It’s Sunday Roast and I’m cooking a rather lean cut of meat today- Eye of Round.  It needs a fruit driven, medium tannin wine to complement the texture and lack of fat in the meat.  I would normally depend on an aged Bordeaux for this type of meal but today it’s a younger Napa Cab.

Inky purple in the glass the thin legs don’t hint at the whopping 15.6% ABV.  Wow.  The nose is exactly what I was hoping for- deep rich black fruit, oak nuance, steely minerality.  I get aromas of blackberry coulis, blackcurrant cassis, sweet coconut, baking spices and mint.  The palate is loaded with ripe fruit, medium tannins (perfect for my beef choice), juicy acidity, full body and a long finish.  The black fruit, oak influence and varietal hint (mint) are all present alongside some charred wood and a gritty graphite streak.  The mineral note hits on the mid palate.  This wine is still young and will drink beautifully for many years, maturing along the way and hopefully developing tertiary notes.  I would hold on to some till 2027 at the least and pair with steaks, roasts or a tray full of cold cuts and cheese.  This complex and layered wine gets 94 points from me and for the princely sum of one C-note you too can drink this 5-star elixir.  Salut….

The nose is all-singing and dancing Napa Cab.  You can smell the sunshine.  Wow….. Ripe, lush blackberries.  Vanilla, coconut and several other oaky traits are evident without being obnoxious.  On the palate there’s a ton of vanilla alongside black fruits, jammy currants and a dose of the wood.  The mid palate is very smooth, full bodied.  Juicy and jammy with gobs of black fruit, lithe tannins and some deft oak.  The finish is very smooth, loaded with those wood nuances and providing me with a beautiful mouthfeel.  93 points.  For $100 it’s quite pricy, but then again Napa Cabs are not cheap.  5 stars.  Drink till 2027.  Salut….