Glen Ellen, California, Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 There’s a sense of whole berries, sweet and a little tooty-fruity with a vanilla veneer.  In the mouth this wine is a bit sweet, quite fruity and fairly gripping – disappointing. Vinted and Bottled in Livermore and Ripon, CA 12.5% purchased for $3.59 at Bottle Barn

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Kelleher, Oakville, Napa Valley, Brix Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Toasty oak marks the nose along with Cassis. In the mouth this wine is supple and the oaky expression continues with a nice thread of acidity.The wine was aged in French oak for 2 years, 50% of which was new and 50% of which was once-filled [...]

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I was fortunate to visit Chateau Vignelaure back in the 80s – was it ‘84 or ‘85?  Some of my memories are fuzzy. The memory that isn’t fuzzy however, is that Vignelaure was a trend setter, planting Cabernet Sauvignon in Provence, despite the apparent heresy. Today the rules for what can be planted on AOC [...]

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Jayson, Napa Valley, Red 2005 This Bordeaux-style blend is opulently fruity and imminently approachable – no need to let this dawdle in the cellar. Our good friend Richard Trost brought this to dinner last night and we enjoyed it with a roasted pork tenderloin, served with a reduction sauce of pan drippings, white wine, mushrooms, [...]

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We had a great visit today with Kryss Speegle at Kenwood Vineyards. She took the class through a tasting of wines through the years so that everyone could experience the evolution a wine goes through, form early days to long term bottle aging. The crowning jewel of the tasting was this gem from the cellar:
Kenwood, [...]

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Bodega Celdran, Sonoma County, Vinto Tinto, Reserva 2004
In the nose you’ll find read fruits and cedar with a bit of the sweet tobacco of Bordeaux. In the mouth the texture is supple, the fruit is ripe and an Old World sense of leather adds complexity – nice. The wine’s acidity is making my mouth water [...]

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Paul Hobbs, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 This is a truly delicious wine, showing the polish that you expect from Hobbs. Though it can improve in the cellar it is spot-on drinkable right now.
A good friend shared this with us at Christmas, when we paired it with Magret de Canard, with a reduction sauce made [...]

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This summer we had the opportunity to meet with winemaker Dave Galzignato. Our visit took us from Krug’s historical position in the Napa Valley to its modern incarnation, using a new sorting table to isolate the best of the best fruit, from vineyards that the family has seemingly owned forever.
This is the care that we [...]

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Josh Cellars, Lake County, Red Hills District, Amber Knolls Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 This is an ebulliently fruity Cabernet, featuring blueberries, blackberries and Cassis in the nose. In the mouth it is light-bodied and quite soft, very accessible right now, where the fruit is the key feature.
There’s no need to cellar this Cab. I’d open [...]

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Frescobaldi, Toscana IGT, Remole 2008 This wine is fresh and fruit forward, ready to drink, a light-bodied quaffer which demonstrates that clean and juicy wine is not the exclusive realm of New World producers. Behind the bright cherry fruit is a nice thread of acidity, making it a perfect partner for the pork tenderloin with [...]

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Spragia Family Vineyards, Sonoma Valley, Monte Rosso Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 In the nose there is a blend of cedar, vanilla and black fruits. In the mouth there is a spot on integration of oak and fruit in a supple package, the structure of Cabernet behind the scenes, supporting the wine, while the edges are [...]

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Gaston Rivière, Pineau des Charentes, Pineau François 1er, Red Pineau nv The smell of red grape juice really comes through, with a green, herbaceous essence and a whiff of chocolate. In the mouth it is sweet, thick and spiritous, like a red candy, coated in chocolate and filled with brandy.
The grapes behind this aperitif are [...]

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Swanson, Napa Valley, Estate, Alexis 1999 There’s a great chocolate character in the nose yet the fruit is starting to dry out on the palate. Though past the crest of the hill it still is a pleasure and would work well paired with a thick slab of beef. The grapes behind this wine are Cabernet [...]

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Cliff Lede, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Fresh fruit and new oak leap from the glass when you smell this wine. In the mouth the tannins are polished making this Cab approachable now. The length is great. With time though, the oak will further integrate making this worth waiting 3-4 years before [...]

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Hess Collection, Mount Veeder Napa Valley, Estate Grown, 19 Block Cuvee 2006 Unfortunately this bottle is a bit corked. Sourced from their Veeder Summit Vineyard at 2,000 feet, this is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Estate Grown, P&B in Napa 14.5% $36 at the winery and a gift [...]

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In this flight we are tasting wines from the 2005 vintage. Each is labeled Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley.
Mount Veeder Winery, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 There’s a good bit of capsicum in the nose with a note of caramel and a very chewy experience in the mouth. The grapes behind this wine include [...]

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Six Sigma, Lake County, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 There’s a freshness to this Cabernet that focuses on blueberries and cherries, with the intensity of black currants fashioned into Cassis. The fruit is so available that you might suspect that this wine is younger than the vintage indicates. The structure is on the softer side making this [...]

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Prager, Napa Valley, Noble Companion, Tawny Port You’ll find golden raisins, dates, nuttiness and a sense of the spirit in the nose – but more than that. The fruit character is citrussy, like oranges stuck with cloves and drizzled with brandy in preparation for a cafe diablo.
In the mouth there is chocolate, even more so, [...]

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Conn Creek Winery, Napa Valley, Limited Release, Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 The fruit is flagging in the nose where the sense of spirit has taken over. But the fruit still puts in an appearance when you put the wine in your mouth,  with a sense of cranberries on a spread of velvet. The grapes are 100% [...]

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La Jota Vineyard Co., Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 The nose if full of brown spices, cinnamon and cloves with a sense of minerality, candy and a spirituous character. Unfortunately the wine is drying out, a bit past its best days. Produced and bottled in Angwin 14.5% $60 for the [...]

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Atlas Peak, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 The nose features sweet and toasty oak with a sense of brandied berries warmed on the stove. In the mouth the wine is chewy and tart, craving a piece of red meat. Produced and bottled in Napa 13.7% $85 at the winery, a gift to the [...]

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Robert Craig, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 The nose combines the best of California’s fruit with Bordeaux’s leafiness. There’s cherry and vanilla with bay leaves and cigar box. In the mouth it is super dense, with the acidity to make the fruit shine and a comparable amount of chewy tannin – very nice. [...]

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Nickel & Nickel Winery, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain, Vogt Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 I find an effusive sweetness in the nose, a signature ripe character that I consistently associate with the wines of this estate. There’s Cassis and vanilla, toasty oak and chocolate. In the mouth the black currant flavor is vibrant, with obvious structure [...]

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Trinchero Winery, Napa Valley, Rutherford, Chicken Ranch Vineyard, Merlot 2005 Give the wine a bit of air for 10 minutes or so to blow off a bit of funk. Then the plummy fruit combines with the wet forest floor and a bit cedar in the nose. In the mouth plums and raspberries come through [...]

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Winemaker Chris Millard had an opportunity to visit with our Napa Valley class to describe the wines that he is crafting at Newton. On top of the mountain overlooking St. Helena, he has an extraordinary amount of fruit to select from, giving him the luxury of selling off the lots that don’t make the grade.
Newton [...]

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Kendall-Jackson, Napa Valley, Stature 2001 There’s a nice ripe structure to this wine, giving it chewiness and the acidity to frame the still quite youthful fruit – nice. The grapes behind this Bordeaux blend are about 2/3 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1/3 Merlot with a little bit of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cab Franc. The wine [...]

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Atlas Peak, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 In the nose there is caramel and tobacco with red raspberries and vanilla.  In the mouth this wine is quite youthful, with significant grip and acidity. Produced and bottled in Napa 14.5% $85 at the winery, a gift to the class from the SFCWC Atlas [...]

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Merryvale, Napa Valley, Profile 2006 The nose features sweet new oak, bay leaves, fresh cherries and cherry pie. In the mouth the wine is dense and tightly wound – just packed with flavor. There’s lots of cherry fruit accented by vanilla and ripe tannins. The palate is completely filled in and the length is great, [...]

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Hess Collection, Mount Veeder – Napa Valley, Estate Grown, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 There’s a minty character attached to the black fruit and plenty of acidity. The structure of the mountain is apparent but again, like other wines we’ve tasted tonight, the tannins are fully ripe and not gripping – very nice. Estate Grown, P&B in [...]

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Chateau Saint-Pierre, Saint-Julien 2005 This is pleasure in a glass, ripeness of fruit, great density yet rounded off edges. The structure supports the density of flavor while the acidity carries the flavor a long way – very nice. The estate is planted to 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Mis en bouteille [...]

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