2015 Robert Storey Cellars Winemaker Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  I have to admit I've been feeling a bit under the weather for the past few days, so I haven't been posting as much as I usually do, but tonight I figured I'd give it a go, hopefully my sinuses will allow me to taste and smell appropriately, thought you might want to take my review with a grain of salt today!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of wine I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2015 Robert Storey Cellars Winemaker Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  I've had a few bottles from this producer over the years and they are normally pretty good, so let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a deep, inky purple in the glass with bright ruby along the edges, classic for a Napa Cabernet.  The nose is a cascade of earthy aromas, leather, tar and tobacco intermingled with ripe black cherry and blackberry.  The taste is somewhat old world in style, with rich black fruit that envelops the palate, before giving way to some lovely vanilla bean and dried herbs midpalate.  The tannins are velvety but firm, providing a nice backbone for the long, smooth and very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's drinking very well right now, but could improve with a few years in the cellar.  This wine was also a good value at just $23 and would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, or just sipping by the fire on these cold nights in the dead of winter (did I mention we are supposed to have several days this week where it doesn't get above zero?!?).  I could easily see myself enjoying this wine with a big steak, but since it's Sunday, my hearty Sunday dinner consists of thick center cut pork chops along with oven roasted beets and some steamed green beans.  Cheers!