Cabernet tagged posts

The Next Coming of The Prisoner: Coppola Director’s Cut Cinema

July 2, 2012 Cellar Worthy, High End Values  No comments

I was a big fan of Orin Swift's "The Prisoner" when it came out.  So much so that it was the first wine I spent real money on.  The receipt below shows I spent $210.28 on a six pack at over $35 per bottle!

The price of The Prisoner has dropped since then, but in my opinion, so has the quality.  I thought maybe my tastes had just changed, so I opened my last bottle of the 2005 vintage The Prisoner earlier this year and confirmed I do indeed like that wine better than the last several releases (they are now on 2010).  As so often happens with popular wines, the temptation to increase production caused quality to diminish.

I have never tasted a wine quite like the early versions of The Prisoner until now.  And, it came from an unexpected source:

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A Serious 91 Point Napa Cabernet under $20 – Fuse

November 1, 2011 Cellar Worthy, Daily Drinkers  No comments

I usually completely ignore Wine Enthusiast reviews.  For reasons why, see my "Rating the Raters" post. Well, by some fluke, they got this rating dead on, because this is an absolutely magnificent Napa Cabernet for $17.95.

This wine reminds me of the 2008 Paul Hobbs Crossbarn at a $12 discount.  It's an open, oaky, and sweet Cabernet with serious intentions.  When it comes to value-priced Napa cabs, I find this style preferable to the more firm, tannic version, because I don't have the patience, nor confidence, to sit on an $18 bottle of wine for five years to wait for it to hopefully open up.  This wine will certainly drink well for at least five years, but unlike a bottle of Anderson's Conn Valley Reserve Cabernet ($60), it doesn't require it to be at its best.

This wine pours a

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A 90 Point Napa Cab for $17 – Buehler… Buehler…

October 21, 2011 Cellar Worthy, Daily Drinkers  No comments

Readers have probably noticed that less Napa Cabernet appears on this blog than it once did.  Why is that?  Two reasons: 1) I've gotten more picky about what I write up and 2) the marginal lift in the economy has made bargain Napa Cabernet harder to come by.  Sure, there are more cheap cabs in the market than ever but cheap does not equal value.  The problem with most of these value priced Napa Cabs is they all taste the same and that taste is... unnatural.

Much like Ferris Bueller on his "Day Off", Buehler Vineyards takes their own approach to high production (15,000 case!!!) Cabernet.  What make wine enjoyable is that no two are the same, and the best are downright unique.  Buehler Vineyard's Napa Cabernet tastes like a Cabernet, but it is identifiable and unique, and to my palate,

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Oakville Ranch Cabernet – Single Vineyard 94 Point Magic $44.95

August 29, 2011 Cellar Worthy, High End Values  No comments

Every time I drink an Oakville wine, I'm amazed at the uniqueness of the flavor.  Cabernet made from this tiny appellation in the center of the Napa valley, flanked by Yountville to the south and Rutherford to the north, is immediately identifiable by its exceptional density and powerful but sweet tannins.

The 2008 Oakville Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is no exception.  At this young age, it pours a deep, opaque purple.  The color alone identifies this wine as something special.  The nose is sweet and round, another signature of Oakville, with a nice balance of ripe fruit and new oak flavors.  On the palate, it shows its youth with mouth-coating, biting tannins that get sweeter as the lengthy finish lingers on.  Let this baby sit for 10 years and it will be absolutely epic.  If you don't

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94 Point Cabernet $36.95 – Stonestreet Monument Ridge 2007

August 18, 2011 Cellar Worthy, High End Values  No comments

To quote French Stewart of Saturday Night Live's "Celebrity Jeopardy", "I'm a late bloomer, Alex, and in Double Jeopardy, I'm gonna bloom!"  It's Double Jeopardy for the 2007 vintage but Sonoma County is still releasing some of that amazing vintage and the 2007 Stonestreet Monument Ridge Cabernet is, well, monumental.

This winery is another one of the late Jess Jackson's masterpieces.  He was a pioneer of California wine, but also wine values, especially with the Kendall-Jackson label.  This winery has released a true value with this Alexander Valley Cabernet.  Alexander Valley is one of the few places in Sonoma County that grows great Cabernet grapes because of it's warmer temperatures.  I hesitate to bring this up, but another famous Cabernet hails from the Alexander Valley

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Two Values from the Legendary Paul Hobbs: Crossbarn

July 20, 2011 Cellar Worthy, High End Values  No comments

Paul Hobbs makes wine from the very best vineyards in California.  Think names like Hyde, Stagecoach, To-Kalon and Dr. Crane.  He has numerous 100 point ratings and has established himself as perhaps the top winemaker and consultant in California and beyond.

But what happens to all of those expensive grapes he buys that don’t quite make the cut for his $100+ wines?  I'll give you a hint.  He doesn’t just throw them away.  He makes them into his Crossbarn series of wines.  You might call Crossbarn a second wine, but that wouldn’t really do these wines justice.  The Crossbarn series are on par with most wineries top tier productions, but Hobbs just holds himself to a higher standard.

I've had a number of vintages of both the Chardonnay and the Cabernet and each impress every time. 

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To each his own… when it comes to wine.

May 18, 2011 Cellar Worthy, High End Values  No comments

Tonight we brought two different wines to a business dinner and it became apparent to me how differently people perceive outwardly similar wines.  We had four wine drinkers and we were split 50/50, somewhat passionately, between these two.  Both wines were 2007 Napa Cabernet but they were very different in style.  The Turnbull, from Oakville is rich, opulent and upfront; almost sweet with mouth coating tannins.  On the other hand, the Chimney Rock, from cooler Stags Leap, is focused, clean, exceptionally long and almost Bordeaux-like.  Think Aussie Shiraz vs. Rhone Syrah - same grape, but much different styles.

What I took out of tonight is that both of these are great wines.  I own both and enjoy them in different ways.   The bottom line is, if you like it IS good. That's really all

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Deal Alert: 2007 Chalk Hill Estate Red – RP95 for $54.95

May 17, 2011 Cellar Worthy, High End Values  No comments

This is just one of those outstanding deals of a vintage where the score and the price don't match up.  Chalk Hill has a fabled history of producing one of Sonoma County's top Bordeaux Blends. The perfect 2007 growing season, combined with their continuous efforts to find the perfect site/varietal/rootstock combination, have paid off in a major way.  Half Cabernet and a quarter Malbec, make this a unique blend for California, but as Allison Steltzner pointed out, California is a great place to grow Malbec and I applaud Chalk Hill's liberal use of the varietal.

Buy this wine to drink now or lay it back for 20 years.  Robert Parker and Wine Enthusiast gave it 95 points and Wine Spectator gave it 93.  The lowest price on WineBid.com for a 95 point California Cabernet blend is $70 and this

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Deal Alert: $30 off Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet 2005

April 30, 2011 Cellar Worthy, High End Values  No comments

Nickel and Dime Wine readers are getting this deal 48 hours before it's announced to the general public.

Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet is one of the most highly regarded wines from the Napa Valley.  Its ratings pedigree is legendary, garnering cult scores at reasonable production levels.  This is the wine that's $180 on every prime steakhouse's reserve list.  $115 at the winery, $90 at most retailers, LA Wine Co. is selling it for $59.95.  This is the best Cabernet deal of the year so far.  Easily.

Beringer Private Reserve is also one of my personal favorites.  I have every vintage between 2003 and 2007 with the exception of '06 which I missed somehow.  The 2005 featured here was awarded 94 points from Stephen Tanzer who called it "Sexy from the start", 93 from

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Nickel and Nickel Cabernet for under $60. How does this happen?

April 25, 2011 Cellar Worthy, High End Values  No comments

We have a serious blue chip Napa Cabernet deal coming this week, and believe it or not, this isn't it!  But this is arguably just as good a deal.

Nickel and Nickel was founded by Gil Nickel, owner of the famed Far Niente label.  Whereas Far Niente is focused on making the best Napa appellation wine, combining the best grapes for multiple vineyards, Nickel and Nickel makes exclusively single vineyard wines.  In July of last year, we tasted through a selection of Nickel and Nickel's single vineyard Cabernets and were impressed by all.  The only problem: all of the Cabernets are around $90.  Especially in this case, quality comes at a price.

Can you guess where this post is going?  Somehow, LA Wine Co. managed to get Nickel and Nickel's second highest rated wine (94 points from Robert

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