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.”
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 04:45PM