Sean Minor Four Bears Cabernet ’07- THE best Napa Cab under $15

22 Jul

The 2007 Sean Minor Four Bears Cabernet is profoundly good for the price.  If you had asked me what I would pay for this wine, I would have said it’s worth three times its selling price.  And I only buy wines that I think are an exceptional value.  I have had $60 bottles of wine that aren’t as good.  Wine Spectator gave it 87 points which is very rare for a Napa Cabernet in this price range.  I’m not in the business of rating wines but, based on other WS ratings, I would put this at 90 points.

This wine is well put together in every way.  I could tell by the opaque deep purple color, that something special was coming.  What impresses me the most is the texture.  It’s rare… no, unheard of, to find a Napa Cabernet in this price range with this kind of rich mouthfeel.  Beyond that, the nose is sweet and expressive.  On the palate, reduced cherries and sweet dark berries come to mind, with a nice oak influence that is exceptionally rare in a wine in this price range (15% new oak).  The finish is lingering and focused.  If there is any fault in this wine, it’s that it doesn’t have the tannin structure to support extended aging.  But the reason we age wines is to relax the tannins, plus I don’t know anyone who buys $13 wine to drink 10 years from now.  That said, it will last for 6 years easily and will probably actually improve for the next 18 months.

Bottom line: this is the best Cabernet, Napa Valley or otherwise, I have ever tasted under $15 and I can only think of one other in this realm under $20.  Buy it by the case, buy it by the pallet!  I bought five cases of the 2005 Avalon Napa Cabernet which regularly sells around this price point, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is better to my taste.

Buy Here: Sean Minor Four Bears Cabernet 2007- $12.95

Wine Spectator 87 points

“Supple, graceful, complex and harmonious, this is firm and taut, with spicy plum, currant, cedar and mineral notes. Drink now through 2014. 12,000 cases made.”

3 Responses to “Sean Minor Four Bears Cabernet ’07- THE best Napa Cab under $15”

  1. Sean Minor 22. Jul, 2010 at 3:48 pm #

    Thanks for the excellent review! We appreciate your support.

    Cheers,

    Sean Minor

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