2019 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Spring Mountain, Wine Review

Made from estate grown fruit on Spring Mountain in Napa. Togni is one of the "old school" producers still making great wines in Napa. It is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Purple in color with some ruby hues, opaque and bright. The nose is tight but in the glass it opens to show cassis, dust, tobacco, cedar and vanilla. Full bodied. Firm tannins. Likewise, very tight on the palate. Cassis, black cherries and spice. Long finish. This (no surprise for Togni) needs time. Ideally, give this five to ten more years in a good cellar and then drink for twenty after that. After some cellaring, it should go nicely with big heavy meat dishes or also some hard cheese.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2019

Current Price:

$140.00USD

Top 50 California Cabernet Sauvignons to Try Before You Quit Drinking (a non-dump bucket list if you will!)

In putting together a list of the top California Cabernets, there is sure to be some disagreement. I tried to include those wines that have a track record, the wineries still making great wines, those that seemed to have the commitment for the future and some personal favorites. I am sure I left some out. 1. Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select – It’s always hard to name the number one wine. But this has a track record that’s very long. Even in less than stellar vintages, it is an outstanding wine. They just don’t seem to make a dud. My only complaint is the price at over $200 a bottle. But, in comparison to other Napa Cabs or elsewhere in the world, this is a fair price.

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2015 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Tanbark Hill, USA, California, Napa, Spring Mountain, Wine Review

Vintage:

2015

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$56.00USD

Phillip Togni's wines often need a long period of cellaring before they are ready. Not so with this one. Although still young, it is drinking well and quite enjoyable right now. Deep ruby with purple swirls in color. The nose is pretty with cassis, cherries, and dust. On the palate, this is soft with lighter tannins. Plenty of black cherry fruit and some cassis. Good finish. This will go with a wider variety of foods than most Cabs and probably is helped by serving with food. It should be enjoyed over the next decade.

Which California Cabernet Sauvignons Deserve "First Growth" Status?

In 1855, the Exposition Universelle was held in Paris to showcase all that was good in France. Emperor Napoleon III requested the leading Bordeaux merchants to rank the best wines . The top wines were rated as First Growths. Over the years, many people in the rest of the world have discussed what wines from their country would be First Growths. I am often asked what I think the First Growths of California are. It is an interesting conversation with lots of room for debate.

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Heidi Peterson Barrett: Napa's Wine Diva on Winemaking, La Sirena, and the Legacy of Screaming Eagle

Heidi Peterson Barrett As arguably the most celebrated, respected, envied, and in-demand winemaker in America today, Heidi Peterson Barrett is one of only a handful of winemakers who can legitimately lay claim to "superstar" status. Her wines at both Dalle Valle and Screaming Eagle resulted in multiple 100 point scores from Robert Parker (Parker himself dubbed her the "First Lady of Wine") and helped redefine both the meaning and value of "cult" wines. She rocked the wine world at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction as a 6-liter bottle of her 1992 Screaming Eagle sold for $500,000, in the process setting a world record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine (a vertical offering went for $650,000 at the 2001 Napa Valley Wine Auction). Heidi Peterson Barrett is currently winemaker for Amuse Bouche, Paradigm, Revana, Barbour, Lamborn, Fantesca, as well as her own label La Sirena . I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Heidi to talk about winemaking, her own La Sirena label, and the legacy of Screaming Eagle.

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2013 Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Kaliholmanok Kicu'me, USA, California, Napa, Spring Mountain, Wine Review

Vintage:

2013

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$145.00USD

This was interesting. Pop and pour and there were light notes of what might have been TCA. Very intermittent. I decided to let the bottle sit over night (closed with a neutral cork) and check back the next day. If the bottle was off with TCA, it would be worse the next day. On the other hand, the next day, this bottle was clean as a whistle and drinking quite well. Not sure what was going on, but glad I waited and gave it a chance. Dark purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose had cassis, char, and spice. Just a hint of pencil lead and slight earthiness. On the palate, this has

2019 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Spring Mountain, Wine Review

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2015 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Tanbark Hill, USA, California, Napa, Spring Mountain, Wine Review

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Heidi Peterson Barrett: Napa's Wine Diva on Winemaking, La Sirena, and the Legacy of Screaming Eagle

2013 Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Kaliholmanok Kicu'me, USA, California, Napa, Spring Mountain, Wine Review