Tag Archives: napa cabernet

Live Wire Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

19 Thursday Jul 2012

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A gorgeous nose of pure dark fruit that translates well to the palate. Strange as it may be, not many wines smell like they taste. Is this a good thing?
Purity is descriptor here, with some really delicious tannins to boot. The fruit has precision, with some plum? It’s hard to tell as the tannins, nice as they are, distract me.
Generally a decent wine that I believe has good collaring potential and will balance itself out over time. A unique Napa Cab that I want to give 4 stars to, and would guess at a 90 point rating.

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Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

04 Wednesday Jul 2012

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The annual pilgrimage to our friends for the 4th of July always includes a handful of wines from the cellar to go with the traditional Shish Kebabs on the 3rd. Unfortunately this year was slightly different as we lost power in our home for several days and decided to just throw kids, dogs and wine bottles into the cars and head south. This emergency measure meant no painstaking decisions, no chance to go for the traditional vertical of wines- just a grab and go. The Burgundy I just wrote about was one on the casualties of our hasty retreat, and so was this bottle. I had planned on Silver Oak, some older Bordeaux and some New World Pinots. Irrelevant- I ended up with this mouthful of Napa Cabernet. Delicious, smooth and balanced. Mouthfuls of dark black and blue fruit were interlaced with a good tannic structure. When I say mouthfuls, not fruit bomby, just gobs of lavish fruit that make you salivate for more. A great finish ends the experience that is quintessential Napa Cab. With such youth, this bottle holds promise for more maturation and a long life. Just approaching maturity, I would imagine 2020 before it starts downhill, hopefully with a bagful of secondary flavors having emerged. 5 stars and a 91 pointer. Salut and Happy Independence Day!

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Burgess ’96

17 Friday Feb 2012

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I once bought 6 bottles of this Napa Cabernet and was so blown away, I couldn’t wait to get more.  Alas, they were all out.  So, I moved on with my life and ended up buying several different vintages, pining for just one more bottle of this nectar.  Well, as luck would have it, I came across a deal and snapped up two cases.  Being the generous kinda guy I am,  one went to my neighbor, one to a friend, and we opened a few this past week.  Showing a slight ‘bricking’ in the glass tells me this wine is nearing it’s “sell-by” date.  The nose is amazing; tobacco, dark fruit and cassis.  Tasted blind, you would swear it was a Bordeaux.  With over 16 years on it, she’s still holding on, barely.  The secondary flavors are in full force, the tannins, receding.  The balance I remembered from previous bottles was slightly amiss.  Not sure what was happening there.  Instant gratification is all I can say when I open one of these.  A remarkable wine that I will say was one of the first Napa Cabs that really did it for me.  Must run, the other bottles are waiting for a decant- which I did not do for the first bottle.  Almost forgot- 5 Stars!  Perhaps a 93 pointer if you are into that kinda thing.

burgess cellars 1996

gritty wine

The need to decant

Opus One, ’00

28 Wednesday Dec 2011

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Opus one 2000

Perhaps one of the more controversial California Cabernet’s, this bottle was the ringer in last night’s Bordeaux episode.  Having served Lynch Bages 1996, Duhart Milon 2000, I snuck this little gem in to the fray and the results were overwhelming.  A joint venture formed in 1979 between Robert Mondavi and Mouton Rothschild the Opus One is blended in the Bordeaux style using the finest California fruit.  Heavy on the Cabernet Sauvignon they have deftly added Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec to round out the wine and produce something that I could only describe as “Fruit Explosion Meets Old World Elegance”.

The first whiff and taste of this bottle brought a unanimous exclamation of “wow, very fruity”.  At eleven years of age, there is no end in sight for this wine, the tannins are soooo good, gently edging the mouthfeel and caressing the amazing fruit.  Secondary flavors are yet to come forth, but I can sense they are lurking.  The pro’s trashed this wine as overpriced and underperforming for the pedigree.  With an official score of 90, and a lofty price tag, it did not sell well.  I picked up a half-case from ‘my guy’ to keep him sweet- thus ensuring future allocations of what I really wanted.  I am really glad I did….  I am giving this baby 5 stars, only because there is no six, and I reckon the pro’s would re-rate it as a 93-94 point wine.  A true shocker that has definitely rewarded my cellaring patience.  I think I have one more bottle-yippee!

opus 1