2020 Stags Leap Winery "The Investor" Napa Valley Red Wine

Happy Saturday!  It's been a busy afternoon of leaf gathering in the yard, and now that I've cleaned up I have time for a nice glass of wine and dinner before heading off to my local community theatre for a performance.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of wine I discovered at a restaurant when I had dinner in Gross Pointe, Michigan a couple of months ago.  The waiter indicated that this wine was not on the list as they received only a few bottles by mistake, and since it was half off bottle night we indulged in a bottle of 2020 Stags Leap Winery "The Investor" Napa Valley Red Wine.  Given my career choices, this wine is perfectly named and contains a blend of Merlot (40%), Petit Syrah (30%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Malbec (10%) all from the Napa Valley AVA.  So, let's see how this wine is shaping up!

The wine is an inky black with a rind of ruby along the edges, perfect for a Bordeaux blend.  Take a whiff and you indulge in an array of black fruit, intermingled with anise and caramel, hints of dusty loam and dark chocolate.  The first sip is a wave of luscious ripe fruit, black cherry, currant and plum that ease into some warm notes of baking spice, white pepper and caramel.  The tannins are playful in the structure, easing you into a velvety, smooth dry finish that will have you reaching for another sip forthwith.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a fantastic Bordeaux style blend that is somewhat surprising given its origin in Napa.  This wine would pair well with the braised short ribs I enjoyed at that restaurant, steaks, grilled lamb chops or hearty pasta.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a quick and simple dinner of Trader Joe's tomato and burrata ravioli along with some homemade marinara and some new Bolognese mix of ground veal, pork and beef.  Cheers!

2020 Woodward Canyon Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It's been a weekend of yard work as I am nearing the end of leaf harvest, and soon all the trees will be bare and several metric tons of leaves will be hauled to the front of my house.  And now that it gets dark before suppertime, I suppose it's appropriate to open a nice bottle of wine in anticipation of dinner.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of a perennial favorite, the 2020 Woodward Canyon Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon (you can see the many other vintages I've reviewed here).  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Petit Verdot (12%), Cabernet Franc (5%), Merlot (4%), and 1% each of Syrah, Barbera and Dolcetto.  So, let's see what this vintage has to offer!

The wine is a deep inky black at the center with bright garnet along the edges, just as you would expect from a nice Cabernet.  Take a whiff and you're greeted by aromas of black cherry, leather, anise and a hint of mint.  The first sip is rush of ripe black fruit that transitions to some notes of dried spice and earthy notes of tar and basalt.  The velvety mouthfeel and well integrated tannins offer and appropriate yin and yang to a Cabernet that really shines through the Bordeaux aspects of Washington state.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, and since it's still relatively young, there is plenty of opportunity to mature with some time in the cellar.  This wine would pair exceptionally well with hearty steaks, braised short ribs or hearty fall stews.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare American Wagyu strip from Snake River Farms, along with some oven roasted sweet potatoes, leeks and maple bacon Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2012 Cobblestone Vineyards Atlas Peak Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it's the first Saturday of a new month which means it's Cellar Saturday!  It's time to raid my cellar and find something at least a decade in the making.  Tonight I've opened the first bottle in a 2012-2016 vertical I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out.  The 2012 Cobblestone Vineyards Atlas Peak Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (96%) and Petit Verdot (4%) from the Atlas Peak AVA of Napa Valley.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is an inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges, just as you might expect from a classic, big Napa Cabernet.  A swirl of the glass reveals aromas of prune, lavender, eucalyptus and a bit of ripe blackberry.  Take a sip and you are immediately in big Cabernet country, with a rush of black fruit that washes over your palate, blackberry, cherry and plum, that transition easily to some notes of anise, white pepper spice and earthy loam.  The tannins are robust, providing for a velvety mouthfeel and a long, smooth dry finish that seems to linger for a minute or more.

I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's really matured well over the years.  This wine would pair well with a lot of hearty dishes, but like most big Napa Cabs, it would be exceptional with steak.  Tonight I am doing just that and enjoying this wine with a big dry aged prime ribeye grilled Pittsburgh rare, with grilled leeks, oven roasted sweet potatoes, blistered cherry tomatoes and steamed asparagus.  Cheers!