2001 Burgess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight I am just in the mood for a nice glass of Cabernet, forget the pairings and all the rest, I just want to relax!  So I've decided to open a bottle of 2001 Burgess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, after all how can you go wrong with a Cab that's had over a decade to mature?  Now to be fair, this is somewhat of a delayed vertical tasting since I had a bottle of the 2000 Burgess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at the beginning of December, so let's see how the younger stacks up.

The wine has a deep violet color, with a good bit of opacity, and a brighter ruby along the edges.  The nose is an interesting combination of leather, ripe plum bordering on prune, mint and an earthy, barnyard sort of smell.  The taste is very fruit forward, with a burst of ripe cherries and blackberries that settle into some cedar and Asian spices midpalate.  The tannins are very supple, giving this wine a round mouthfeel, and providing for a long, structured finish.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, it's not quite as nice as I remember its older sibling, but still a heck of a nice Cabernet after a dozen years.  Tonight I am pairing this wine with some instant Indian food of all things!  I bought a package of Bombay potatoes from the World Market a few weeks ago, so I figured I doctor those up with a little more spice and some fresh veggies, and put it over some steamed basmati rice, for a quick, east dinner on a night I really don't feel like cooking!