California Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting at Café Maxx

"I've got my Cheap Wine and a three day growth"
Cheap Wine by Cold Chisel

We don't like to call our wine cheap but all of these wines we are showing at our California Cabernet Sauvignon tasting are what we would call everyday drinkers.  There are not many California Cabernet Sauvignon's that are under $15 in my store and the reason is if I don't want to drink the wine it doesn't make it on the shelf here at Wine Watch, because if I don't sell it I have to drink it.

There is value in everything that we do here at the Wine Watch and if you think that our tastings every other Wednesday night at Cafe Maxx are an incredible value check out the new Neighborhood nights menu at Cafe Maxx starting Sunday, May 26th.  Chef Oliver Saucy is offering up a three course tasting menu for only $35!!

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 Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley and Paso Robles. 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, 2009, 2010 and the newly released 2011 vintage in the marketplace right now.

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.

California Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting at Café Maxx
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
7:00 PM

Justin Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2011
Price: $24.00       Sale $21.12          Case $245

Beautifully balanced, with attractive aromas of black fruit and spice, this smooth, ready to drink Cabernet is made with the same care as the highest quality, traditionally made Bordeaux wines. Our grapes are hand- picked and then sorted by the berry for consistent quality and flavor. JUSTIN Cabernet Sauvignon spends more than a year in traditional small oak barrels to impart a depth and complexity to the wine that expresses the influence of the ancient limestone soils and unique climate of Paso Robles.

Daou Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2011
Price: $30.00       Sale $26.40          Case $306

Wine Watch Review:  A bit of Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc but over 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, a note of peppery spice to the sweet cherry and currant berry fruit very ripe and forward with a touch of fresh floral nuance and some fresh earth sweet tobacco spice.  Sweet and sappy on the tongue with lots of liqueur like fruit and still quite fresh on the finish, notes of sweet tobacco spice, smooth and round tannins on the finish.  Finish 40+        Excellent

Marc Mondavi Divining Rod Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2010
Price: $15.75       Sale $13.86          Case $161

Wine Watch Review:  A good amount of dark spice and earth here tobacco, dark currant and spice with nice complexity on the nose. A light and elegant style of cabernet with some of that black earth and nice freshness through the finish, a bit more than a light quaffer, fine herb notes on the finish. Finish 35 Very Good

2010 Ferrari Carano Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
Price: $35.25       Sale $31.02          Case $360

This wine is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah and 4% Petit Verdot. The grapes for this wine come from mountain-grown fruit in Alexander Valley. Delicious, ripe blackberries, blueberry pie, cassis and cedar aromas delight with a smooth and harmonious mouthfeel that boasts flavors of Bing cherry, boysenberry syrup, graham cracker and milk chocolate. Velvety tannins generously coat the palate while the finish is supple and long with vanilla and caramel notes from French oak aging.

Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2009
Price: $28.00       Sale $17.25          Case $207

Wine Watch Review:  A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Syrah, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% malbec. A classic Napa Valley Cabernet with notes of cedar and fresh earth to the black currant and black cherry fruit, nice complexity. Ripe and forward black berry fruit on the tongue very rich and ripe with nice structure and balance with dark chocolate and cedar notes on the finish- a Napa Valley Classic and one of the best buys in the store from Napa today. Finish 40 Very Good +

Mount Veeder Cabernet Napa 2010
Price: $35.00       Sale $24                Case $288

Wine Watch Review: A fairly earthy style with notes of bay leaves and black pepper spice to the currant and black cherry fruit laced with espresso and some fresh earth and dark bittersweet chocolate, this wine needs a bit of time to open but really shows some nice complexity with a little time. Powerful and rich on the tongue with excellent structure firm tannins and a firm hand of acidity holding things in place, lots of ripe currant and dark plum berry fruit and a long layered finish, dark earth and spice, mocha, coffee. This wine needs a little time but has all the right pieces. Finish 40 Excellent

Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville 2010
Price: $27.00       Sale $23.76          Case $276

Wine Watch Review:  They make two Cabernet Sauvignon based wines, this one and the vintage select first vintage 1944, they have shrunk the portfolio a bit they had 27 wines now down to 8 SKU's CK Mondavi is overseen by Marc and in a winemaking facility separate. Dark currant and cassis berry fruit with dark plum berry fruit, sweet tobacco spice and dark coco mocha, 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, this wine spends 20 months in French and American oak, big and chewy but has nice balance and freshness through the finish, cigar box spice and cedar notes, notes of vanilla spice and smoky nuance through the finish, big but very balanced and fresh. Finish 45 This wine is around 1/2 of the production at 37,000 cases. They make 80,000 cases of wine total. Finish 45 Excellent

Antica Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2009
Price: $60.00       Sale $39.00          Case $468

Wine Watch Review:  Renzo Cortarella is involved in the production, Renzo is Antinori's top gun responsible for Solaia, Tignanello, etc. This Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal but is a blend of clone7, clone 337, clone 4 and clone C, This is the 6th vintage, every one has been 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate vineyard 300 areas of Cabernet Sauvignon up there and most of the grapes are sold only 20% used for their label. A light menthol like minty character to the black currant and black raspberry fruit with fresh earth and dark coco notes nice complexity on the nose. Volcanic rocky soils with lots of that mineraltiy showing on the finish, big and chewy with fine tannins very elegant and long on the finish with lots of dark currant and bright raspberry fruit nice freshness and a long finish with excellent structure needs some time but has everything in place. Finish 45 Most Excellent

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.