Happy Hour Tasting Featuring California Cabernet Sauvignon Thursday, September 15th 6:00pm
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Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular red wine in the world today and when it comes to immediate gratification wines this varietal it is hard to beat.
Most people know about Napa Valley's Cabernet Sauvignon and although it only accounts for around 3-5% of the total production in terms of volume it is probably closer to 40-50% of all the total volume in terms of dollars. They do make great Cabernet Sauvignon in Sonoma and even places like the Santa Cruz Mountains but the most sought after Cabernet Sauvignon from California comes from Napa Valley.
The Cabernet Sauvignon grape is a relatively new invention it is the result of the combination of a white varietal Sauvignon Blanc and a red grape Cabernet Franc crossed by some mad grape scientist in southwest France in the 17th century. Because of its thick skin and relative ease of cultivation this varietal has spread around the world and makes high quality full bodied red wines in many parts of the wine world.
California Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the easiest wine tastings to sell, can you say immediate gratification, but these wines can age for 20+ years in a very good vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon always draws a crowd and this is a walk around wine tasting featuring 20 different Cabernet Sauvignon’s mostly from Napa Valley. The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
Happy Hour Featuring California Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting at Wine Watch
Thursday, September 15th
6:00pm
2019 MOUNT VEEDER WINERY CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA
Price: $38.75 Your Price: $34.10
The 2019 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep ruby color. Aromas of black plum, blackberry, fig and ripe cherry, framed by toasted oak and caramel. A hint of dried herb and floral notes. The concentrated fruit flavors and integrated tannins introduce a rich, full-body structure. Sweet fruit is balanced with acidity and savory notes of leather and wet stone, ending with a lengthy finish of dark berry, baking spice, and mocha.
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc
2017 MOUNT VEEDER WINERY RESERVE NAPA
Price: $85.00 Your Price: $74.80
Deep Ruby in color with concentrated layers of dark cherry, brambly berry, dried bay leaf, anise, and toasty oak, highlighted by notes of clove and black pepper. Rich flavors of dark cassis, black cherry, bay and sweet vanilla are interwoven in this robust, full-bodied wine. Dense mountain fruit fills the palate, with hints of cedar, plum, and sage lingering on the finish.
2019 SCHRADER CABERNET SAUVIGNON DOUBLE DIAMOND OAKVILLE
Price: $75.00 Your Price: $66.00
(94 Points) Dangerously good, with a tendency to sell out upon release, Schrader delivers another heart-breaker of a Cabernet Sauvignon that won’t break the bank. Crafted by Thomas Rivers Brown, this takes full advantage of the sweet spot in Oakville, with heaps of black and blue fruit floating in light oak spice. Immediately delicious, this will mellow beautifully over the next few years. JD
2017 ROBERT MONDAVI CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE TO KALON NAPA
Price: $169.50 Your Price: $149.16
(93 Points) While the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve checks in behind the 2016, it’s a terrific effort as well as a beautiful wine. Based on 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and a splash of Cabernet Franc, all from the estate’s holdings in the To Kolan Vineyard, it reveals a deep purple hue as well as medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, violets, and Asian spice. It shows the more focused, linear style of the vintage with its ripe, polished tannins, outstanding balance, and a great finish. Give bottles 3-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades or so. Jeb Dunnuck
2019 ROBERT MONDAVI CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA
Price: $34.50 Your Price: $30.36
80% Cabernet Sauvignon 11% Merlot 5% Petit Verdot 3% Cabernet Franc 1% Malbec. Fruit for our Napa Valley Cabernet comes from sub-appellations throughout the Valley, each of which have been specially chosen for their contributions to a combined blend that is a true reflection of place, a gorgeous expression of Napa Valley. Nearly half of this year’s blend is sourced from the deep, well-drained soils of Oakville, which give us gorgeously dark, supple wines framed by fine tannin. Complementary portions of the blend come from Stags Leap District, Oak Knoll, Yountville and Rutherford.
2018 ROBERT MONDAVI CABERNET SAUVIGNON OAKVILLE
Price: $65.00 Your Price: $57.20
This wine has everything we love about Oakville cabernet sauvignon: a dense, mid-palate richness, complexity and a deliciously long finish. Dark red cherry fruit joins sinfully deep mocha flavors that finish with a spicy note of black pepper.
2019 HARVEY & HARRIET RED BLEND CALIFORNIA
Price: $28.00 Your Price: $24.64
Harvey and Harriet is the Bordeaux blend created by Eric Jensen of Booker Vineyard, in an attempt to make a wine that his parents would love and could afford. It is a wine that’s made by hard work, the best vineyard sites, the best barrels, the best team and of course no additives or concentrates. A world class wine for everyone who appreciates high quality without the high price tag.
The 2019 vintage once again over-delivers with aromas of Bing cherry, red raspberry, blueberries, roasted rhubarb, cardamom, and brown sugar. On the palate, pleasing sensations of vanilla and spice give way to grilled meats, olive tapenade, cedar, and molasses. The acid and tannin structure are perfectly balanced for either a Tuesday tipple or celebratory toast. This wine is meant to be enjoyed now.
2019 PRISONER CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA
Price: $46.50 Your Price: $40.92
From the most recognized Napa Valley red blend comes a distinct, new wine. Made in the same iconic style as The Prisoner Red Blend, we proudly introduce The Prisoner Cabernet Sauvignon. Redefining taste once again.
2019 MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR CABERNET SAUVIGNON PASO ROBLES
Price: $55.00 Your Price: $48.40
(96 Points) Blended with a bit of Syrah and Petit Verdot, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep ruby-purple color and an alluring fragrance of cassis, violet, aniseed, bitter chocolate and coffee beans. It's notable this vintage for Goldilocks ripeness and seamless lift, offering a chocolate-like texture and very long finish. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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2018 TOKALON VINEYARD COMPANY H.W.C. CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA
Price: $270.50 Your Price: $238.04
Named after the founder of To Kalon, H.W.C is produced from one single clonal selection of Cabernet Sauvignon within To Kalon. These vines were originally planted by Robert Mondavi, who was lured to To Kalon by the depth and richness of the wines he made from the vineyard in the 1960s. This incredibly low-yielding selection of Cabernet Sauvignon produces wines with high energy, a black-purple color, and exceptional aromatic and palate intensity—a high-resolution look at this noble variety. The inaugural vintage captures all the best attributes of 2018, with great balance, purity, and density. While not overly ripe or extracted, the wine has remarkable freshness, texture, richness, and length. Four extra months of barrel aging give it a high level of polish and a silky finish.
2018 TO KALON VINEYARD COMPANY CABERNET SAUVIGNON HIGHEST BEAUTY NAPA
Price: $216.50 Your Price: $190.50
The goal for our namesake wine is working with To Kalon Vineyard® as a whole, crafting a wine from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, while capturing the purity, intensity, and diversity of this special terroir. With soft tannins, plenty of structure, richness, and aromatic excitement, this wine tells the story of the nearly ideal 2018 growing season. The grapes were harvested at night to preserve the freshness of the fruit. Careful sorting and a long, slow fermentation and maceration round out the wine and bring forward the broad spectrum of flavors and aromas inherent in this noble variety.
2019 CHARLES KRUG MERLOT NAPA
Price: $26.50 Your Price: $23.32
Has a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot this wine has an old world flair, dried tobacco, red plum, red currant, coffee, creme soda raspberry with loamy earthy nuance. A very smooth and velvety wine on the tongue with all that spice and nuance through the finish, lovely freshness and balance. Finish 40+ Excellent
2018 CHARLES KRUG CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA
List Price: $35.00 Your Price: $30.80
Sourced principally from the five family estates in Yountville, the 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon displays cranberry and briary aromas with hints of brown butter and clove. This medium-to-full-bodied wine showcases a rich mix of cranberry and black currant flavors set against a beautifully integrated backdrop of lightly toasted oak, all leading to a smooth lingering finish of berries and butter.
Wine Watch Review: A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot, 1.5% Cabernet Franc and 1.5% Malbec. This wine has a forward and seductive bouquet of dark coco, black currant and hints of toasty oak spice, sweet tobacco spice and more. A balanced wine with lots of ripe berry fruit with cigar box spice, brambly notes, clove spice, lovely complexity, and good length on the finish. Finish 40+ Excellent +
2017 CHARLES KRUG GENERATIONS FAMILY RESERVE NAPA
Price: $67.50 Your Price: $59.40 Quantity in Stock: 17
Dark currant and plum like fruit with notes of toasty oak spice coco, nice richness and complexity a big and chewy wine on the tongue with layers of dark berry fruit, an array of spice and earthy notes through the long layered finish. Finish 50+ Most Excellent
2018 CHARLES KRUG GENERATIONS NAPA
Price: $67.50 Your Price: $59.40
Generations is a Bordeaux-style blend from our Napa Valley estate vineyards, created to honor our family's past, present and future. Aromas of black cherry, coffee bean and blueberry segue to a full-bodied wine with a long finish of ripe berry and toasty crème brûlée.
Wine Watch Review: The 2018 Generations from Charles Krug Winery is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petite Verdot and 6% Merlot from Yountville with a wonderful intensity, dark currant, dark plum with tobacco, bay leaf, dark chocolate, graphite and more, a very complex bouquet. A big and chewy wine on the tongue with layers of dark berry fruit, some tannins on the finish but well balanced and fresh with all that nuance and spice from the nose through the finish. Although the wine is delicious and quite drinkable it will age for 10-15 years easily in the cellar. Finish 50+ Most Excellent
2016 CHARLES KRUG VINTAGE SELECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA
Price: $125.00 Your Price: $110.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
(95 Points) First produced in 1944, Vintage Selection is the ultimate expression of the Charles Krug portfolio, an elegant, artfully balanced wine that has stood the test of time. Our 2016 release incorporates pristine fruit from three flagship vineyards: Voltz (39%) and Slinsen (32%) in Yountville and Cold Springs (29%) on Howell Mountain. This marks the first time in 75 years that mountain fruit has been incorporated into our signature offering. The finished wine features inviting aromas of black fruit, toasted caramel and vanilla seamlessly integrated with flavors of black cherry, boysenberry and tobacco that linger on the finish. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, October 2018
2017 CHARLES KRUG VINTAGE SELECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA
Price: $157.50 Your Price: $138.60
Wine Watch Review: Wow an incredible bouquet with dark currant and cassis berry fruit with black licorice blackberry jam, black pepper and dark chocolate, very complex and layered. A big and chewy wine with dark currant berry fruit, some dry tannins with a long-layered finish. The 2017 vintage in general is a bit lighter and more drinkable in style but this is a blockbuster, a delicious wine today but will age for 10-15 years easily in the cellar. This is one of the best Cabernet Sauvignons from napa Valley that I have tasted this year! Finish 50+ KILLER
2018 CHARLES KRUG CABERNET SAUVIGNON HOWELL MOUNTAIN NAPA
List Price: $150.00 Your Price: $132.00
Rising 1,650 feet above the Napa Valley floor on the south westside of Howell Mountain, the Family Reserve Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon sits above the fog line. The distinctive climate, along with volcanic and iron-rich red soils, produce fruit with great balance and intensity.
Wine Watch Review: A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot this wine is just loaded with dark currant and cassis berry fruit, sweet tobacco spice along with a good hand of earth, graphite, crushed rock, ferrous earth, black olive and more even more complex on the second day! A big and chewy wine with lots of everything and a long-layered finish, this wine needs time but has all the right stuff in proportion. Decanter in the morning if you are drinking it tonight or put in the cellar for 10 years. Finish 50+ Most Excellent +
2017 ROUBAIX VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON RUTHERFORD
Price: $119.00 Sale $104.72 Quantity in Stock: 37
This is a new producer from Napa Valley and they only make 75 cases of this wine!! We have a special price that we can offer our customers this wine at 50% the suggested retail price. The 2017 is a bit lighter and more drinkable right now than the 2016 but a similar wine in style. I
2016 ROUBAIX VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON RUTHERFORD
Price: $119.00 Sale $104.72 Quantity in Stock: 25
Roubaix Vineyards 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, Vintage 2016, is a dark ,opulent and voluptuous wine. The near perfect 2016 growing season, with ideal weather conditions, allowed the vineyard to progress to perfect ripeness contributing to the depth of the wine’s flavors and outstanding fragrance.
Aromas of blackberry, raspberry, and cranberry are complimented by mocha, tobacco, fennel and delicate cedar. The palate has flavors of dark fruits, which include blackberry, blueberry and cherry . The fruit is complimented with sweet wood spice and fine tannins from the extended time aging in the barrel.
Roubaix’s 2016 Vintage was harvested October 1, 2016 and bottled December 11, 2018 after aging 24 months in French Oak Barrel.
Tasting Notes: Best tasted with friends and family. Follow the 5-S framework. First, See the color. Hold the wine glass at an angle in order to see the colors. Roubaix appears as a deep red color. Next, Swirl it around. Notice the think viscous streaks (called legs or tears)down the inside of the glass when swirled. Now it’s time to Sniff the wine. The “nose” of a wine – its bouquet or aroma – is the major determinate of perceived flavor in the mouth. Now it’s time to take a Sip. Hold the wine in your mouth for 3-5 seconds letting it coat the surface. Once inside the mouth, the aromatics are further liberated by exposure to body heat, and transferred retronasally to the olfactory receptor site. It is here that the complex taste of Roubaix can be experienced. Lastly, be sure to Savor the experience.
A near-perfect growing season The near-perfect 2016 growing season started early, we had ideal weather conditions throughout the season and we were able to wrap up harvest before the first significant rain on October 14. July and August were mild and steady leading way to consistent warm days at the end of the growing season, the vineyard was able to progress to perfect ripeness.
The 2016 Roubaix Vineyards is a pure expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a dark opulent and voluptuous wine. Low yields and ideal ripening conditions contributed to the depth of flavors and aroma. Aromas of blackberry, raspberry and cranberry, are complemented by mocha, tobacco, fennel, and delicate cedar. The palate has flavors of dark fruits which include blackberry, blueberry and cherry. The fruit is complemented with sweet wood spice and fine tannins from the extended time aging in barrel. The 2016 Roubaix will develop and evolve for many years to come.
2018 MARKHAM MERLOT NAPA
Price: $23.75 Sale $20.90 Quantity in Stock: 62
With a bit of coaxing, this youthful Merlot will reveal red cherry jam layered with vanilla crème caramel and spicy cinnamon. On the palate, the wine feels lush and silky with harmonious cherry jam, ripe plum and hints of spearmint flavors. Still a bit grippy on the finish, a quick decant should help, especially if paired with a peppered rib eye steak! This vintage has the power to relax and show its milk chocolate side if you're willing to wait…
2015 AUGUST BRIGGS FREDIANI VINEYARD CHARBONO NAPA VALLEY
Price: $39.50 Sale $34.76
The Charbono grapes for this wine were sourced from the Frediani Vineyard and the Meyer vineyard which are both located right here in Calistoga. Charbono is a grape that thrives in the Calistoga heat and the 50 to 90+ year old vines produce low yields with the ultimate in flavor concentration. We are once again excited about the Charbono and know our club members will be too. During the process of tasting and writing these notes in retrospect this might be our favorite vintage ever. Pull the cork and stand back… A blueberry pie comes to mind with warm and inviting aromas of sour cherry, holiday spice and cedar. On the palate it is medium-bodied and well balanced with nice acidity for accompanying food. The flavors echo the blueberry and cherry fruit with a supple mid palate that finishes with a lingering, rustic quality. We were able to extract all the complexity these special Charbono vines offer without the aggressive tannins the varietal can often produce. It makes for one savory and seductive wine for your drinking pleasure tonight but it will also age well for another 4-6 years.
Menu
Cheese and Charcuterie
Black Bean Soup Shooters with Lime Aioli
Hoisin BBQ Pork Empanadas with dark chocolate Mole
Duck confit Taquito with roasted tomatillo salsa
Wild mushroom and ricotta pizza with current red wine demi drizzle
Turkey Sliders with Dill Pickle Mayo
This is a walk around tasting in the Wine Bar and the fee for this event is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.