Cabernet sauvignon—and particularly the cabernet produced in California's Napa Valley—is the signature American wine. When a Napa cab, the 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, beat out some leading French wines in the Judgment of Paris, it heralded the coming-of-age of American viticulture and gave the phrase Napa cabernet international cachet. Nowadays, however, that phrase is more apt to elicit...
Hello from Selene! We have been busy with harvest, but wanted to take a break to release our 2006 Dead Fred Cabernet Sauvignon! Some of you may remember the first vintage, 2004 Dead Fred Cabernet, as it was an instant hit! The name always brings a smile to my face. Fred (RIP) was the beloved [...]
Wine Tasting NotesBright aromatics and lively fruit are the hallmarks of this grape and they are clearly in the spotlight in this vintage. There's big blueberry and mocha flavors here along with a bit of black olive and some earthiness. This wine will drink great upon release or can be cellared for up to five years. Like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc loves to be paired with red meats. But because...
‘ Lucky is he who has been able to understand the causes of things .’ Virgil 70-19BC. Lucky indeed are the people who are able to blend wonderful wines. The Bordelaise have been doing it for quite some time, with their wines constructed based on geography; left bank based on Cabernet Sauvignon with flavours dominated by blackcurrant and the right bank based on Merlot with a more fruitcakey...
PATERSON, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wine Spectator magazine, one of the most influential wine publications in the world, has named the Columbia Crest 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as the editors’ pick for the No. 1 Wine in the World for 2009. Equally noteworthy is that Columbia Crest is the first wine produced in Washington state to fill the top spot in Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 wines...
As I write this my turkey is thawing (Saturday prior to the big feast) and I will certainly brine my bird and then fantasize about all the wonderful wines--both reds and whites, bold ones and more finessed ones which will be served up during the multi-course celebration. As you will find when reading (NW's) post from a previous year, whatever you do, don't think, "Turkey= poultry= white wine."...
A couple of things out of Waltz Vineyards in Manheim, a new Pennsylvania winery that I haven't been bashful about calling one of my favorites since it opened earlier this year. One, they're able to ship UPS now, so anyone ordering wine can have it on their table in a day or two. Meanwhile, the winery is expanding its hours beginning Monday, opening its doors six days a week through the end of the year...
The title reminded me of this 60's classic....back when people could sing and there was a melody! Los Bravos. The Luckerts believe in tradition...but they don't belong to the Franken Wine Authority...they choose their own way...and that is shown by this wine. Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot...not the norm for this area... Weingut Zehnthof Luckert Grand Noir *** Tafelwein 2005 Franken, Germany I suppose...
One Berry The first time I tasted a Cabernet grape I was surprised at how unlike Cabernet wine it tasted. Some of the flavor lies in that bright leathery surface that Andy captures here so well in vivid blue. Grape skins hold many different volatile aroma compounds (some of which are also found in the juicy flesh of the berry) that contribute to the flavors of the wine. Just biting into a ripe berry...
Now that Wine Spectator has finished dragging out the reveal of its Top 100 Wines of 2009 -- a 2005 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon was ranked No. 1 -- over a yawn-inducing three days, we have to ask: Are wine ratings...
Cabernet Lovers Of New York City - Official Site (Free subscription) | yesterday
Last night nine hungry but smiling men gathered at North Square Restaurant for a 1996 Napa v. 1996 Bordeaux themed dinner. All agreed on the fact that 12/13 years have blurred the lines on many of these, and figuring them out was a chore, but a fun one. (At least until flight #4). We decided to do this one blind. Single blind. Instead of detailed notes, I have given the wine number in the order it...
This year’s Taste the Season event in Niagara-on-the-Lake was like all the others: each winery puts forth a food and wine pairing for passport holders; its’a winning formula that has been working for years, so why screw with it. Taste the Season is by far my favourite event, matched only by the Wine & Herb Festival and, the more recently introduced, Days of Wine & Chocolate, also...
Before I kick off this review of the most recent Argentina tasting to be held in Toronto, I thought I would offer a few words of advice to those wineries “seeking representation” here in Ontario: Stop talking to your buddy, get off the phone and pay attention to who’s in front of you. There were 5 wineries from this South American country who were listed as ‘seeking’ and...
This was the 14th bottling of Vintage Reserve since the inaugural vintage of 1977. The wine is a blend of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot, and 10% Malbec. The grapes were hand harvested from select estate blocks in the Santa Ynez Valley. After destemming and light crushing, each lot was inoculated with a slow fermenting yeast for balanced extraction. Extended...
The Wine Whore - A Blog that Works for Wine! (Free subscription) | yesterday
My first blind date was a huge success! I have to admit, expanding my palate through foreign grapes is actually a lot of fun. There's just something about the excitement of trying something different than your everyday goto grapes and discovering a new favorite that makes it all worthwhile. Hailing from the same birthplace as Riedel glassware and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, my first...
CABERNET SAUVIGNON PAGE ( http://www.ancientpeaks.com/ ) Our 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and other wines reflect our commitment to crafting fine wines from our estate Margarita Vineyard in the Paso Robles wine country. We endeavor to craft the best California wine possible from each vintage, showcasing the flavors of Margarita Vineyard and the larger excellence of Paso Robles wine. Cabernet Sauvignon thrives...
In 1997, Plumpjack, a 10,000 case Napa winery producing ultra-premium Cabernet Sauvignon bottled half of its 1997 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with screw caps. You might ask why they would so such a thing. According to PlumpJack, six to seven percent of all wines are corked and this is not a statistic that PlumpJack [or the wine industry in general] is willing to accept. Gordon Getty, founder of PlumpJack,