Cabernet Sauvignon

This is Trefethen's top wine.  Trefethen, as a winery, dates back to 1973.  The wine is middle of the road in terms of style for a Napa Cab.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, slightly woody, spice and slight roasted coffee.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is tasty.  Flavors of black cherries, cassis and spice.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own and very food friendly (probably not seafood).  It went well with a couple of homemade veggie pizzas.  Drink over the next ten years.

Gorgeous wine.  Tench vineyard shares a border with Screaming Eagle (a bit of name dropping).  This wine was huge on release and while still fruit forward, at age 10, it is drinking wonderfully.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is deep and complex with cassis, blueberries, sandalwood, slight soy sauce with earthiness and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Lush texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Flavors of cassis, blueberries, black cherries, spice and char.  Deep and complex.  Long finish.  This will drink beautifully for another twenty years.  Great on its own, t

This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, and 8% Petite Verdot.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, fresh herbs, cedar, leather and char.  Nice texture.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is nice.  Good fruit.  Black cherries, cassis, with some earthiness.  Good finish. This seems about at peak but should drink well for another seven to ten years.  Nice on its own, this will work with most (non-seafood) foods.  

While not their "top" wine, this is an ultra premium Cabernet that is on par with Napa or any other Cabernets at this price level.  It is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is open and enticing.  Cassis, black raspberries, cigar box, chocolate, spice and char.

This is their basic Cabernet.  it is a blend of 77.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.6% Petit Verdot, 6.5% Merlot, and 0.4% Cabernet Franc.  It had been in a decanter for about 45 minutes when I tried it.  Nevertheless, it was at least partially shut down at this point.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is very tight.  With some air in the glass, it opened a bit more.  Aromas of Black cherries, sandalwood and slight char.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, it is a bit more open.  Black cherries with some spice and char.  Moderate finish.  This wine needs time

A bit surprisingly, while still a nice wine, this lagged a bit behind both the 2017 and the 2019.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, slight cedar, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this drinks easy but doesn't have the expected depth.  Good finish.  It is a nice wine and will work well with heavier foods.  Beef Ragu would work nicely.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

Another amazing Materium.  This is arguably the best Cabernet made in Napa (and yes, there are other contenders).  Inky purple in color, shimmering bright and opaque.  The nose is great with cassis, tobacco, sandalwood, baking spice and char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Lush, lovely texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Every sip gets better.  It is deep but still young and tight.  Flavors of cassis, with some earthy tobacco notes.  Long finish.  This will get better but it is virtually all one could want in a young Cab.  Give it a bit of a decant if drinking soon.  Great on its ow

This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot 7%, Cabernet Franc, and 6% Malbec.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, char, tobacco, slight graphite and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this drinks well.  Flavors of cassis, plums with some tobacco and char.  Good finish.  This is drinking well on its own and will work nicely with beef dishes.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

Great showing.  This is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Aglianico from Campagna in Italy.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and a bit flat.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, dried cherries, herbal notes, forest floor and spice.  Complex.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is complex.  Lots of fresh cherries and black cherries with some tobacco, leather and spice.  Long finish.  This is close to or at peak.  It drinks nicely on its own and will work well with many foods.  Roasted poultry should work well.  Drink over the ne

This is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Tuscany.  At age twenty it is fully mature and seemingly at peak.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries,  dried cherries, spice, forest floor and char.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Tannins are resolved.  On the palate, this has some complexity.  Fresh and dried cherries, tobacco, forest floor and char.  Good finish.  This is better with food.  It would work well with a nice plate of pasta.  Drink up.