California Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting at Café Maxx

Wine has been with civilized man from the beginning.
Robert Mondavi

Adavino California Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting at Cafe Maxx
Wednesday, May 23rd
6:30 PM

Everyone loves immediate gratification and California Cabernet Sauvignon ranks highest among most wine lovers when it comes to immediate gratification wines. Tonight’s tasting will feature wines from Adavino, a new company that has a small but impressive line-up of California wines.  News Flash- the last two vintages have been very short with many producers claiming 50% losses in production for 2011 contributed to bad conditions at flowering and rain at harvest which dramatically reducing yields as well as making it challenging to produce high quality wines.  What does this mean to California Cabernet Sauvignon lovers?  We have a strong recommended buy in this category for the next 3-6 months as the prices have nowhere to go but up from here and there are two great vintages, 2007 and 2008 in the marketplace right now.

We already have over 30 reservations for this tasting right now so don’t wait to the night before to call to make reservations for this tasting as it usually sells out.  Chef Oliver Saucy will be sending out a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this event is $35 + tax, for reservations call 954-782-0606.

Tasting Line-up:

2010 Tuck Beckstoffer 75 Cabernet Sauvignon California    
Price: $21                             Sale $18.48          Case $215

The 2010 is a blend of vineyards from Lake and Napa Counties. We find these diverse, high quality vineyards to compliment one another perfectly. Our high altitude rocky vineyard sites in Lake County deliver angularity, complexity and austerity while our Napa Valley fruit provides deep concentration and focus.

This wine is dense and tremendously focused, with a wonderful nose and palate of cedar, blueberry, saddle leather and white pepper. The finish showcases a perfect balance of acid, tannin and sweet toasted oak. Meticulous, detail oriented winemaking and complete attention to detail has produced a wine of tremendous presence and complexity that must be tasted to be believed.

2008 Tuck Beckstoffer 75 SUM 
Price: $21                             Sale $18.48          Case $215

This amazingly well-endowed, profoundly rich red wine must be smelled and tasted to be believed. The color is a rich, deep purple garnet and gives but a small hint as to what’s inside. The nose gives off soaring and wonderfully focused aromas of ripe stone fruit, vanilla, cherries, cedar cigar box, blackberries and cinnamon. In the mouth, there are layers upon layers of broad, sweet opulent fruit balanced by firm tannins, great acidity and oak.

2008 Tuck Beckstoffer Amulet  
Price: $31.50       Sale $27.72          Case $322

Amulet is one of these blends. An instant classic created by blending Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. While Amulet has one foot in this old-world wine style, the components are all classic Napa Valley. Hence, the total package is cloaked with mystery and intrigue; like the concentric growth rings of the grape vine adorning the bottle’s label, the layers of this wine keep developing both in the bottle and on the palate.

From the Cabernet Sauvignon, comes a core of sweet blue and black fruit and long linear tannins that form the structure of this wine, and finally just a hint of rich pipe tobacco. The Cab Franc imparts light anise flavors and aromas as well as crushed strawberry notes. Meanwhile, the Merlot comes in at the tail end, providing just the right amount of sweetness on the finish with flavors of blueberry and fig. The Petite Verdot ties the package together with a minerality and pallet structure that is both long and expansive.

2008 Blue Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley   
Price: $42                             Sale $36.96          Case $428

Blue Rock is the flagship cabernet. It is always 100% Estate grown from their 100 acre vineyard located next door to Silver Oak Winery in the Alexander Valley. Blue Rock Cabernet was first produced in 1999 and has developed a track record for elegance, consistency, and refinement. Blue Rock is approachable on release, yet with a structure and the requisite depth of fruit to benefit from mid-term cellaring.

The selection in the vineyard for this wine features older vines and they utilize 50% new French oak barrique in the again. Dark black cherry and currant berry fruit on the nose with hints of dark earth, tobacco spice and dark chocolate fairly complex bouquet. Big and chewy on the palate with smooth and round tannins with a long savory finish, notes of dark coco and tobacco spice. Finish 40+ 

2006 Sodaro Cabernet Sauvignon Felicity Napa
Price: $37.50       Sale $33                                Case $383

A bit of Merlot Malbec Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc the grapes come from Coombsville.  A classic cabernet Sauvignon fresh herbs nuance to the nose, milk chocolate and cassis currant berry fruit some toasty oak spice here nice elegant Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon bouquet.  A nice amount of currant and dark cherry fruit on the palate with nice firm tannins and a lot of minerality showing on the finish good length with dark choc, a very nice balance.  Finish 45+                Excellent

2008 Husic Palm Terrace  Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $60                             Sale $52.80          Case $612

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from three vineyards that go into this wine and it is what is left after the Husic blend is made, so this is what’s left, created in 2003, 2005, a bit in 2006 and this 2008 750 cases produced. Rich bouquet of dark chocolate toasty oak spice, fresh black earth, black truffle and dark cherry and currant cassis berry fruit, very complex bouquet. Black currant and cassis berry fruit almost liqueur, toasty oak bitter coco and nicely balanced acidity showing nice freshness for suck a big and rich wine. Finish 45+

2007 Gamble Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Family Home Oakville
Price: $51.75       Sale $45.54          Case $528

Only 375 cases produced this is from the Gamble's home ranch.  A very forward and ripe currant and dark cherry fruit on the nose with a good hand of toasty oak spice milk chocolate and some fresh earth nuance, lovely complexity on the nose.  A nicely built wine with layers of fruit, dark coco and a nice amount of earth, a classic Napa wine with excellent freshness and a long finish, this wine needs to open up but has all the right pieces in place.  Finish 50+        Most Excellent

2007 Gamble Paramount Red  Napa
Price: $36.75       Sale $32.34          Case $375

Winemaker Jim Close’s Tasting Notes:  Bright fruit aromas of cherry and dusty blackberry together with leather, chocolate and a savory hint of thyme. Medium bodied with good acidity and silky tannins. Flavors of plum, cranberry, pomegranate, clove and spicy licorice. Savor the persistent flavor-filled finish.