Seduire Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2005 – 94+ Points.

The 2005 Séduire is plush, rich and layered, built on crème de cassis, mocha, cherries, currant and blueberries flavors aimed to seduce your every sense; sight, nose and palate. It has a very supple and silky tannin structure and provides a long smooth finish.

Buy this wine at Porthos.

Sans Permis Chardonnay Durell Vineyard 2005 – 93 Points

A wonderful yellow-gold color and a nutty, toasty nose greet you. In the mouth, Meyer lemon, crisp green apple, with butter notes and good acidity with a surprisingly rich creamy mouthfeel make this a fantastic wine to pair with a wide variety of foods.

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Chateau Sergant Lalande de Pomerol 2005 – 93 Points

Deep in color and heady with the scents of cedar, crushed blackberry, and chocolate. Opulent and medium bodied, this wine exhibits a complex cache of flavors, including fresh berries, hints of violet. Medium-to-full body, with velvety tannins and a clean, fruity aftertaste. Fine, supple, and supremely elegant.

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Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard 2005 – 96 Points

Wow, this unforgettable wine reminds us why Cabernet is still the king of grapes. Big, bold and lush, the new 2005 ‘Martha’s’ impresses by gushing fruit, yet retaining an elegance and power difficult to achieve in a wine with this much power. Bright blackberry and currant fruit, with notes of graphite, blueberries and espresso leave you mourning the last drop. Don’t miss this sumptuous new discovery destined for fame! Enjoy now through 2017 and decant for 1 hour if popping the cork prior to 2014.

Buy this wine at Porthos.

Shelter Cabernet.

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