction price. While that is unlikely to happen given the demand for those wines, we have discovered a new wine – Shelter “The Butcher” 2005 Cabernet – that makes us feel like we have found just such a thing.
We rated this impeccable wine 95 points originally but are prepared to raise the rating after now having tasted the actual bottling. The truth is we do get a bit nervous when we exalt the virtues of a new wine without have a long history with the winery. In the past, we have fallen in love with a winery “sample” only to later feel duped when the real bottles arrive and bear no resemblance to the juice we adored. The Shelter is even more impressive than we remember from our tasting. Everything starting from the aromas to the depth of flavors to the finish is memorable. (All humility aside) we really have been fortunate to sample enough of the so-called Cult Cabernet to know that serious wine collectors are going to flip out over this wine.
TASTING NOTES:
Dense purple in color, with a nose of graphite, dark berries, creme de cassis, and hints of truffle, the wine shows remarkable fruit intensity, cocoa powder, tobacco, dense body, sweet and plushy tannins, vibrant acidity, and a stunning, seamless, long finish that last a full 60 seconds. We predict this wine will deliver a captivating experience over the next decade, peaking around 2012 in our estimate. 95 points.
BUY: Shelter Cabernet Sauvignon ‘The Butcher’ 2005
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Feb 17th
Pahlmeyer Cabernet
On Valentines night, my wife and I popped a cork of the 2002 Pahlmeyer. I’m thrilled to report that this wine was truly stunning, fulfilling my highest expectations for a “perfectly aged” Napa Cabernet. It’s no secret that the concept of “drinks well now but ages well” is considered the ‘Holy Grail’ in Napa (+ worldwide). Everyone aspires to this hurdle but very few actually achieve this success. Pahlmeyer’s winemaker Erin Green has a long track record of fulfilling the promise of age-worthy red wines (and some Chardonnays).
One of my ‘first loves’ in the wine world was the 1997 Pahlmeyer Merlot and the Cabernet (bottled ‘Red Blend’) has always been a personal favorite. I must say that for my individual tastes, I rarely swoon over the Cabernet blend upon release. In fact, the latest release 2005 vintage has achieved the highest rating ever (from Robert Parker) for a Pahlmeyer Red. I can only dream that the 2005 will age into the grandeur of the 2002 we drank recently. The entire experience was seemless with integrated, silky smooth tannins that had melded together with a galaxy of dark fruit flavors that delivered a magnificent experience! When I origanally sampled, I rated this wine 95 points. Today, this wine is clearly a 98 point wine!