2018 Prisoner Wine Company Cabernet Sauvignon Unshackled, USA, California, Wine Review

This is another big, bold red from the Prisoner Wine Company. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Merlot. The nose has cassis, black cherries, chocolate, baking spices and slight cedar notes. Full bodied. On the palate, there is some varietal complexity but mostly just up front fruit. Delicious. Black cherries and black raspberries with medium tannins. This probably should be consumed over the next three to five years.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2018

Current Price:

$20.00USD

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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2019 Prisoner Wine Company Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage:

2021

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$55.00USD

This is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Petite Sirah, and Charbono. It is a big wine in the style of the Prisoner but perhaps a bit more "serious" if that makes sense. Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, black cherries, cedar, dark chocolate, baking spices and slight coffee notes. Full bodied.

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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2018 Ehlers Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage:

2018

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$72.00USD

This is a serious Napa Cab that should be on your radar if you love Napa Cabs. It is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest Cabernet Franc. Eighteen percent of the Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from vineyards in Oakville and Yountville with the remaining coming from Ehlers Estate grown fruit. It is middle of the road in style, not a bruiser but not shy either. 14.5 abv. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with cassis, chocolate, baking spices and cedar. Full bodied. Velvety texture that is lovely. Medium to firm tannins. On the palate, cassis, black cherries,

2018 Prisoner Wine Company Cabernet Sauvignon Unshackled, USA, California, Wine Review

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

2019 Prisoner Wine Company Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Wine Review

Which California Cabernet Sauvignons Deserve "First Growth" Status?

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

2018 Ehlers Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, USA, California, Wine Review