Expensive Reds Tasting

The Expensive Reds Tasting is a twice-a-year only event. $48 for side-by-side tasting of $945 of the finest Cabs and Cab blends Napa has to offer. Through Monday, May 23.

Tasting Notes:

2008 Paul Hobbs Winery -- Parker gave this wine a 90. Winemakers' notes 

highlight "concentrated aromas of black currant, mocha and tobacco leaves 

reveal themselves as this deep crimson wine opens in the glass. A dense, 

viscous palate coats the mouth with boysenberry, red currant, clove and 

cassis.  Velvety tannins weave together with layers of vanillin, baker’s 

cocoa, anise and cedar to create a lengthy, expressive finish."

2006 Lamborn Family Vineyards -- Scored 94 and crafted by famous 

winemaker Heidi Barrett, Lamborn Cabernet is Estate farmed on four of the 

Lamborn Family's eight Howell Mountain acres, the first sub-appellation 

of Napa. This wine is classic Howell Mountain fruit: huge, dense, black 

fruit with great depth.

2008 Continuum Partners -- Scored 94, continuing in the tradition of 

previous Continuum vintages of a multi-layered wine with phenomenal 

depth. 

2007 O'Shaughnessy Howell Mountain Cabernet -- Considered "the finest 

Cabernet this estate has yet produced," Robert Parker awarded this wine a 

score of 95. He further characterizes the wine as having "A dense purple 

color to the rim as well as the exquisite bouquet of black raspberries, 

blueberries, camphor, creme de cassis, smoke, and crushed rocks are 

followed by sweet fruit, gorgeous density, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a 

layered, multi-dimensional mid-palate and length. With no hard edges, 

this flawless wine should drink well for 20-25 years. One of the 

superstar estates of Howell Mountain, winemaker Sean Capiaux is the force 

behind these impressive reds."

2007 Altamura Cabernet -- Awarded 96 points by Wine Spectator, they've 

designated this cab as #5 on the world's Top 100 list. This wine has 

incredible depth and is grown in one of the least-known corners of Napa: 

a small, remote area northeast of Napa called Wooden Valley, where the 

growing period is lengthened by days tempered with fog and temperatures 

as much as 10 degrees cooler.

2002 Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet -- 93 points. Tasting notes: 

"The 2002 is a seductive Cabernet Sauvignon with vibrant acidity. A 

primary style of red wine entering its adolescence. Highly aromatic nose 

and flavours of crème de cassis, juicy blackberry, lavender, violets and 

cherry-boiled sweets. Sweet vanilla, roasted espresso coffee beans, milk 

chocolate, cinnamon, cloves and caramelized sugar indicate the generous 

French oak regim which some felt needs a few years to fully integrate. 

Some earth characteristics of dusty cellar and dark damp smoky peat. Some 

creamy bacon fat “lardo” savory characters filled-out the palate. A 

beautifully balanced wine, which boasts fleshiness and lots of structural 

support to hold it all in. Plentiful fine-grained tannins. This is a 

complex wine that is virtually infinite – many assessors could still 

appreciate this wine for several minutes after tasting. A wine that will 

offer many years of pleasure to those who are patient. Cellar to enjoy 

from 2015-2025++."

2008 Buccella Cabernet -- Parker awarded 95 points to this stunning 

example of winemaker Celia Welch's blend of 95% Cab and the rest Merlot, 

Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. According to Parker,"...it exhibits an opaque 

purple color, great intensity and a sweet nose of blue and black fruits 

intermixed with toasty oak, lead pencil shavings and forest floor. Rich, 

layered and full-bodied with silky tannins, this broad, savory 2008 

should drink well for 15 or more years."

BONUS Tasting: 2007 Merus -- One of Napa's most sought-after wines, 

the 07 Merus is, according to Cal Carrington, "Loaded for bear." Robert Parker

gave it 95 points and described it as, "...Full-bodied, powerful, and rich with

chocolaty espresso notes intermixed with blackberries and blueberries, this

pure, impressively textured, long Cabernet should evolve for two decades.”