2021 Ron Rubin Winery Pam's Unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Wine Review

This winery specializes in unoaked wine. As the label says, "Happy Wife, Happy Life" and Pam, the owner Roan's wife likes her wine unoaked. This was the first time we tried the Cab. An interesting take on Cab and a nice value at $16, Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, sour cherries and a slight pomegranate note. Light to medium bodied with very light tannins. On the palate, sour cherries and some cassis. This drinks easy and is refreshing. More "light hearted" than a typical Cab Cab if that makes sense. Nice on its own, this is very food friendly. A nice wine choice for Pizza Night. Drink over the next couple of years.

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Score:

Vintage:

2021

Current Price:

$16.00USD

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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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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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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2016 William & Mary Cabernet Sauvignon Shifflett Ranch, USA, California, Napa, Oak Knoll District, Wine Review

Vintage:

2016

Score:

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Current Price:

$110.00USD

My first time trying this wine. William Segui works closely with Thomas Rivers Brown at Rivers Marie, Outpost and other TRB projects but this wine is he and his wife's own project. The vineyard has been in his wife Mary's, family for 70 years. The wine itself is excellent and for their first time at bat, they hit a home run. Inky purple in color, magenta at the rim. Pop and pour, this took some time to open and was still getting better when the last drop was consumed a couple hours later. Bright and opaque. The nose is really unique. Sure, it has cassis and a bit of blueberries, but

2016 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage:

2016

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$36.00USD

No winery is more synonymous with Napa Valley than Robert Mondavi. And while they make all sorts of wines and at all sorts of price points, this is the one that epitomizes the winery. Somehow, they straddle the line between old and new, corporate yet having a sense of place, and making a wine that is affordable and good value for the quality. The blend of this is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petite Verdot, 5% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. It sees 17% New French Oak. Served at a recent Intowine.com tasting, this was quite a hit. Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is

2021 Ron Rubin Winery Pam's Unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon, 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!)

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

Which California Cabernet Sauvignons Deserve "First Growth" Status?

2016 William & Mary Cabernet Sauvignon Shifflett Ranch, USA, California, Napa, Oak Knoll District, Wine Review

2016 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review