2012 Raymond Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

What a fantastic day trip through Napa Valley I had last weekend.  The lovely food and wine on the Napa Valley Wine Train was fantastic, and the opportunity to visit two wineries along the Silverado Trail as awesome as well.  So tonight I've opened a bottle of 2012 Raymond Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvigon, a wine from the second vineyard we visited, one which has some definite character involved! 

It was certainly a fun visit, mannequins and all!  Of course the wine was quite nice as well, from the 2013 Frenchie Napoleon Cabernet Sauvignon to the 2012 District Collection St. Helena Cabernet, the wines were all quite nice.  This particular wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (96%) and Petit Verdot (4%).  Now they talked a lot about their organic and biodynamic techniques, but when they got to the part about burying cow horns with compost on the winter solstice they really just lost me completely.

Back to the wine, it's actually a very nice, classic Napa Cabernet, with deep inky black color with ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of ripe black fruit, blackberry, plum and cherry with hints of rose and leather.  The taste is classic Cabernet, with rich ripe fruit that transitions effortlessly to some flavors of tobacco and dusty limestone midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured, offering a great foundation for the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very nice wine and a good value at $45.  Tonight I am just sipping this wine with a bit of dark chocolate after dinner.   This wine would certainly pair well with a classic big steak, or a hearty pasta dish.  Cheers!