2014 Sullivan Artist Series Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Thirsty Thursday!  It's been very hot and humid here all week long, so you might expect that I'd be opening a nice chilled rose on this sultry evening, but you'd be wrong!  It's so hot I don't even want to venture out of the air conditioning, so I've gone the other way and opened a big, bold Cabernet Sauvignon!  Tonight I will enjoy the 2014 Sullivan Artist Series Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that I recently bough at a Wines Till Sold Out Napa Valley marathon, so let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges, classic for a Napa Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, black plum and a hint of mint over the top.  The taste is a wonderful marriage of fruit and spice, with some ripe fruit up front that gives a hint of sweetness, with notes of kirsch and ripe plum intermingled with some white pepper and Asian spice notes.  The finish is quite nice, with a reprise of fruit sweetness along with the well structured tannins providing for a long, smooth and very dry finish that has you asking for more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's a very nice quality Napa Valley Cabernet that was also a bargain as I snagged this $85 bottle for just $30 on WTSO!  This would be a nice steak wine, but I could also see it pairing well wits braised short ribs or steak kabobs. But alas, since I don't want to go out to grill, I'm enjoying this one tonight with some spinach ravioli and tomato basil cream sauce.  Cheers!