King of California
Is Napa Valley the center of the wine world? Hard to say, but for many the answer is yes. And the main reason is Cabernet. Cab Sav is still by and large the principle grape grown in the valley, though others are making inroads. Every winery wanting to be a major player in the market rolls out there “big boy” high-end release each year, hoping to snag a huge Parker or Spectator score, and slap the $100+ price tag on the bottle. Having tasted a number of wines from Napa, in a lot of cases, their prices may be justified. Napa cabs just seem to have the richest flavors, huge gripping tannins, and long rounded finishes. Here are just a few of the cabs I’ve tried over the years with tasting notes.
2000 Broman Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
This wine came as a gift from some friends last year. Noting the vintage, I figured this wine was ready for drinking. I wasn’t disappointed with my decision. A beautiful wine with finely integrated tannins, a earthy nose, with olives and mushrooms, giving way later to cherries, touch of oak for backing. On the initial pour I found the wine to be a bit tight and acidic. But within an hour of decanting, the acidity and griping tannins melted away, and the wine started to show its true character. Not an overpowering wine but more of a rustic style, with medium body. Because of its rustic nature, I really enjoyed this wine. Priced around $30.
Rating: 91pts
2001 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon
I thought this was a wonderful wine – it seemed to be smooth and aged. Plump and ripe with solid fruit, and a smooth rich sweet finish. There were very integrated tannins that would just ripple below the surface. I had some doubts about this wine given the bad press this one got on some of the web sites out there. But the fruit was still in good shape and the flavors were really just starting to gain complexity. I’ll be very excited for my second bottle in a year or two.
Rating: 93pts
2001 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Ruby-red to deep purple in color, this was a dark and rich wine. This wine had a nose with perfumes of blueberries, lilacs, and hints of allspice. The flavor is all chocolate and cherries. As this wine progressed through the tasting, it continued to be sweet, smooth and suave, with spicy flavors of currant. There was also a decent amount of oak that backed this wine, but nothing over-powering, say like a Silver Oak. This was a big wine that kept on going and going, and would have been good for a few more years to come. Served this with a roasted duck breast, rich cherry sauce and polenta.
Rating: 92pts
2003 Amizetta Cabernet Sauvignon
Not much nose on initial pour – taking its time to open up. Still even after 2 hrs it’s a bit closed down – a note of spice and violets, lavender as well. Bell pepper nose and on the taste. Not a ton of oak holding things up either. Fruits are muted some by a tannic and acidic nature of the wine overall. Softens up after about 2 hours – still a good grip of tannins and raspberry earthiness. Good finish and follow-through with pencil lead and tobacco. Warm molten bittersweet chocolate.
Priced around $40
Rating: 91pts
2004 Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a really wonderful, rich Napa cab that is showing really well in these early stages of life. It possesses big sweet fruit, with raspberries and green peppers on both the nose and tongue. There are notes of mocha, mushroom and tobacco flavor. The finely integrated tannins give this wine a solid mid-pallet and finish. A really nice wine all around for the price, which I’ve seen for around $30.
Rating: 91-92pts
2004 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon
This was a wonderful wine full of big, brawny, and bold flavors. The flavor was rich and multi-dimensional, with the tannins bold at first however quickly fading into the body. Chocolate raspberries and classic Napa blueberries dominate the mid-palate, with an earth tobacco and charred earth mix in the finish. Good length and body, especially for the price of around $35. This was a solid Napa cab for the money.
Rating: 93pts
2005 Monticello Vineyards Jefferson Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon
This was a wonderful wine from Napa Valley. I let it decant for about 1 hour prior to tasting. The initial taste however found this wine to still be tight and acidic. There was a good nose on the wine however, with aromas of black fruit and earthy spices. The flavor was big, long and lush, and with a little more time, the wine opened up perfectly. Blackberries and black cherries dominated the palate, and mixed in with tobacco, cocoa, and cassis. The finish was relatively long and the tannins, while fairly well integrated, still had a nice bit of grip to give the wine that bigger mouthfeel. Overall I found this wine to be exceptionally well-made and even went out to buy a second for the cellar.
Rating: 93pts
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