Category Archives: Cabernet Sauvignon

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The Fleming’s 50/50 Tasting Event

Enlisted my brother and I for this wine adventure the moment I saw the promotion from Fleming’s Steakhouse–the August showing of the “100 Wines One Summer” series. We did the Uber thing to and from this tasting so that we could relax and enjoy new wines without having to figure out who had to be the designated driver. That being said, here’s how the evening unfolded for this guy:

  1. JCB by Jean-Francois Boisset
    Some whites (this one is a 100% Chardonnay) have more of that oak smell or flowers to them, while others–like this JCB–carry more fruit notes. This sparkling, produced in Burgundy’s Cote d’Or region, was served to us after signing in at the registration desk. Nice apply start to the tasting.Screen Shot 2016-09-05 at 5.54.14 PM
  2. Pinot Grigio, Maso Canali
    My last white tasting this night, a blend of 95% Pinot Grigio and 5% Chardonnay, jumped out when described by the hostess. She was tending to an array of whites, and her notes zeroed me in on this Italian wine…I know someone (you know who you are!) who would have really liked this white. The Grigio lead the way in terms of taste, and I am not sure I could have determined the Chardonnay in the mix if I had not been told of its inclusion.
  3. Pinot Noir, Wine by Joe
    Jumped softly into the pool of reds with this raspberry-scented Pinot, produced by Joe Dobbs in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon. I eschewed Mark West and Meiomi offerings in order to try something new in the Joe. Little bit of cherry in this gentle Pinot, which was quite delicious and a welcome shift from the whites.
  4. Pinot Noir, Rodney Strong
    I’ve sampled the Strong previously, and both the vineyard and any Russian River Valley Pinot Noir make a compelling argument to repeat a tasting (despite what I literally JUST said about the West and Meiomi). I was not disappointed at all. It’s beautiful cherry, soft, and aromatic in the glass…even the vanilla notes I enjoyed in the Rodney tasting. One of the evening’s highlights to be sure.
  5. Malbec, Pascual Toso
    We soon thereafter moved to table 3, some international reds, and my first and only selection from this grouping was this Malbec from the Mendoza region of Argentina. Sadly my notes are sparse on this offering, other than to say “lush fruits.”
  6. 2012 Liberated Cabernet Sauvignon
    Table four consisted of California reds, and those who read Notes with any frequency can imagine we drifted quickly to this area and stayed here the longest. This Sonoma County Cab was superb; expresso and dark cherry and mocha all wrapped into one dark, delicious beauty. Even had a little smokey hint to it…in many ways this red had all the nuances that I like about California Cabernet.
  7. 2014 Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon 
    The McDonnell family in Napa Valley (the Rutherford AVA as I read later) is responsible for this peppery and blackberry-tasting Cab. Some of this wine reminded me of good Syrah–perhaps its spice notes and the generous mouthfeel? In another year or two this one is going to be spectacular, and I was sort of picturing myself with a whole glass of this bad boy instead of just the sampler.
  8. Chateau St. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon
    Definitely familiar with this winery, but usually for their whites instead of reds. This one is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Syrah, 5% Merlot, and 4% Other (whatever that means). This one was pretty complex too, and I detected earthy tones, spices, and tobacco in this jammy red. Of all the reds we tasted tonight, this one was closest to the Michael David or Caymus wines of which I’ve written from time to time. Did you know this winery is the oldest in Washington State? I just learned that myself…
  9. Hall
    This is another Bordeaux-style blend, this one 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Other. It was okay but suffered a disadvantage by following the fruit-forward Michelle and Round Pond gems. This Napa Valley offering had a peppery finish but my vocabulary (or perhaps my inexact notes) doesn’t stretch far enough with the Hall. Really enjoyed the wine, but I’d prefer another glass of many others if pressed.
  10. Paraduxx
    Who names these thing? Such an unenviable task…and my notes from this one read (no joke) “Smells like feet. Very cherry.” I was only so so on the Paradox, but I’ll offer you the following from Flemings in case ‘feet’ as a tasting note left you in the lurch: “Offering a heady mix of blueberry and cherry aromas its lingering berry and cherry flavors, this velvety lush blend is [Dan Duckhorn’s] gift to all of us.” I’m not buying…
  11. Yardstick Cabernet Sauvignon
    Much better change of pace here. This too is a Napa Valley Cab, made of grapes sourced from Atlas Peak (from where I’ve had some enjoyable wine to be sure). It had a fantastic scent in the glass, red and black fruits that I’d say were black cherry and blackberry. You get a sense of the pepper here too, one of those soft layers that sneaks into a good wine, subtly reminding you of a presence of something greater. Nice flavor in the Yardstick–which is a GREAT bit of branding btw.
  12. Greg Norman Cabernet-Merlot
    Um, yes, not a California red but I understand its inclusion in this table. It’s got that Bordeaux vibe to it for sure, with raspberry notes and dark fruits mixing together. I was kind of interested in this one (not sure I’ve had a Norman ever before) but it was only okay.
  13. Gundlach-Bundschu Mountain Cuvee
    I know. You’re saying three more still? Steve and I said much the same this Saturday night as we sampled our way from Europe to North America, South America, and Australia all in one sitting. From the name I bet you’re thinking this one is international in origin, but it’s actually a Sonoma County blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Zinfandel. If you think that sounds like inelegant science you’re mistaken. This red blend was luscious in dark fruits and had an easy finish. A surprising pleasure and I’d like another glass on a night when my palate was not being so bombarded by so many flavors just so I could share more details with you on the Gundlach-Bundschu.
  14. Double T Trefethen Red Blend
    This one too is a combination (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec) red, Bordeaux in style. We got talking to some friendly patrons while sampling this round, and I’m afraid I have nothing of consequence to relay about the Trefethen. Wine & Spirits describes its “…plummy, jammy nose, its cherry-berry flavor profile, and its smooth, chocolate-covered finish” but I cannot recall from firsthand experience.
  15. Hills Hope
    Not sure if I should include this one or not. I am unsure of the winemaker or region for this one, or candidly the label or grape. Is very likely a red blend in the Bordeaux style, simply by its grouping at this particular table. A Google search yields too many “hills” to narrow the field, so this is definitely a clunky last entry. I wrote, “Easy finish. Dark cherry and raspberry with small tannins” but cannot be any more helpful than that. Disappointing and may even edit this one out in the future…sort of weighing the journalistic integrity either way.

Screen Shot 2016-09-05 at 5.55.23 PMI’m a little regretful that I didn’t take better stock of the vintage in the above. Most were assuredly ’13s and ’14s but I am pretty sure there were a few ’12s in the mix too. Sorry about that, fans.

That said, fifteen samples made for a great night and a great experience to share. If you like any of the above be sure to share some yourself and spread the love. -RMG

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2013 Origami Cabernet Sauvignon

I think this is my fourth and final bottle of the 2013 Origami Cabernet Sauvignon, and I’ve rushed or only photo bombed the previous three tastings. Means I’ve got to do right on this Napa Valley Cab this time around. So here goes…

2013 Origami

2013 Origami Hand-Crafted, Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon, Vintage Wine Estates, Napa Valley, California, USA.

This wine is doing double-duty, a Friday/Saturday back-to-back on a tough holiday weekend. I’m going to remember this one for a long time and wonder if the Origami will too stay in my memories. On one hand it’s a lovely beverage; on the other? There’s a lot of Cabernet that runs through this house and you have to be pretty special to stand out in the crowd.

This Hand-Crafted, Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon is typically offered only to members of the Clos Pegase wine club, but I snatched up a quartet courtesy of Wines Til Sold Out. From my distributor friends I learn that this bottle is a “micro-production” Cabernet Sauvignon…and while I have no idea what that means yet (perhaps sometime in the future) it is a great drink. Of course you have the notable black raspberry and spices of the region, and even some vanilla too. I let it breathe for probably 45 minutes and think it took on even better shape over the course of the evening. I also sampled in my favorite Cabernet Sauvignon glass, and I think that always bends my mind positively around a good wine.

Last night I had the ’13 Origami with steak, corn on the cob, and some macaroni salad. Today it accompanies a variation on that theme: corn, “crispy crowns”, and some grade-A steak burgers. Good flavors of char, pepper, and such.

It seems you’ll pay north of $50 if you’re buying this bottle at list, but at WTSO it was right at the $20 price point. Nice blend of cherries and spices, and nice combination of taste and affordability. Here’s raising a glass to the winemaker.

 

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2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County, Buena Vista

You should always cap off a day of wine tasting with a good wine–the 2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County is assuredly one of those. It’s a dark, spicy red blend from my favorite winery and culls grapes from AVAs throughout Sonoma County into one fantastic wine. This was a birthday gift and came out to play just this weekend.

2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

This vintage is mix of Petite Sirah (30%), Cabernet Sauvignon (29%), Syrah (18%), Grenache (12%), and Malbec (11%)–what I’ve heard termed a “kitchen sink” wine by more experienced tasters because of the mash-up. It’s hefty, and I do not mean just the special bottle. The glass, adorned with this badge thing, is the heaviest bottle I’ve ever tasted and almost instills some gravitas into the tasting experience. What I mean is the actual wine itself. The Sirah/Syrah is very much present in this wine, an undercurrent beneath a rich Cabernet/Merlot layer. It is really magnificent and a worthy successor to the Caymus that I sampled just hours beforehand.

Last night the Sheriff accompanied bacon-wrapped filet mignon steaks, sizzled to perfection on hot NC evening, and sides of potato and salad. Tonight the 2013 complemented mixed salad greens (including freshly chopped basil that is fighting hard against some hearty sun…and getting some good love along its journey), waxed beans, and a couple of pork chops grilled up to taste and also accented with crushed black pepper and basil.

Say the Buena Vista folks, “Inspiring dark red fruit aromatics arrest the senses while rich raspberry, blackberry, and semi-sweet chocolate flavors are deliciously unleashed on the palate.” Yup, good friends all, those flavors, and accurately described.

Screen Shot 2016-06-12 at 4.16.22 PMThe winemaker explains they have sourced the grapes from Rockville, Dry Creek Valley, and Alexander Valley in the 2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County. I understand that it’s performed very well in competition and with reviewers, and this guy is no exception. It’s my second Sheriff of this year (neglected to post Notes on the first…story for another time…) and I’m truly appreciative of the gift and wish I had saved more to share. Fun beverage to write about, and even better to drink.

 

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2014 Caymus Cabernet Blind Tasting

One of my favorite wine shops caught my attention with a special promotion–centered around the 2014 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon. It was a simple concept, one Winestore has run annually since 2010. The 2014 Caymus carries a sizable price tag, but is it justified? Does it outperform $25 competitors on reputation or actual taste?

Winestore lined up eight bottles, identical in size and shape, each masked with aluminum foil and numbered with a simple Sharpie. I was a rookie in that I’d never done a blind taste test, and never tried Caymus. Could I really pick it out against other worthy wines?

Masked bottles at Winestore, endeavoring us all to hunt for Caymus.

Masked bottles at Winestore, endeavoring all comers to hunt for the 2014 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sampling

I was interested to sample this highly regarded Wagner release, and interested to see if my modest tasting experiences over the past years would be of any value in differentiating it from the competition. I paid my fee and started with #8–you know why. Its color seemed slightly lighter than a typical Cabernet, and its easy finish I considered more Pinot- or Zin-like. Not too much in the way of earth tones or spices, and I considered it lower in price almost immediately. I jotted down tasting notes, swirled, and dialed up my next wine.

Number 7 was a shadow of #8. Almost immediately I was thinking neither of these was the Caymus, in part because neither was “blow you away” impressive and in part because there was less differentiation between them. That said, #7 carried a hint of smoke and slightly more raspberry than cherry or blackberry. All of this went onto my tasting sheet, and I started eyeing bottle #6.

Six was big flavor, an explosion of fruit. It was the right color. This wine’s big, jammy feel reminded me right away of the Petite Petit from Michael David that I love so much. Pretty cool, too, since it was Winestore that first opened my eyes to the Petite about two years ago. This is juice, this is big cherry, and the blackberry I thought missing from the previous samples.

The #5 wine was also a big contrast, very different from all three that came before it. The fifth was as dry as #6 was juicy. I’m not thinking Cabernet tannins here, and I’m catching a feel that is more Roija and Mediterranean than Californian. My notes say “Spanish? Grenache?” Was I right about that? We’ll get to that in a moment. Onward, true readers…

…to bottle #4. This one too was an easy disqualification. Very much not California, very much not a Cabernet. So not Caymus, but pretty damn good. I’m thinking Spanish Rioja here again. This sort of made another pairing. So far I’ve got #7 and #8 in proximity to one other, and #4 and #5 as semblances too.

By the time I hit #3 the wheels are turning, but I’m thrown out of the zone when the dispenser sputters and runs sort of empty as I fill my tasting glass. I sip, I swirl, I mull this one over. It’s got the right color, and my brain says “#3 always does right by you“. Wine #3 throws off the earthy notes that clearly signify Cabernet, and perhaps California at that. This smells special and tastes that way too. Is this my goal or just a windmill? I wonder how much of my game has been thrown by the sputtering dispenser.

There are fun people in the store, a few tackling this same Caymus challenge, and a couple others just enjoying time and each other’s company as they sample vino. I cracker up, I rinse my glass, and I make my way to #2.

It’s pretty damn good–is this the 2014 Caymus? It pours with the right color, has the right legs in the glass. I whiff and sip. I’ve never seen someone do the slurpy thing in real life, and I’ll be honest in telling you I swallowed every drop that I tasted today. This one in particular, because it is fine. Real fine! It is big fruit, it is layered, and it has a Cab-like finish.

Only #1 remains, and I hit it. It’s okay but doesn’t measure up to the last two bottles I’ve sampled. There’s a hint of something in this wine that I can’t quite place. It’s not vanilla, and it is not spice, leather, or licorice. Even now I’m not sure what it was, but it was closest to the licorice. Beautiful red color in bottle #1 yet no California Cabernet. (Look, if you read this column with any regularity, you know that an overwhelming percentage of all wine in Notes is Californian, so most times I know it when I taste it. This isn’t it.)

Making the Call

I think I’ve got my pick, and I’m wondering about the psychology of the order as I make my way over the employees managing the testing. Did they assign bottles to position at random? What does recency bias do to your taste buds? Do professional tasters wrestle over questions like this, and would they scoff at anyone who would confuse Caymus for these other wines? What’s the price of these other wines, which I have ordered by quality in my own brain in a way that’s independent from label, reputation, or cost?

2014 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA. AKA #6!

2014 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA. AKA #6!

Moment of confession–at this last minute, I hedge my bet. I ask the employee if the Petite Petit is among the samples. When he says no, I know right then and there that Caymus is Bottle #6 and I make my prediction. Yes, I get it right, but I still half-kick myself for not having the confidence to say so without wanting to first disqualify the David. The 2014 Caymus Cabernet is reminiscent of both Conundrum (which I have had on several prior occasions) and, obviously, the Petite Petit.

So what did I learn? Looking back, I recognize my palate has begun to tell me things about red wines and, to a growing extent, to differentiate between rich, nuanced reds and others that lack the subtleties that come in higher-regarded (and pricier) releases. I get the sense that I can discern California Cab from other varietals. And I also learn that I can find 90 to 95 percent of Caymus’ amazing taste in the Conundrum and Petite Petit bottles that cost 50 to 60 percent less. Fun occasion–thanks to the Winestore team for the compelling promotion.

The Wines

#8 was the 2014 Snowvale Cabernet ($12.99)

#7 was the 2011 Americano Petite Sirah ($14.99)

#6 was the 2014 Caymus Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ($64.99)

#5 was the 2014 Waccamaw Proprietary Red ($14.99)

#4 was the 2013 Las Flors de le Peira ($34.99)

#3 was the 2014 Willowlake Napa Cabernet ($59.99)

#2 was the 2013 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet-Shiraz ($34.99)

#1 was the 2011 Marge Priorate ($19.99)