It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Deep purple in color with a short purple rim.
Pretty nose of blueberries, cooked black cherries, blackberries, figs, cedar, vanilla, spices, chocolates, earth, herbs, coffee, tobacco, licorice and black pepper.
Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, currants, black cherries, raisins, dried figs, vanilla, cedar, cola, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, earth, bitter herbs and peppercorn.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Feels like a Napa Cabernet with a Bordeaux touch. Fruity and rich, yet elegant.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours in the decanter, but it definitely needs longer than that.
What a great mouthfeel. I just love these Napa Bordeaux blends.
Still young and would be better in 5 to 10 years. Could be a 97+ point wine in 10 years. Will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.
Thank you John for sharing this with me.
A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$500. — a year ago
Had this wine for my birthday dinner at Ruth’s Chris. Amazing wine!! Deep garnet colored, floral nose with blueberry and oak. Perfectly ripe blue/dark fruit, tannins smoothing out, perfectly balanced and structured. This wine drank great through a 2 hour meal. I need to pick up some these ‘16s as they are drinking great now and will certainly age for a long time. — 3 years ago
First time tasting the ‘19 vintage, and the Produttori edged out one of my fave under the radar barolistas this early on. Maybe because it released sooner? Both red fruited with sour cherries and elegant tamed tannin/acid, but the Produttori had another gear of sweet incense and hard candy. The vintage does remind me of a more approachable’13 from a tannin perspective. — a month ago
What a treat. Showing its age. Darker than you’d expect given it’s a war vintage. Tea colored at the edges. Soft, faded fruit. Orange rind, some dried herbs, mushroom, black tea, cured meat. Some dried wood, dried roses. A slight tart tang. Softening out and adding done delicate sherry notes with time in the glass. An amazing wine given the age. Certainly not a powerhouse but really special- a taste of history — a year ago
April 2015 disgorged… time for some cellar work and this called out “drink me”. Absolutely delicious…med gold, sweet ripe red apple snd juicy pear. This wine is rocking at this stage. I know the price is drifting up… but still worth it if you can find it. — 2 years ago
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a tasty one from Mount Veeder.
Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Gentle nose with black and red fruits, light oak, herbs, tobacco leaf, light vanilla, licorice and black pepper.
Medium plus in body, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, black cherries, light oak, dark chocolates, peppercorn, coffee and light cola.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Mount Veeder in Napa Valley.
Elegant, soft and smooth. Not 'in your face' kind of wine, which is nice to see out of Napa.
Good right out of the bottle, and much better after 3 hours of airtime.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Will be nice to revisit it in 5 years and see how it evolved.
Good by itself as a sipping wine and good with food. I paired it with a Ribeye steak.
A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot. Aged in (50% new) French oak barrels for 30 months. A tiny production of only 4 barrels.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$100. — 5 months ago
Inky in color with a very short reddish/ brick rim.
Full bodied with medium acidity
Showing black fruits with earth, bell pepper, tobacco, oak, dark coffee, pencil lead, bitter herbs, earth, light roasted bell pepper and forest floor.
Soft tannins on the tangy finish.
This 10 year old Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is probably on its way out. Still very drinkable, but a little unbalanced and showing lots of earth notes.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after two hours of air time.
Showing nice complexity at this point, but a little bitter for my taste.
Although still good, I expected more from this second wine from this producer and this vintage.
90 points.
$80 (current vintage). — a year ago
It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Pretty nose of currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, leather, chocolates, tobacco leaf, herbs, eucalyptus, peppercorn, alcohol, black tea and violets.
Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.
Dry on the palate with plums, black currants, coffee, oak, vanilla, licorice, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth, pencil lead and light mint.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a delicious Merlot based Bordeaux blend from South Africa.
This 6 year old is starting to drink very nicely now. Nicely balanced with a smooth mouthfeel. Spicy and opulent. Fruit-forward and elegant with nice complexity.
Gets tangier as it opens up, and feels like a Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon.
Good right out of the bottle, and much better after 90 minutes in the decanter. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Wine Enthusiasts 91 points. Robert Parker 90 points.
A blend of 54% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec and 6% Petit Verdot.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$45. — 2 years ago
Steve Belmonte
Excellent as always. Smooth right out of the bottle. Gets better over time — 2 days ago