Caravina Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Popped and poured; enjoyed over two days. Best on Day 1. The 2011 “Caravina” pours a deep, we’re going to call opaque, garnet with some slight browning towards the rim. There appear to be signs of very light sediment. Medium viscosity and medium staining of the tears. On the nose, cassis, tobacco, bell pepper and the faint smell of baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry and notes from the nose are confirmed. Medium tannin and medium acid. Finish is a bit clipped so I would place at medium-. On Day 2, the wine was still intact but it seemed to have lost some of the energy that it had on Day 1 and now came across even more green and earthy than before.

This 2011 Caravina is probably the most “2011” Cabernet from Napa that I’ve had in some time. It’s green and lacks the structure I would want for longevity. While I would still call this a good wine, it’s not the charmer that Caravina is in most vintages these days. Drink now with a meal. In this case, it worked well enough with Cincinnati-style chili 😋.

Direct from the winery. Popped and poured; consumed over several hours. The bouquet was tart red fruits and tobacco...plus, there was a rather fascinating aroma of braised beef...like an awesome stew with veggies and the whole bit. It was all very nice actually! On the palate, a combination of dark and red fruits; think slightly under-ripened blackberries and red currants. As time went on, it became more red fruited in profile. A little thin and a touch green which is indicative of the vintage. The tannins, which are still very much present, are fairly well integrated at this point. I’m a big fan of Seavey and their Caravina is deserving of being considered one of, if not the best, second wine in Napa. Drink now and enjoy!

Very silky!

This was so much better than I remember it and I remember liking it last time. Dark fruit on the nose and palate and could be confused more a much more expensive wine. Loved it!

It is Cabernets like this that remind me that the 2011 vintage should not be automatically dismissed as being too cool or problematic. There are definitely herbal notes, and some noticeable bell pepper, but not "greeness" per se. It had a surprising amount of blue and dark fruit at the backend, finishing with some earthiness, sweet tobacco, and some oak. It had a good amount of acid (considering it is a California Cabernet), which made it very food friendly with the skirt steak and chimichurri sauce. There are great values to be found from the 2011 vintage. This would be one of them! It is rare to find a nicely balanced cab with decent acid at this price point. I would go ahead and drink it now and not hold onto it for too long, as I'm not sure it would evolve much, but is very good right now.

Lots of green aroma but it's welcoming. Silky, elegant, really approachable for the vintage. Not bursting with fruit but great for meal.

Melka wine for a great price. Needs a lot of time but was nice to see what it will be. Not a great vintage but still good.

I love Seavey wines and this is a good one, especially for their second label. Earthy. Dark chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, and tobacco.

Shows the character of the 2011 vintage but a solid wine. Bright, light and elegant.

Needs a long decant.