2018 Pine & Brown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, I just returned from my evening bike ride, so now that I've done my exercise for the day, I can make up for it with a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight I've opened a bottle that just arrived yesterday from Wines Till Sold Out, the 2018 Pine & Brown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (95%) and Petit Verdot (5%) from the Oakville District of Napa Valley.  So, let's see how this one is tasting!

The wine is a deep inky black at the center with bright garnet along the edges, just as you might expect from a big Napa Cabernet.  The nose is a classic blend of leather, black fruit and a hint of lavender over the top. The taste is classic big Napa Cabernet with a rush of black currant, cherry and blackberry, that transitions easily to some notes of cedar, and mocha midpalate.  The tannins are nicely structured, providing a nice backbone for the long, smooth dry finish with a nice accent of black pepper spice.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a pleasant drinking Cabernet from a solid Napa Valley vintage.  This wine obviously craves a steak, but would also pair well with easy weeknight dishes ranging from pasta to pizza or burgers.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some steak fajita tacos (it is Taco Tuesday after all!) with all the trimmings.  Cheers!

2008 Groth Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Cellar Saturday!  That magical first Saturday of the month where I raid the cellar and try to find something at least a decade in the making and tonight is a treat.  This wine is not only a vintage 12 years back, it's actually been in my cellar for nearly a decade, as I bought this bottle in October 2011!  Tonight I've opened a bottle of the 2008 Groth Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a year off from the stellar 2007 vintage, but as I recall when I tasted this at the time I bought it this was a fairly hefty wine.  I've decanted this wine for a couple hours, and there was a good bit of Bordeaux-esque funk when I opened it, but it seems to have settled a bit since then, so let's check it out!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center, with bright garnet along the edges, just as you'd expect from a big Napa Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of rich leather, ripe blackberry and plum, with just a subdued hint of funk.  The taste is remarkably smooth and well structured, with a lot of dark fruit rushing forward, blackberry, cherry and blueberry envelop the palate, before transitioning nicely to some smoky oak and just a hint of lavender midpalate.  The tannins are firm but well behaved, and the acidity is still pronounced despite the age, providing for a long, smooth and very dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's really as good as I remember it, and it's really reaching its prime.  This wine might pair with a variety of dishes, but as a big Napa Cab, this wine practically begs to be consumed with a big honkin' steak, and tonight we're in luck!  As I'm enjoying this wine with a big honkin' New York strip grilled Pittsburgh rare with sauteed onions, a big baked potato and grilled asparagus.  The fruit and acidity of this wine is perfect with red, red meat.  Cheers!

2016 Michel-Schlumberger Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  I've just come home from an eye appointment with good news on my recovery from eye surgery as the doctor said everything looks great, so why not celebrate?  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of wine I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out, but is one I've enjoyed for at least a few vintages, the 2016 Michel-Schlumberger Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon from the Oakville District in Napa Valley.  This wine sourced from Sophia's Vineyard consists of Cabernet Sauvignon (97%) and a touch of Cabernet Franc (3%).  So let's get to it!

The wine is a typical deep garnet color in the glass which is typical of a nice Napa Cabernet.  The nose expresses abundant anise, leather, violets and ripe black fruit.  The taste is a rush of ripe blackberry and cherry that transition easily to notes of tar, graphite and a bit of white pepper spice midpalate.  This wine is very much crafted like a fine Bordeaux with a good bit of funk throughout.  The tannins are nicely structured, providing for a long, smooth and very dry finish that lingers just a bit.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a pleasant drinking and surprisingly old world style of Cabernet, and it was a good value at just $30.  This wine would pair well with steak, hearty pasta dishes, or Sunday pot roast without much effort, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with a grilled, prime 28-day dry aged sirloin I picked up from Eataly in Chicago on Monday, grilled rare and topped with a bit if white truffle butter, along with a honkin' baked potato and some grilled cauliflower.  Cheers!

2002 Kelham Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Cellar Saturday!  The first Saturday of the month, when I raid the cellar and find a bottle that's at least a decade old to open just for fun.  Today I've decided to open a bottle that's only been in my cellar for a few weeks, the 2002 Kelham Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from the Oakville region of Napa Valley.  I've let this one decant for about an hour now, so let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with a bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, currant, cured meat and a bit of earth, very intriguing!  The taste is a rush of ripe berries, blackberry, currant and rapsberry that transitions nicely to some notes of mocha and dark chocolate midpalate.  The finish is quite interesting, as the tannins are smooth and well integrated, but you are revisited with a rush of acidity on the finish that brings notes of tart cherry at the end, which is certainly unexpected.

Overall, I would rate this a solid 8.5, it's a very nice Cabernet, but it certainly didn't knock my socks off.  This is a big, board-to-the-face sort of Napa Cabernet, so it would work well with a big grilled steak, or as I'm having tonight some steak fajitas!  Cheers!

2013 Edwards & Chaffey Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

All right, I made it home from work, filled the bird feeder and pulled a few dandelions, so now it's time to relax with a glass of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open up another bottle I bought from the Wines Till Sold Out Napa Valley Marathon a few weeks ago, the 2013 Edwards & Chaffey Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (98%) mainly from the Oakville and Mount Veeder AVAs, balanced with a bit of Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc.  So let's see how it tastes!

The wine is a deep, brooding indigo in the glass, with nice garnet around the edges.  The nose is a classic Napa Valley Cabernet with aromas of leather, blackberry, mocha and baking spice.  The taste is quite nice, with a rush of black fruit up front, blackberry, cherry and a bit of blueberry that transitions nicely to some mocha and spice notes midpalate.  The finish is lovely, with well integrated tannins supporting the long, smooth dry finish that surprises you with a bit of cherry cola at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a really pleasant drinking Cabernet at a value price of just $20.  This would be another classic Napa steak wine, and tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a grilled London broil made from a coffee rubbed flank steak I picked up this weekend at Trader Joe's, along with some wild rice and green beans with sliced almonds.  The wine just perfectly accents the rich flavors of the meat, cheers!

2013 Robert Mondavi Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy December!  I can't believe how fast this year has gone, but here we are rapidly approaching the holidays, so why not pause for a nice glass of wine?  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle that I picked up at my local wine store a month or two ago, the 2013 Robert Mondavi Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Cabernet Franc (13%), Malbec (2%), Petit Verdot (2%) and Merlot (2%) to balance things out.  So let's see what she has to offer!

The wine has that classic Cabernet look, deep inky black at the center and bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, oak, tobacco and dusty gravel, with just a hint of black fruit.  The taste is just a classic, high-quality Napa Cabernet, with a bit of black fruit up front, blackberry and a bit of cherry, that transition nicely to some earthy notes midpalate.  The tannins are robust, giving rise to the long, smooth and extremely dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's really quite exceptional and was a terrific value (if I recall correctly, this one was under $30!).  This would be a perfect wine for a big steak dinner (which happens a lot around here), but tonight I'm actually enjoying this with a pizza topped with sausage and fire roasted veggies.  Cheers!

2011 Oakville East Exposure Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  Like most of mine, this Saturday has been busy with errands but there's always time for wine, and tonight it's the 2011 Oakville East Exposure Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out.  Despite the heat today, I just felt like it was a good Cabernet day!

The wine is a lovely, dark, brooding indigo in the glass with bright ruby around the edges.  The nose is classic Oakville Cabernet, with notes of oak, leather and violet over just a hint of blackberry.  The taste is just awesome, with a blast of ripe fruit up front, blackberry, cherry and raspberry that wash over you.  The ripe fruit transitions seamlessly to some rustic mineral notes midpalate before the young tannins set up the long, luscious and exceptionally dry finish.  This is just a classic Napa Valley Cabernet that you could sip all evening and wonder where the time went!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's just such a pleasant drinking Cabernet and it was very reasonably priced at just $29!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a completely random dinner of classic stuffed peppers, using my mom's recipe.  The ripe fruit and great backbone of this wine make it a perfect complement to the sweet and spicy sauce and rich goodness of Italian sausage and ground beef that make the stuffing.  Yum!  And now that dinner is over it's time for me to head to the theater, as I have tickets for tonight's production of Zombie Prom by the Elkhart Civic Theater!  Cheers!

2012 Encantado Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  It was certainly a busy one for me as I was running around getting Christmas trees and finding food for my annual Christmas party next Saturday, and today I bought the biggest tree I've ever bought for the family room, a blue spruce that stands about 9 feet tall and seems to be about 6 feet in diameter at the base!  So it's time to relax, and before you accuse me of repeating a wine post (not that it's never happened) our wine this evening is a little different than the 2012 Encantado Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as this one is made only from grapes produced in the Oakville AVA, home to some rock star wineries like Silver Oak and Opus One!  But like the regular cab, this one is still produced by Pine Ridge Vineyards, so let's get busy with the wine already!

The wine is a beautiful, deep ruby color in the glass with nice legs.  The nose is just what you'd expect from a high-quality Cabernet from Oakville, ripe black fruit, blackberries, plum and a hint of strawberry over some smoke, baking spice and a bit of mint.  The taste is quite refined, with a burst of mellow fruit up front, ripe berries and plum that transition relatively effortlessly to some earthy notes of tar, dusty limestone and black pepper.  The finish is delightful, as the fine tannins support a rich, velvety mouthfeel amid the long, smooth and exceedingly dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as this wine has all that I would expect from a $50 bottle, but I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $23!  Like any quality Napa Valley Cabernet, this wine would be perfect with red meat or a variety of hearty dishes perfect for the winter months.  Tonight I am enjoying this with a USDA Prime petite sirloin steak grilled rare with a baked potato and some haricots vert almondine, a classic steak house dinner with a classic Cabernet!  Cheers!