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

BUY: Chateau Boswell Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 2006

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

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!

Shelter Cabernet

Dense purple in color, with a nose of graphite, dark berries, creme de cassis, and hints of truffle, the wine shows incredible fruit intensity, cocoa powder, tobacco, full body, sweet and plushy tannins, vibrant acidity, and a stunning, seamless, long finish. 95 points
About Shelter Wines:
The Shelter label was created when the two former sommeliers from a world famous Napa restaurant in Napa were approached by one of their high-profile cult winemaker friends. This unnamed winemaker had some extra wine which was identical to their top Cabernet. Rather than raise their production and go through the hassle of re-bottling, ordering new labels, capsules, etc–they decided to sell it in bottle to be re-corked as the Shelter Wine Co. The wine “Shelter” sells for 1/2 to 1/3 of the price of the identical wine bottled by this unknown producer. It is a wine for those customers who know quality Cult Cabernet when they taste it, but would rather drink a wine for a fraction of the price than pay extra just for the renowned label.

Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir

One of the silver linings of this current economic downturn is that formerly inaccessible collector wines are now available in small allocations. A marvelous example is the rare new Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir which we originally rated 94 points when tasting the pre-release sample (fyi, Parker did, too).  We popped a cork last Friday and now believe this wine is well on the way to a 96+ rating within the next 2 years. Paired with a grilled pork chop at Nopa restaurant in San Francisco this wine was easily a 95+ point experience.

At $94/bottle, the Pahlmeyer 2006 Pinot Noir is not exactly “cheap” but trust us when we say that it is comparable in quality to the oh so ’Culty’ best vintages of Kistler and Marcassin which both trade for more than double Pahlmeyer’s price. We’ve been fortunate to sample Kistler and Marcassin each vintage as well as Williams Selyem, Kosta Browne, Sea Smoke and other highly rated Pinots. We can assure you that this Pahlmeyer bottling is on par and will surpass many of those highly sought after wines this vintage. Tasting notes below!

THE WINE INSIDERS “CLASSIC 95″ RATING (updated 2/09):
“This is a flamboyant, sexy effort displaying a voluptuous texture, and ripe spicy cherry, cranberry, and creamy strawberry fruit intermixed with creamy liqueur characteristics. The most succulent new Pinot we’ve sampled in a while, it is impossible to resist NOW (after decanting 1/2 hour) and will age well for 3 – 5 years, peaking around 2012 in our estimate! 95+ points now and perhaps 96 points in just a few years.”

BUY: Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir 2006

This deliciously opulent creation is guaranteed to impress anyone who still thinks Pinot is a “wimpy” wine. This wine is a truly rambunctious red and 100% unfiltered ’boutique’ production (less than 300 cases!). While we cannot share the full story about the name of this winery it is highly amusing: let’s just say it involves proprietor Stewart Dorman’s earlier affinity for a certain B Movie actress and a forgettable film named The Fog. Today, Stewart is earning straight A (!) grades for his hand crafted Pinot Noir.

THE WINE INSIDERS “Outstanding 95″ RATING: “WOW! Starting with complex, sensuous aromas of dried cherry and herbs, this remarkable wine experience launches forth with opulent bright cherry, raspberry and a hint of strawberry – rhubarb pie on the silky finish. Notes of lavender and cranberries come through a full 20 seconds after finishing this tasty creation. This is a massive wine (almost Zin-like in its intensity) now but built to last and enhance a wide range of menu items including Lamb, Salmon, and Tuna steaks. It will be an exciting ‘adventure’ to track it’s evolution 3- 5 years! 95 points.” The Wine Insiders

This wine is currently available for $75 (Click Here)

INSIDER SCOOP: This wine is called “Angel’s Wine” (French) and we couldn’t agree more! We sampled for the first time at an ‘insider’ event last year and have been obsessed with this nectar ever since.

THE WINE INSDIERS “OUTSTANDING 95″ POINTS: “This profound wine exhibits superb opulence, full-bodied power, and stunning richness, definition, and intensity. Starting with aromas of orange marmalade, lemon oil, tropical fruit, crushed rocks, hazelnut, and subtle wood. The rich, ripe flavors include dried apricot, citrus oil and orange zest, as well as a gravelly minerality. This new release is still tightly woven (as of writing May 2007) but should blossom further over the next 3 – 5 years, peaking around 2011 in our best estimate! 95 points”

This wine is currently available for $55 (click here)

THE WINE INSIDERS “CLASSIC 95” RATING: This wine transcends any Merlot ‘norms’ as it exhibits an enormous texture, fabulous concentration, a packed-and-stacked mid-palate, and an explosive intense, ripe, long finish, this stunning wine is extraordinarily complex and savory. That means this sensational wine is ready to rumble tonight (after decanting an hour) but also built to last if you’ve got more patience than the thirsty occupants of my home. Lewis’ new Merlot boasts an incredibly array of flavors including espresso roast, mocha-infused chocolate, blackberry, cassis, cherry liqueur, and smoky oak.

Currently this wine is available for $79 (click here)

THE WINE INSIDERS “Classic 95” rating: “Dark and smoky, this velvety smooth wine has beautifully integrated flavors of bold ripe blueberry, black cherry, raisins and the trademark Paloma hint of cocoa on the finish. Reminiscent of the famed 2001 vintage, this new 2005 promises to age gracefully 5 – 7 years, peaking around 2012 in our estimate. 95 points”

Currently this wine is available for $59 (click here)