Wine Each Week ~ Priest Ranch 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon

In the years I have been reviewing Cabernet Sauvignon this particular wine has the most cocoa/mocha elements I have ever tasted. To be clear, this is not a sweet wine, nor does it taste like chocolate, but the quiet innuendo of these notes suggests something compelling and interesting for Priest Ranch, which started farming in the 1860s.

Of course there is also what you want in Cabernet - blackberry boysenberry, lingonberry, plum and blueberry, but this underlying dark deep mocha is intriguing. And this is all Cab. The acidity is in check, the tannins are in check, but these dark brooding elements are so noticeable and unlike most other wines you have ever had. Aged in new and used French oak barrels for 20 months. This is a unique one.

5,889 cases

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL: 14.8%

PRICE: $50 /750 ml

SCORE: 91 POINTS

PRIEST RANCH

Wine Each Week – 2017 Experience Cabernet Sauvignon

Napa is known for Cabernet, and expensive Cabernet at that. But so too is the rest of California. From Sonoma to Paso Robles to Temecula, quality Cabernet at a reasonable price is hard to experience. Enter the 2017 Experience Wines Cabernet Sauvignon with 6% Merlot and 2% Malbec added in then aged for 17 months. The result is a wine replete with black cherry, blackberry and blueberry notes that coincide with soft toasted vanilla, light herbal notes, rose water, and a very light menthol. The fruit is more upfront with less darker fruit notes, but this is an excellent quality wine that can easily be yours.

10,000 cases

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL: 14.2%

PRICE: $30 (750ML)

SCORE: 90 POINTS

Experience

Wine Each Week – 2015 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon/Rutherford

There are two kinds of Napa Cabernet. Those that reflect the iconic traditional style of Napa Cab and have been for decades…and everything else. In the last number of years many stalwart Napa producers have gone for over ripe fruit, extracted wines and a homogenized style that offers nothing unique. On the plus side, wineries like Freemark Abbey have retained the iconic Napa style. What sets their 2015 Rutherford Cabernet apart is the sheer seamless-ness of the wine, deftly pulling together oak, fruit, wood, tannin and acidity to create an absolutely indulgent wine. With grapes from three separate Rutherford vineyards the result is classic blueberry, black berry, boysenberry, hints of black cherry, plum, lingonberry and those “dusty” tannins Rutherford is famous for, not to mention subtle signs of mocha and sweet tobacco. Nearly 27 months in barrel (just under 60% was new French oak) has helped create a gorgeous wine, the kind of drinking experience you never rush through, but savor because you don’t want the bottle to end too quickly.

ORIGIN: Rutherford AVA, Napa Valley

ALCOHOL: 14.5%

PRICE: $70/ 750ML

SCORE: 95 POINTS

FREEMARK ABBEY

Wine Each Week – 2016 Alma de Cattleya Cabernet Sauvignon

When you hear a wine name like Alma de Cattleya you might rightly think of South America – Columbia specifically in this case. You probably don’t think of Napa. Yet this wine from talented winemaker Bibiana González Rave is all Napa but reflects her Colombian heritage – Cattleya is a type of stunningly beautiful orchid.

As a Napa Cabernet this strides over a different path; less overt red fruit and more dark black fruits like blueberry, black berry, mild tannins, a smokiness lingering in the background, and a subtle if subversive acidity. It’s all Cabernet from actually two different vineyard sites, though it’s all clone 337, which offers reliable and reasonable yields of smallish berries, and has fruit-forward flavors. 18 months of oak aging with a scant 10% of those barrels being new allows the fruit to come though but this is neither a big hefty Napa Cabernet nor a wine that celebrates new French oak. This is a confident, mid priced Cabernet offering a lithe beauty, like the flower for which it is named. 303 cases.

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL: 14.9%

PRICE: $48/ 750ML

SCORE: 91 POINTS

ADC WINES

Wine Each Week: 2016 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon

As you traverse through your wine life you realize there are a handful of producers who, over the course of your tasting their wines for years, perhaps decades, actually never seem to fail. Such is Spottswoode Winery in Napa Valley. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting their wines for years, meeting with winemaker Aron Weinkauf at their Napa Estate, and the truth is there is never a bad wine from their portfolio. Their secondary label, Lyndenhurst - a reference to the property being named such for a time back in the early 1900’s, provides the quality of the Spottswoode wines at a lesser cost.

This is a seamless wine, embracing all the elements of great Cabernet, wood, fruit, acidity, soil and a deft touch of winemaking know-how. It is both elegant and gently aggressive. Comprised of Cabernet with small amounts of (in descending order) Petite Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It offers black cherry, black berry, light blueberry, rose water, sandalwood, raspberry, vanilla, cedar and a hint of tobacco. The tannins and acidity support the structure of the wine without compromising it. This is a wine that commands attention but not in a bellicose way, rather it nods and smiles at you from across the room, drawing you close for a personal conversation. 1,826 Cases.

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL: 14.5%

PRICE: $85/ 750ML

SCORE: 92 POINTS

SPOTTSWOODE

Aron and I at the Spottswoode Estate

Wine Each Week – Newton 2016 Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon

Too many Napa Cabernet Sauvignon suffer from a character flaw: they want to be big, bold, and brash. But Napa Cabs that assault you are just that: assaulting. Then, Newton walks through the door. What’s interesting about the 2016 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon is that it provides all the Cabernet qualities you want but in a much more subtle and subdued package. The oak treatment is not nearly as obvious, the fruit is more restrained yet a little brighter. It’s a big Napa Cabernet without being a big Napa Cabernet. To put it in a theatrical perspective; many Napa Cabs act like Jack Nicholson busting down the bathroom door with an ax in The Shining. Big, bold, brash. Certainly entertaining. But Newton is a Cabernet that is far more nuanced - not Jack Nicholson, but Tom Hanks tapping on the bathroom door with a pen, slipping a note under it.

The 2016 offers beautiful notes of huckleberry, blackberry black cherry, raspberry, and boysenberry. Pulling fruit from three distinct sources – Spring Mtn., Yountville, and Mt. Veeder, this is comprised mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon with less than 6% of Petite Verdot and Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Eschewing a big oaky style this had a mere 14 months of oak aging with just 15% new French oak. That it is unfiltered adds to its quiet generosity.

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL: 14%

PRICE: $59/ 750ML

SCORE: 94 POINTS

NEWTON

Wine Each Week: 2016 Flora Springs Trilogy

Most every major Cabernet Sauvignon producer in Napa has their flagship wine and for Flora Springs, it is Trilogy, which first appeared in 1984. Trilogy has an emphasis on New French Oak and if you love that luxurious, smooth, comforting type of wine, this certainly will play well on your table. The fruit comes from Oakville, St. Helena, and Rutherford so though subtle, it offers some of the best grapes from quality growing regions.

The 2016 iteration offers up rich black berry, blueberry, boysenberry and black cherry notes, along with vanilla, white pepper, cinnamon and subtle notes of amber, sugared almonds and black strap molasses, chaparral and cocoa. Trilogy is comprised mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon, with just 8% Petite Verdot and 6% Malbec. Aged 20 months with mostly French Oak it accentuates what many Napa Cabs strive for, a balance on fruit, food and place.

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

PRICE: $85/ 750ML

SCORE: 91 POINTS

FLORA SPRINGS

Wine Each Week: 2016 Amici Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

I gotta say, I love a good California Cabernet, and California Cabs come in a dizzying array of styles; some austere and tight, others, jammy and alcoholic, most rather forgettable. But Amici strikes the correct balance. It represents what Napa Cab should taste like while presenting solid structure and a pleasant drinking experience.

You’ll find notes of blueberry, black cherry, blackberry, cedar and vanilla, cigar box, with back notes of plum, herbs and wildflowers. 
Comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, with 6% Malbec, 6% Merlot, 3% Petite Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, it’s aged for 20 months in 70% new French oak barrels, which might sound like a lot of wood, but it merely supports the fruit. The Amici is that tried and true Cabernet, one that will always be in style.

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

PRICE: $50/ 750ML

AMICI CELLARS

Shock Then Awe: Napa’s Chateau Montelena - 50 Years of Shocking the Wine Business

(NOTE: This article was originally written for The Hollywood Reporter)

I was invited to participate in a 50-year retrospective tasting of Chateau Montelena’s Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at their historic winery, built in 1888. So, 50 years may not seem impressive. After all, many French Château have been around for hundreds of years. But if you are Château Montelena eclipsing French wines in the famed Judgment of Paris in 1976, you already have a storied provenance, not to mention Hollywood made a movie, Bottle Shock, about you.

Originally the Gothic castle-like winery was called the A.L. Tubbs Winery named for Alfred Tubbs who commissioned it. 129 years later the name Tubbs would take on a new meaning as the Tubbs Fire swept through Napa and Sonoma in October 2017, destroying nearly 38,000 acres and over 5,000 buildings.

A mere 35 people were invited to the Dream Tasting

Vineyard Shock

Fire and Napa have a long relationship. In 1981 the Atlas Peak fire charred 26,000 acres, the work of an arsonist who was never caught. A year later the Silverado Fire burned 2,000 acres, and even as far back as 1913 the Sage Canyon Fire corrupted valuable agricultural land. But the Tubbs Fire was something more aggressive. “From ground zero (the fire started at Tubbs Lane) we had the vineyard across the street,” says Bo Barrett CEO and former winemaker at Chateau Montelena who hosted the tasting. “We lost an 11-acre field of Cabernet (equaling 2,300 cases) so one of our vineyards took a torpedo and sank.” Grapevines are notoriously resilient plants. They can withstand drought, erratic weather and can grow nearly everywhere. Yet questions arose immediately about smoke taint and how the fires would affect Napa wines. “You cannot make the smoke go away, you can’t just wash it off,” Barrett admits. However all the “big money fields” had already been harvested he says, roughly 80% of the Napa Valley. But misinformation persists about the 2017 vintage. “People need to know their producers - the wineries with integrity that don’t make compromises will only sell you the good stuff,” Barrett says. Further south in Napa, stalwarts like Duckhorn agree. “Because Cabernet is a thick-skinned variety and because the grapes were so fully developed, we do not expect smoke impact in the finished wines. Even so, we rigorously evaluated these grapes and if they do not meet our standards, they will not be used,” Belinda Weber, Director of Digital Trade and Consumer Marketing for Duckhorn Wine Company told me. “Smoke affects plants in general by filtering the light, which in turn can affect photosynthesis depending on the intensity of the smoke,” says winemaker Pam Starr of Crocker & Starr Winery in St. Helena. “Though Cabernet Sauvignon is thicker skinned and can persist through inclimate conditions, a thicker skin is not impervious to smoke affects. Research is incomplete on quantification of the smoke phenols in the wines, so the final decision to blend and bottle post-fire lots will be determined by our sensory powers in the winery.”

The author, hard at work

Tasting Shock

So on an overcast January day, I sat down for the Dream Tasting, held at Chateau Montelena. The point of this rare tasting was to showcase the resilience of Cabernet from Château Montelena over five decades in diverse growing conditions. Three wines from each decade, poured from magnums, represented the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, a total of 15 Cabernets. “We didn’t pull out the greatest hits, we were showing how our estate vineyard does well under adversity,” Barrett said as we gathered in the winery’s working barrel room. These are a few selected tasting notes.

1979-This was the second estate bottling and though there was excessive heat for this vintage resulting in a 40% crop loss - this is where you see the identity of Montelena Cabernet beginning to come together. As evidenced from the earlier 1974 and 1975 there is a more comprehensive feel, more seamless integration of the fruit, oak and acidity, finding its stride with better balance. Framed by a brisk acidity and bright, crisp blueberry, blackberry and red fruits, this represents the hallmark they will become known for.

Bo Barrett

1983-From an El Nino year, heavy rainfall hit all of Napa but the vineyard, a rocky well-drained hillside, was not affected. Though a cooler vintage this retains classic Cabernet character with noticeable black berry, raspberry and blueberry. The tannins are less obvious and there is a slightly shorter finish, but this still is a commanding wine.

1994-Nearly perfect weather lays the foundation for this robust Cab offering a bold acidity and gripping tannins. This is a wine that coalesces beautifully, balanced with fruit, wood, acidity and pH, presenting mature blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry, nonetheless elegant in spite of its vibrant character.

2005-Balancing red raspberry, boysenberry black berry, blueberry and black cherry, there is a uniformity of good acids and firmer tannins. It’s less bright fruit and more darker and concentrated with a noticeable polish to it making it velvety and smooth.

Bottle Shock

Clearly Cabernet grapes can withstand climate variations even fire and that is something to celebrate. Also celebratory was the 2008 motion picture, Bottle Shock, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, and starred Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman, loosely chronicling the Judgment of Paris tasting in France where Chateau Montelena beat out their French counterparts in a blind tasting specifically designed to show off French wine. “The movie’s a great ad,” Barrett told me. “It taught Americans about wine and how hard we work to make a integrity product.” But when first approached about the project Barrett’s initial response was doubt. “What’s it going to be, like eight minutes long? Everyone knows how it ends. Who the hell’s gonna pay for that?” And though the film was not a financial success it did leave its mark. “It still brings people to our tasting room,” Barrett admits. “I mean, the film’s a little bit made up, they moved things around.” Barrett sites that since director Randy Miller was formerly with Disney they added some additional elements utilizing a traditional Hollywood formula. “Regardless,” says Barrett, “it’s a love story to California wines and it showed Americans they can be proud of our wine industry.” 

Nothing Scary: Caspar Estate’s One Stop Christmas Shop

Well, you gotta buy a Christmas gift, right? Same old? No. We don’t need any more ties, gift cards, closeout sweatshirts, Snuggies, candles, or refrigerator magnets.

Holiday shopping should ne cool, fun and provide the gift-getter with something unique and unusual. Napa’s Caspar Estate and Cultivar Wines produces many things from their estate, including wine (Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Syrah, among others), honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar (seven iterations of them both), even beer. You can mix and match a gift basket, just pick one item, or whatever you need to assemble quality products that, I truly believe, will make someone happy. So check these things out and start crossing people off your list.

Their 2015 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon pulls fruit from mainly Napa Valley, as well as 25% from Sonoma and 15% Mendocino fruit, and clocks in at a reasonable 14.3% alcohol, being very balanced. With blueberry and black berry, raspberry and violet, mild tannins and bright acidity and fresh fruit. It’s a lovely Cabernet that represents three different counties, a sort of “bringer together” kind of wine and one that at $32 makes it easy to buy it.

Their Caspar Estate Wildflower Honey ($18) is not only organic, but it’s unfiltered, dark, thick and sweet with an almost orange blossom, black tea and honeysuckle note.

Caspar Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($26) is rich and creamy, with fresh cut grass notes and lacking a harsh bitter component.

Find more ideas here:

https://shop.cultivarwine.com/CULTIVAR-SHOP/HOLIDAY-SHOP

Old Poodle Dog Cabernet Sauvignon: Man’s Best Friend

Jasper and the Old Poodle

It’s only fitting that Boozehoundz should write about Old Poodle Dog 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Odd name? Well, as the story goes that a French restaurant in San Francisco during the gold rush days was called Le Poulet d’Or. Then, as now, many locals had a hard time pronouncing the name. Some began to call it simply Old Poodle Dog. So, there you have it. What is unleashed by OPD is a wine of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Merlot, Malbec and Petite Sirah, which translates to robust black cherry, blueberry, blackberry and sweet cedar, without being too hot, and what sets this apart are the back notes of tobacco and smoke, a great acidity, bright fruit, culminating in a deep and resonating Napa Cabernet – ultimately very pleasurable to drink. It’s ideally balanced - a spot on example of a terrific wine that actually will best other well known Napa Cabs but at a lesser price. Seriously, take this Poodle for a walk.

COHOWINES.com

ORIGIN: Napa, California

PRICE: $36/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 14.4%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  89 POINTS

Hark! The Herald Angels Drink

The Holidays – a blur of parties, gifts, stress, bad drivers, and other things. So let’s simplify the gift giving process (enough with S’well bottles, gift cards, and Blue Apron) let’s focus on six top-notch liquid gifts for your loved one, for yourself, your neighbor, pastor, UPS driver, or whomever. Life is short, so drink well.

The Three Wise Wines

Canard Vineyard 2012 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Under the radar and around since their first vintage in 1984, Canard is one of those incredible finds. Canard sacrifices big yields for smaller grapes and greater concentration of flavor due to their dry farm approach. Located on the Silverado Trail they craft a rich and voluptuous Cabernet with vibrant black cherry, raspberry, black and huckleberry, with shrewd notes of cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and black pepper spice - a perfect balance of oak, fruit and a mild but proper acidity. This is a seamless wine that reflects exactly how dry farming can change the complexity of a wine. ($125, canardvineyard.com)

Ram’s Gate 2013 Pinot Noir Bush Crispo Vineyard

Located in Carneros, Ram’s Gate is crafting exceptional wines, though this vineyard is Russian River Valley. The nose is super ripe black cherry that gives way to rich luscious hedonistic black cherry, blackberry, black raspberry, acidity and a joyfulness in simply drinking this wine because it's just so damn good. And that is the X factor: a wine that tastes so good that you want to drink it three ways hard, fast and continuously. But do savor this wine – in fact it makes you stop whatever you're doing when you take the first sip and say, damn, I need to pay attention to this. What stands out is the dark rich vibrant fruit, more so than the oak treatment. ($70, ramsgatewinery.com)

Duckhorn 2012 Rector Creek Vineyard Merlot

Duckhorn has always been at the forefront of Merlot, even when it wasn’t popular they have continued to show how the grape could excel. Rector Creek, located just north of Yountville produces powerful Merlot grapes grown on alluvial soil. With velvety smoothness, this Merlot exudes blackberry, black cherry, a wee bit of plum, a hint of cedar, allspice and a mild acidity, which compels this wine forward. Merlot’s softer side and its food-friendly nature shine through with this compelling wine. ($95, duckhornwine.com)

The Three Wise Spirits

Hennessy VS Limited Edition Cognac

Hennessy has been making Cognac for 250 years and I had the great fortune to visit them firsthand in early 2015. Twice distilled, Cognac (actually a brandy) has reached mythic heights in part because the aging process can take decades. Wine is distilled into eaux du vie, which is then distilled a second time and aged. The VS Limited contains more than 40 different eaux-de-vie, aged up to eight years. This smooth refined Cognac offers a bite at the end, but it is full of spice, cedar and amber notes from the oak casks, a slight floral nose with violets and rose petal and a caramelized nut note. It’s smooth, sweet, mature and complex, as Cognac should be. ($45, hennessy.com)

Jonnie Walker Select Series Rye Cask Finish

The first iteration in the Johnnie Walker Select Cask series (traditional whiskies finished in different casks than they were aged in) is a rye cask finish which brings together a blend of whiskies aged for 10 years in new American oak barrels and then finished in older American rye barrels, or casks. Light malt, vanilla, and honey slowly infiltrate the palette and then there is the noticeable oak. Yes the rye is evident but most noticeable is the sweet peat and smoke that permeates all around followed by sugared almond, citrus, soft resin and a spicy, floral finish. ($45, jonniewalker.com)

Teeling Irish Whiskey

The Teeling family traces their distilling history back to 1782, but it was only 1987 when John Teeling reopened a distillery in Dublin with the goal of producing age-old Irish recipes that had been long forgotten. This is a soft and aromatic whiskey with notes of citrus, resin, cinnamon, vanilla, cedar and rose water. Unlike many brown spirits, there is no harshness to this, it is an elegant, gracious and personable whiskey, finished in rum casks and easy to drink, offering a maturity you wish all whiskies had. ($40, teelingwhiskey.com
 

Sock It To Me!

Imagine drinking some of Napa’s best Cabernet Sauvignon without spending a small fortune. “Liar,” you say to me. Not so. Punch Vineyards is a unique animal – they source their Cabernet from various vineyards from Napa, even Sonoma and elsewhere if need be, to craft an excellent wine without the overhead and costs of having their label says it’s from Napa, hence the designate on the label is just “California” (meaning grapes sourced for the wine can come from anywhere in the state.) And this is the only wine they produce. This has it all - a judicious use of oak, black cherry, raspberry blackberry, vanilla a seductive deep, rich quality. Their tag line is “Made by insiders for insiders,” and that’s pretty much true as they have an abundance of experience in and around Napa. It’s not widely available, but you can get it at some retail and online outlets and I daresay if you drink Punch you won’t be punch drunk – you’ll be wildly happy with this wine. PUNCH

ORIGIN: Napa, California

PRICE: $35 - 750/ml

ALCOHOL: 14.5%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  89 POINTS

Friends...with Benefits

There’s nothing new about Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Many of the pre-eminent wines reach well over $100, $150 and beyond, which puts them out of the reach of the average consumer.  But what does said average consumer do when they want a true authentic Napa Valley Cabernet, say for a special occasion, or just because it’s Tuesday?

They should reach for the Amici Cellars 2010 Cabernet from Napa.

Loosely translated from the Latin “amici” means friends (seriously, I do think Jennifer Anniston would love this wine if she tried it). The grapes for this wine come from two specific places in Napa – Rutherford, best known for dusty rustic fruit, and Yountville known for it’s cooler influences which produces softer fruit and acidity. At $45 this Cab offers rich fruit flavors like blackberry, plum, and raspberry trailing off to cocoa and vanilla (from the French oak) with medium tannins and a pretty good finish – that slow unresolved flavor in the back of the mouth after you’ve swallowed your wine. So this friend furnishes many benefits. Though I rarely state decanting a wine or letting it breathe, this wine will definitely work better with at least 15 minutes of aeration in your glass before you consume it. Then, drink away and know you’ve had a terrific Napa Cabernet for less than half the cost of other versions. Value? Check. Tasty? Check. Friendly benefits? Double check. 

AMICI CELLARS 

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

PRICE: $45 / 750 ML

ALCOHOL: 14.5%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  89 POINTS