California Cult Tasting at Wine Watch

"By making this wine vine known to the public, I have rendered my country as great a service as if I had enabled it to pay back the national debt."
~ Thomas Jefferson

If only a modern day politician could contribute as much to the quality of our life as the late great Thomas Jefferson.  He was one of the first advocates of wine in the United States and he is one of the reasons why we have the greatest selection of wines from all around the world in the U.S. today.  So, remember...no matter how bad it gets, we still have the best selection of the world’s greatest wines at the best prices in the world here in the U.S. of A.

Speaking of GREAT wines from the U.S.A…. I need a few good men or women to help me drink some really fine wine on this occasion- our annual California Cult Wine Tasting here at Wine Watch.

What makes a "cult wine"? Do the producers pick the grapes at night under the full moon? Do they make it under a secret oath or while sacrificing a small farm animal? These ultra expensive, hard to find wines from California just have more customers than they do bottles to go around.  The simplest factor in the economy kicks in with these wines, good old supply and demand.  

Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone will be making a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines.  This tasting is limited to 14 tasters and the fee for this event is $595 + tax. For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

California Cult Tasting at Wine Watch
Saturday, October 15, 2016
7:00 PM

2006 Vintage Flight

2006 Sloan Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $395.00    Sale Price: $295.00

(98 points) The 2006 is performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel. Sloan and McClellan decided to bottle it later than usual, recognizing the rugged, tough tannins of the vintage could be sweetened up with longer barrel aging. Their strategy worked. The wine’s dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of white chocolate, burning embers, creme de cassis, coffee, and scorched earth (think Haut-Brion or La Mission Haut-Brion). It possesses terrific structure, melted, well-integrated tannins, full body, and is already bursting with complexity. A great success, it is one of the vintage’s most thrilling wines. Drink it over the next 20-25 years.

2006 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

(94+ Points)  The full-bodied 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon does not possess any of the hard, foreboding tannins found in some 2006 Cabernets, but rather, it displays a silky, velvety personality. Although not as nuanced or complex as the 2005, it is a brilliant wine offering generous levels of black currant fruit intermixed with graphite, scorched earth, and a hint of underlying smoke. It will be surprisingly delicious early in its life but capable of lasting two-plus decades.

One of the true blue chip vineyards and wines of Napa Valley, winemaker Celia Masyczek fashions approximately 400 cases of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a legendary Rutherford vineyard with 60-year old vines. Aged in 100% new oak, this cuvee reveals a very singular character. If California vineyards were ever classified a la French sites, this Rutherford terroir would be judged a grand cru.  Wine Advocate #180, Dec 2008

2006 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

(96 points)  The 2006 Harlan Estate has turned out better than I originally predicted. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by classic aromas of creme de cassis, melted licorice, smoked meats, burning embers, and graphite. It has thrown off some of the tannic clout it displayed last year, revealing great balance. A candidate for wine of the vintage, this dense, full-bodied effort has 25+ years of life ahead of it. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2035.  Wine Advocate #186, Dec 2009

2006 Dalla Valle Maya Napa

(95 points) *Collectible* Tight, firm and structured, with a rich, focused beam of blackberry, black cherry, currant, herb and anise. Full-bodied, intense and concentrated, this unfolds slowly and enticingly to reveal extra dimensions of complexity and nuance, getting better with every sip. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2010 through 2017. (10/2009) Wine Spectator

2006 Colgin IX Estate Napa Valley Red Wine
Price: $575.00    Sale Price: $450.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(100 Points) From the Pritchard Hill Vineyard, the 2006 IX Proprietary Red Estate is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. The good news is that there are 1,500 cases of this cuvee. It, too, reveals the noble sweetness of tannin, the extraordinary rich, intense mouthfeel, and sumptuous aromas of flowers, burning embers, blackberries, blueberries, spice box, and cedar. With extraordinary intensity, beautiful purity, a texture and flavors that build incrementally on the palate, and a significantly long finish, this is a perfect wine. Wine Advocate # 180 Dec 2008

1996 Vintage Flight

1996 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $750.00                    Sale $660.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(98 Points) “The 1996 Proprietary Red Wine appears to be one of the vintage's most noteworthy offerings. Some 1996s tend to be rustic, with more obtrusive tannin than their 1995 and 1994 counterparts, but that charge cannot be made here. The 1996 exhibits a tell-tale opaque purple/plum color, as well as a spectacular soaring nose of wood fire, roasted herbs, black currants, tobacco, minerals, and all spice. The wine is full-bodied and multi-layered, with terrific flavor concentration, well-integrated tannin, and a blockbuster finish. This is another candidate for perfection. As accolades spilled from my mouth like a baby dribbling milk, I was told the wine had been bottled the day before my visit! Anticipated maturity: 2004-2035. Proprietor Bill Harlan, his winemaker, Bob Levy, and consultant, Frenchman Michel Rolland continue to produce what may be the single most profound wine in California. This wine possesses all the elements of greatness - individuality, power combined with elegance, extraordinary complexity, remarkable aging potential, and compelling richness without ponderousness. The vintages produced to date give signs of improving in the bottle for 20-30 years. In 1995, a second wine, which has not yet been named, has been produced, which allows the selection process to be even more severe once the 35-acre vineyard is in full production. Recent production has been 1,500 cases for the 1994, 1,200 cases for the 1995, 1,500 for the 1996, and approximately 2,500 cases for the 1997. Many readers who have been on the waiting list for Harlan Estate may finally receive an allocation in 1997. This year produced the highest yields to date (a still modest 2.7 tons per acre) at this hillside vineyard. Wine Advocate #120 (Dec 1998)

1996 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard Napa MAGNUM
Price: $650.00    Sale Price: $500.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(94 points) The saturated purple-colored 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard offers an attractive nose of black fruits intermixed with toast, minerals, subtle tar, and wood smoke. Full-bodied, with impressive purity, a multi-layered mid-palate and finish, it is an expressive, pure, powerful, and large-boned wine. (RP) (1/2000) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1996 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Napa

(98 Points) Since 1991, Shafer's Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon has unquestionably been one of the top dozen or so California Cabernets. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged 32 months in 100% French oak casks (the majority Taransaud), it possesses the elegance and finesse one would expect from the Stag's Leap area, but also monumental power, richness, and intensity.

The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is one of the vintage's super-stars. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by super aromatics, immense body, great fruit extraction, superb purity and overall symmetry, as well as a 40+ second finish. Revealing exceptional intensity (but no heaviness) as well as perfectly integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this fabulous Cabernet will drink wonderfully for three decades. Wine Advocate # 132 Dec 2000

1996 Dalla Valle Maya Napa
Price: $595.00  
Quantity in Stock: 1

(96 Points) The 1996 Maya is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Vivid, intense aromas of new saddle leather, plums, black currants, underbrush, and licorice are followed by a full-bodied, sensationally concentrated wine with sweet tannin, a deep, exceptionally pure and concentrated mid-palate, and an opulently-textured finish. It was surprisingly open-knit and delicious when tasted in October, but there is more tannin lurking beneath the surface. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2025. Wine Advocate # 126, Jan 2000

Menu
Selection of cheese

Cabernet Sauvignon braised Beef Shortrib with chocolate mole sauce and shoe string fries

There are only 14 spaces available for this tasting and the fee for this tasting is $595 per person + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.