2012 Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Hump Day!  It's been a long, cold, snowy day here.  I got home from work, finished shoveling snow, then went to drop off dry cleaning and go to the gym.  Now I am certainly ready for a nice glass of wine as I make dinner.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2012 Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa County that I picked up at my local supermarket a couple weeks ago. I've been on a bit of a Napa kick lately, so let's see how this one is!

The wine is a bright ruby color in the glass with nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of leather, limestone and a hint of blackberry and violet.  The taste is presents some floral notes up front before the ripe black fruit kicks in, blackberry and plum, which transition to some notes of black pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is somewhat subdued, with mellow tannins leading to a smooth, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a nice Cabernet, but nothing that causes me to get too excited, though this was also a decent value at just $24.  I'm also not a big fan of the artificial cork, but that's just a personal preference.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic pairing, a black pepper bacon wrapped Angus filet mignon, baked potato and grilled asparagus.  This is a very nice steak wine, I will say that!  Cheers!

2012 Charles Krug Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Oh Mondays...such an abused day of the week!  Well despite all the complaints about Mondays, I am celebrating them tonight by opening a bottle of 2012 Charles Krug Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  I had a great visit to this winery back on my trip to Napa Valley in October of 2015 and I was very impressed with the winery and the wines (you can see that post here), particularly the history as this winery dates back to 1861.  This particular wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (90%), Merlot (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%) and as I recall from my tasting at the winery I liked this one!

The color is classic Napa Cabernet, with an inky, almost black color at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is very inviting, with aromas of leather, black plum, black currant and a hint of vanilla.  The taste is a blast of ripe black fruit, blackberry and currant and a hint of cherry cola that transition nicely to some rustic notes of cocoa powder, baking spice and oak midpalate.  The tannins are youthful and elegant, providing for a lovely smooth and long dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as this is a great example of the stellar 2012 Napa vintage, and it was a good value as I found this one on sale at my local market for $23, not including the 10% discount for buying 4 or more bottles!  Tonight I am enjoying this one with a classic pairing of a rare grilled Angus Kansas City bone-in New York Strip, baked potato and steamed broccoli. What a delightful steak wine!  Cheers!

2000 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Valley Merlot

Happy February!  It's the first Saturday of the new month and of course that means it's Cellar Saturday, where I raid the cellar for something old and cool to open.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle from one of my favorite Walla Walla producers, the 2000 L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Walla Merlot.  This particular vintage is a blend of Merlot (75%), Cabernet Sauvignon (19%) and Cabernet Franc (6%). Now I've let this one decant for about an hour, so let's see what she's got!

The wine is a nice garnet color in the glass with a bit of brown along the edges.  The nose presents lovely aromas of leather, basalt, blackberry and prune, sort of the classic aroma of a mature Bordeaux.  The taste is surprisingly mellow and pleasant, with a rush of cherry cola up front that transitions to some notes of white pepper and mint midpalate.  The finish is very smooth and bone dry, though the tannins were quite mellow.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's a beautiful example of a mature Walla Walla Merlot, but my sense is that it might be just on the downhill side of its life.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic pairing of black pepper bacon wrapped filet mignon grilled rare, along with a baked potato and grilled asparagus.  The earthy flavors of this wine are perfect with the lovely grilled beef.  Cheers!