Happy New Year! And it's also the first Saturday of the new year, which means it's Cellar Saturday, that special day where I raid the cellar for something at least a decade in the making. Tonight, I've opened a bottle that I've not had in the cellar very long, but it's still mature, as I bought this one a few months back from Wines Till Sold Out. The 2012 Angwin Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the Howell Mountain appellation in Napa Valley, and hails from one of the stronger vintages for Napa Valley. Let's see what this wine has been doing for the past 13 years or so!
The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, and after a gentle swirl it presents aromas of blackberry, olive and smoke. Take a sip and you're greeted with some mulberry, tart cherry and currant that eases into some earthy notes of dusty limestone and oak midpalate. The wine has a lot of acidity which amplifies the earthy notes and overpowers the fruit notes. The tannins are subdued, making for a rather brief, dry finish.
Overall, I would rate this wine an 8.5, as it's rather one dimensional, with a bit too much acidity for my taste. I can see the winemaker's attempt to make this into more of an old-world style Cabernet, but I think they fell a bit short. This wine would pair well with a range of hearty dishes, particularly steak, where the acidity might cut through some of the natural fattiness of a cut like ribeye. And I'm in luck as tonight I am enjoying this wine with a big ribeye grilled Pittsburgh rare over sautéed mushrooms, onions and peppers and some grilled asparagus. Cheers!
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