2010 Seven Hills Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it's time to at last bid a fine farewell to 2016, and I must admit I have no idea where the last 12 months have gone!  But at least to help celebrate what was a pretty good year (now that it's over), I've decided to open up a nice bottle of wine that I found while updating my cellar list this past week, the 2010 Seven Hills Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon!  This wine is a special, limited production (only 82 cases) wine from the old vines at the Seven Hills Vineyard and the Fire Ridge Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.  So let's see if it was worth the wait!

The wine is an intense ruby color along the edges with a center of inky indigo.  The nose offers some stunning aromas of leather and rich black fruit, blackberries, cherries and cassis with a residual of green olive that lingers at the end.  The taste is absolutely stunning, with rich black fruit intermingled with some wonderful notes of cherry cola, anise and dark chocolate, which transition elegantly to some fantastic notes of olive spice that brings back images of a local Italian grocery in New York.  The finish is divine, with robust tannins providing a velvety mouthfeel and a supple, dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

What a great wine, that is not surprising to be given reserve status by the winemaker.  I would rate this one as an easy 9.5, as it's arguably the best Cabernet I've had in all of 2016 (good to end on a high note)!  This is an ideal big steak wine, which is a good thing since my New Year's Eve dinner consists of a prime dry aged Angus Porterhouse that I bought at Eataly yesterday in Chicago, along with a big baked potato with sour cream and chives and some steamed orange cauliflower.  Cheers and best wishes for the New Year!

2012 V. Sattui Vittorio's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

So as I mentioned in my post on my recent Napa Valley Wine Train experience, most of the wineries I visited could not ship to Indiana (it's a peculiar rule for my state, in that they won't allow direct shipments to consumers if a winery has a distributor in Indiana), but the last winery we visited was the exception, as V. Sattui only sells their wines from the winery, so you can't buy them in stores or restaurants.  Needless to say, I had some pent up demand and order a case to be shipped home, including tonight's wine, the 2012 Vittorio's Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!  The vineyard is named for Dario Sattui's great grandfather, who founded the winery in 1885, and this sustainably farmed, organic Cabernet was blended with a bit of Petit Verdot (4%) to add a bit of depth to the final wine.  So let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a deep, inky purple color, just what you'd expect from a nice quality Cabernet.  The nose presents aromas of leather, oak and ripe berries that practically dare you to resist taking a sip.  The taste is taste is a rush of black cherry and raspberry that quickly transition to some complex mineral notes of dusty limestone midpalate.  The finish is long, smooth and bone dry, capping such a pleasant sipping experience.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very fine Napa Cabernet that would stack up with many of the more expensive wines in the valley, but this one was just $60 or less with a club discount.  This is a great steak wine, which is a good thing that I like steak!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime ribcap steak with some grilled Brussels sprouts, asparagus, leeks and baby bok choy and some truffle mac & cheese, so yummy!  Cheers!

2012 Charles Krug Napa Valley Merlot

Happy day after Boxing Day!  Yes, I am still on staycation and I'm still definitely in the Holiday mood.  Tonight I've taken it easy and decided to have a bottle of wine from a winery I visited on my recent Napa Valley junket, the 2012 Charles Krug Napa Valley Merlot!

The wine is a deep ruby color at the edges leading to an inky black at the center.  The nose is a pleasant combination of leather, smoke and jammy red fruit, cherries, blackberries and plums.  The taste is a rush of ripe fruit that bombards your senses, at first sweet and then a bit tart, you have ample cherry and ripe berry flavors dancing in your mouth.  As the fruit subsides, you get a nice bit of earthy goodness, oak and dusty limestone, before you reach the climax of rather young yet mellow tannins that provide the foundation for the long, smooth and voluptuous finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a remarkably pleasant drinking Merlot that was also a terrific value at right around $20 at my local wine store.  This wine would be wonderful with a nice steak or roast, but tonight I'm sipping this after my wonderful dinner of leftovers from Christmas!  Cheers!