Cimarossa
Riva Di Levante Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA
A visit to Cimarossa in early 2018 was a highlight of our annual Napa trip that year. Property, experience, people and wines were all top notch. I normally prefer Ponente, then Rian, then Levante in that order, and this bottle reinforced that opinion.
When compared to the 2014 Ponente and Rian, this 2014 Levante has less depth and mid-palate. This Levante is decidedly more red fruit driven compared to the darker fruit profile of the others. I also normally get a really distinct red clay note on these, but in its place was a more herbal note. The herbal and slightly less full-bodied nature made this a good pairing to thin crust pizza. Tannins and acidity are pretty elevated when compared to most 2014 Napa cabs, even after a few hours in the decanter. I think I’d hold if I had more, but I’m not sure how different it gets.
A visit to Cimarossa in early 2018 was a highlight of our annual Napa trip that year. Property, experience, people and wines were all top notch. I normally prefer Ponente, then Rian, then Levante in that order, and this bottle reinforced that opinion.
When compared to the 2014 Ponente and Rian, this 2014 Levante has less depth and mid-palate. This Levante is decidedly more red fruit driven compared to the darker fruit profile of the others. I also normally get a really distinct red clay note on these, but in its place was a more herbal note. The herbal and slightly less full-bodied nature made this a good pairing to thin crust pizza. Tannins and acidity are pretty elevated when compared to most 2014 Napa cabs, even after a few hours in the decanter. I think I’d hold if I had more, but I’m not sure how different it gets.
I opened a ‘14 Cimarossa Ponente for Weston to get a feel for their style at a young age and while it was shockingly soft, open and showing plenty of fruit, Mark wanted to compare how an older Levante would show. The more I have these wines, the more I think Ponente (for my taste) can be enjoyed younger while Levante & Rian need more age to shine. This ‘07 Levante was fantastic. Nose of black cherry pie, blackberries and roasted plum. Powerful on the palate revealing red clay, blue and black fruit, but more dominant to the dark fruit side. Mocha, dark cocoa and vanilla pipe tobacco too. Don’t think it’s getting any better!
I opened a ‘14 Cimarossa Ponente for Weston to get a feel for their style at a young age and while it was shockingly soft, open and showing plenty of fruit, Mark wanted to compare how an older Levante would show. The more I have these wines, the more I think Ponente (for my taste) can be enjoyed younger while Levante & Rian need more age to shine. This ‘07 Levante was fantastic. Nose of black cherry pie, blackberries and roasted plum. Powerful on the palate revealing red clay, blue and black fruit, but more dominant to the dark fruit side. Mocha, dark cocoa and vanilla pipe tobacco too. Don’t think it’s getting any better!
Jun 25th, 2019
Delicious!! Smokey flavors that scream pair me with steak! Which we will do, of course.
Delicious!! Smokey flavors that scream pair me with steak! Which we will do, of course.
Jun 30th, 2018@Mark Flesher opened this in honor of me visiting them in just about 3 weeks on my yearly trip to Napa. I’m stoked about tasting through Cimarossa wines at the top of Howell Mtn!
This was pop and poured and even at 10yrs, it needs a healthy decant. It evolved to show a lot of black cherry, a mix of plum and pomegranate on the palate, but was super dark in the glass! The finish had a smokiness and meat dominant note. It wasn’t a fruit bomb, nor was it savory. It was a perfect harmony of both. Better yet? It still tastes almost like a new release! Years to go.
@Mark Flesher opened this in honor of me visiting them in just about 3 weeks on my yearly trip to Napa. I’m stoked about tasting through Cimarossa wines at the top of Howell Mtn!
This was pop and poured and even at 10yrs, it needs a healthy decant. It evolved to show a lot of black cherry, a mix of plum and pomegranate on the palate, but was super dark in the glass! The finish had a smokiness and meat dominant note. It wasn’t a fruit bomb, nor was it savory. It was a perfect harmony of both. Better yet? It still tastes almost like a new release! Years to go.
Blackberry and some savory notes with a hint of camphor or menthol on the nose. Dark fruits - black cherry and blackberry dominate the palate - not jammy at all - just fruitful. Medium bodied with soft tannins. Better the second hour so give this some air/time to breathe.
Blackberry and some savory notes with a hint of camphor or menthol on the nose. Dark fruits - black cherry and blackberry dominate the palate - not jammy at all - just fruitful. Medium bodied with soft tannins. Better the second hour so give this some air/time to breathe.
Sep 16th, 2017Love Cimarossa. These wines are hard as nails and need serious time to come around - or some serious decanting. This is a great mix between herbs and fruits. It's rich and very complex - there's a great balance going on in this wine between flavors and structure. The tannins are very present with a medium-light acidity. This is good now and I imagine will continue to be for 5 plus more years easily.
Love Cimarossa. These wines are hard as nails and need serious time to come around - or some serious decanting. This is a great mix between herbs and fruits. It's rich and very complex - there's a great balance going on in this wine between flavors and structure. The tannins are very present with a medium-light acidity. This is good now and I imagine will continue to be for 5 plus more years easily.
Feb 5th, 2017
Such a great bottle to have a thousand miles out at sea. St Maarten.
Such a great bottle to have a thousand miles out at sea. St Maarten.
Nov 22nd, 2014
Structured fruits and a beautiful nose. This just got better with air so decant. Day two was singing.
Structured fruits and a beautiful nose. This just got better with air so decant. Day two was singing.
Sep 5th, 2022