Posts Tagged cabernet

Bleasdale Mulberry Tree

So how did it taste? Upfront this wine has a very nice nose, full of blueberries and blackberry fruit. There’s some oak and spice, but mostly you just get the jammy fruit on the nose. The flavor is also very jammy, and somewhat Shiraz-like. There’s a decent amount of structure, and some cassis flavoring to give it that Napa cab feel.

Overall, its a pretty smooth wine, with a little bit of tannins there to give it mouth-feel and body on the finish. Maybe a hint of bell pepper mixed in as well. I’m going to rate this wine a Brick Solid just based on the fact that I could get the initial flavors I’d find in a Napa cab for half the price I’d normally see for something out of California. Its an easy-drinking wine that could be a great addition at the next barbecue.

Cliff Lede is a relative new comer to Napa Valley. He bought the S. Anderson Vineyards and transformed it into a wine oasis outside of Yountville. Complete with a large tasting room and inn, he’s working towards crafting high-end Bordeaux-style wines with “depth and concentration” as the label would suggest. He’s hired esteemed winemaker Michelle Edwards from Colgin Estates, a Napa cult-level winery, as well as the respected David Abreu to oversee the vineyards. He’s also brought in consultant Michel Rolland, who has his hands in nearly every big wine around the world. In case you were wondering if he was serious, he definitely is, and his wines are already becoming a hot commodity.

Cliff Lede SLD Cab

I decided to open up one of his Stag’s Leap Cabs over the weekend and here were my notes:

This is a big, rich cab for starters. Priced around $50, its already worth the price. The nose is full of mushroom, cassis and raspberries. There’s already a nice aged smell with some earth and tobacco. The initial decant for this wine was around 1 1/2 hrs. The flavor is smooth and rich, with blueberries and raspberries, along with a nice smattering of tobacco and leather mixed with burnt sugar.

Even after 3 hrs open, there are still some pretty solid grip from the tannins, which would suggest this wine has a number of years left before it hits its peak. The finish is strong, yet smooth, with a great deal of length. Probably a good 30-40 second finish to the wine. Very meaty and manly wine, with lots of earthy and hearty elements. Paired up with a thick steak, you can’t go wrong. Overall, this is a solid, well-made wine with some years yet to go. Lede obviously has assembled a solid team that will look to continue to make very high-quality wines, and score well with the critics. I’ve been won over as well, giving this wine an outstanding mark.

As you drive along the Oakville crossroad in Napa, you’re bound to come across a number of well-known and high-quality wineries. Names like Groth, Rudd and of course Silver Oak standout, but I’ve found that Plumpjack towers above them all. This is not to say that Plumpjack isn’t a big name or widely known. Of course, it’s the product of the partnership between Gordon Getty, venture capitalist and philanthropist, and Gavin Newsome, current mayor of San Francisco. Starting a wine shop in San Fran, the empire quickly grew into a number of restaurants and both the Plumpjack Winery and newly opened CADE winery. The later is a “green”-focused wine making effort. You can try some of their wines at the location in Oakville.

What I do find interesting is that for all of the money and expansion that the Plumpjack group has done, you’d be hard-pressed to find any sense of extravagance at the winery and tasting rooms themselves. Instead of a large stone entrance, there is just a small sign indicating the wineries presence. A long gravel driveway leads down to an unassuming low-slung series of buildings. Even the tasting room has the feel of being in an old barn or farm building, and while it might be for effect, it works.

Tastings are $10, and when we last went, we tried four wines. It varies throughout the year based on availability so check before you go. We tried a CADE Sauvignon Blanc, Plumpjack Chardonnay, Plumpjack Syrah and they Estate Cabernet. Being the only ones there that day, it was a very relaxed experience chatting with the helpful staff. I’ve been a fan of their wines for a few years and these latest examples didn’t disappoint. Their standard estate quality can complete with the $100+ bottles on the market, and while they are not cheap by any means, they tend to provide a better high-end value.

Below are tasting notes from a recent bottle of the 2004 Plumpjack Estate Cabernet. After purchasing the 2007 on this last trip, I can only hope it to be just as good.

The nose was very large and rich, filled with raspberries and black fruit notes. There was some cedar and tea spice scents, along with an earthy lavender fragrance.  Initially, the taste is tight even after 1 ½ hrs of decanting. After 3 hrs, the body becomes smooth with just a hint of tannins. The tannins are present as you swallow creating a rich powerful flavor with earth, smoke, and tar. Building on the mid-palette, the blue and black fruits wash away to a powerful dry finish coating the mouth and really amazing strength even after 4 hrs open. Bell pepper, mushroom and Asian spice are the dominate flavors. I’d say this wine had a number of years ahead of it, even if it was delicious already now.

Highly Recommended

Located in St. Helena, a small winery from Napa that produces Cabernet, Chardonnay and Petit Sirah. This 2006 has a sleek look and is packaged well. I’d bought two of these at about 17 dollars a bottle. It appears this is selling for around 25 at various locations now. The first bottle of this was very good but I’d waited about a year before trying the second. Here are some notes on that tasting and my impressions:

On opening, the classic Napa nose. I didn’t decant this one, just popped and poured. There’s the blueberry and cherry notes, with oak and bell pepper and smoke. The tannins are fairly integrated at this point and there’s not a ton of grip in the flavor, in a good way. It takes about 30 minutes or so for it to smooth out and then there’s just rich chocolate covered cherries and cab goodness. Towards the end of the bottle, it has still a good bit of acidity and structure. There’s blue and black fruits followed by bell pepper and mushroom. Overall, a very nice wine. Of course the price made this even better but overall for $25 I’d say this comes in around a 90pt wine.

Rating: 90pts

Mockingbird Hill Wine
Find their wine

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