2021 Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

This is another wine from the Michael Mondavi Family of wines. This is the inaugural vintage of this wine sourced from various vineyards around Paso Robles. It will be interesting to watch as they get a handle on what the vineyard has to offer. That said, this first vintage is a very nice value in California Cabernet. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, black cherries, char, spice and slight coffee note. Medium to full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, cassis, plums and char. Good balance. Nice finish. This is nice on its own and will work with grilled or roasted meats and/or fowl. Drink over the next ten years.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2021

Current Price:

$25.00USD

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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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 Patrimony Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Paso Robles, Adelaida District, Wine Review

Vintage:

2018

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$295.00USD

This is an interesting wine. It is made by the two brothers who own Daou Vineyards from their very best vines in the mountains west of the 101 Freeway and retails for a very high price. It is their intention with this wine to show that Paso Robles is also capable of producing world class Cabernet Sauvignon. It is certainly the highest priced wine from Paso Robles that I have heard of. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is interesting and unique. Cassis, coffee, iodine, sandalwood, and chicory. Full bodied but not overblown. As one would expect from mountain fruit, th

2017 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles, USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage:

2017

Score:

Grade:

B+

Current Price:

$19.00USD

This is a very nice value for those looking for a reasonably priced California Cabernet. It is from Paso Robles, an area generally not known for its Cabs. Dark ruby in color. The nose has cherries and slight kirsch notes along with some baking spice and a bit of vanilla. On the palate, this is medium bodied with good acidity. Cherries with some oak. Medium finish. This will improve over the next couple of years as it integrates and should be good for five to seven after that. A nice with with grilled burgers.

2021 Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

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Which California Cabernet Sauvignons Deserve "First Growth" Status?

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2018 Patrimony Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Paso Robles, Adelaida District, Wine Review

2017 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles, USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles, Wine Review