Category Archives: Reds
Vina Robles Cabernet Sauvignon Huerhuero Vineyard 2008 @vinarobles @winelibrary
We continue to be happy with the wines we drink from Paso Robles and this is no exception. The 2nd of 12 from our Wine Library purchase, this $15.98 (list $24) is a great bottle with a WE 90pt rating to boot. It’s a full bodied cab that is balanced with fruit throughout and a violet finish that tends to linger a bit. We enjoyed this with a grilled flank steak and veggies…and our animal crackers for dessert as well.
Jackhammer Pinot Noir Central Coast 2010: Not Your Grandmother’s Pinot! @CtlCstUncorked @winelibrary
This is the first bottle we opened from our Winelibrary order (love that they ship to PA!). This Pinot from Jackhammer has grapes from each of the Central Coast counties (Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara) and is representative of all. For $14, this is a bargain as it’s tough to find a solid Pinot for much less than $25. This is a very full Pinot that reminds me more of a Tempranillo as it’s fleshy fruit is quite evident. It’s smooth without the earthy-ness that comes with the “traditional” pinots. Loved it!
Chappellet Signature Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006: “It’s Just Great” @Chappellet_wine
We bought this great Cab when we visited Chappellet’s gorgeous winery and vineyard a few years ago. We went with a close friend who was making her initial pilgrimage to the Napa Valley…I think she’s ready to join the “wine country” cult.
This wine was just phenomenal, and not because Wine Spectator told us that it was. It’s a very full bodied wine – - what that means exactly, I can’t articulate beyond the description that my taste buds were overwhelmed by berry and smooth vanilla without the overpowering fruit bomb of many Napa Cabs. This lives up to the reviews and I look forward to visiting Chappellet this year during crush to pick up some of their new offering.
Zellerbach 2007 California Merlot: Smokey Cherry & Smooth @McNabWines @TotalWine
There are many folks who shun Merlot in favor of Cabernet Sauvignon and other varietals. I’m not one of them and actually prefer Merlot in many cases to a big Cab…in fact there are some Merlots that can stand up to their big brother – the Cab Sauv any day. That discussion is for another time.
Last night we finished off this smooth bottle of Zellerbach Merlot which is a very food friendly wine. It’s not a cherry bomb, but definitely has some fruit and vanilla and a lightly smokey finish. I picked it up for $9.99 at Total Wine and it’s a great deal for Tuesday night or any other night of the week. Cheers.
Alpha Omega 2005 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon – Fruit, Tea, and Mint? @AOwinery
Yes, this sounds like the name for a fraternity or sorority, but, in fact Alpha Omega is a serious winery in the heart of the Napa Valley. This is a Cab with some complexity and it’s delicious to boot. I think that once it opened up, this wine had some black tea up front followed by the typical dark berry fruit and a refreshing mint finish. Cheers.
Sawyer Cellars 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon – “These People Know What They Are Doing” @NapaVintners
My wife made the above statement ”These People Know What They Are Doing” and she’s not kidding. I’ve had great experiences visiting Sawyer Cellars and, moreover, buying their wine. It’s always as good as when we bought it and tonight, we enjoyed the 2005 Cab Sauv. Sawyer tends to barrel age their wines longer than their neighbors, so we’re generally drinking their vintages a bit older than others, but this ’05 stood the test of time and is really a wonderfully balanced wine. This has the smoothness of vanilla and the simple fruit of ripe berries. It’s really a phenomenal wine that showcases the care that went into its production. I’m really looking forward to seeing the great folks at Sawyer in the near future.
Columbia Crest 2005 Reserve Cab Revisited – WOW! WS #1 in 2009 – @columbiacrest @WineSpectator
I went on an exhaustive search a couple years ago when this wine was awarded No. 1 Wine in the World for 2009 by Wine Spectator.
I located and secured the last 8 bottles in the state of Pennsylvania and kept 4 for myself (initial post here) and shared the others with some friends. While it was hard, we let this one lay down for a couple years in hopes that we’d enjoy it with a hint of “age” on it.
I’ve found that we’re generally happy with the way Washington and California wines are drinking when they are bottled rather than after they have been “laid down” for a few years. So, maybe that means I’m not the extreme oenophile or just that I like a less restrained wine than those that are completely rested.
Either way, this Columbia Crest Reserve Cab stood up nicely to its hibernation in my wine frig. If I had to give it one flavor combination, I’d go with one of my favorite sodas: Cherry Cola. This wine was just phenomenal. I’d like to start buying a few of each vintage to see how they stand up and how they change year to year. This is a great value for the quality delivered and extremely consistent.
PA Deal-Alert: Gallo Family Sonoma 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon @GalloFamily @whiteoakpasture
I used to joke that the Gallo of Sonoma was my house wine. What could be wrong with that decision and who doesn’t need their own house wine?
It’s a consistent performer, available for ~$12 and it’s nice to have something reliable. Well, that was 10 years ago and I’ve branched out quite a bit since then, but it’s nice to come back to things from the past and the PA Chairman, within the much maligned PLCB made that happen. For $8.99, this could be a powerhouse of a cabernet sauvignon – - had you paid $25, you might feel otherwise, but for the price, this is great. It’s a fruit forward, smooth cab without much pretense or complexity. We enjoyed this earlier in the week with a grassfed sirloin from white oak pastures which on a side note was perfect! The wine matched well and provided exactly what we wanted. Cheers!
Schweiger Vineyards Dedication 2004 Napa Red – It’s Deep…and Balanced @SchweigerWine
We bought the Schweiger Dedication on a visit to Napa a few years ago. We knew when we tasted it in their cellar that it was very special and we’d need a good excuse to open it up at home. Well, after many years of sitting around and waiting for “something special”, we decided that a saturday night at home with braised short ribs, mashed celery root and a happy puppy was perfect.
So, the wine was great. It’s big indeed – lots of spring mountain fruit comes through, but not in an ‘in your face’ jammy-ness where one berry note comes through loud and clear. No, over the years, this has mellowed into a truly balanced, and very powerful deep red wine. I thought it went perfectly with our dinner and didn’t overpower the food, which can sometimes happen with big Napa reds. I’ll now need to revisit Schweiger and create a new occasion to dedicate…
Louis Martini Founders Signature 2008 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
It’s Vanilla Licorice, plain and simple…
