Cabernet Sauvignon

Very solid Napa Cab that is drinking quite well.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, slight cassis, baking spice and slight cedar.  On the palate, this has light tannins.  The black cherry fruit comes thru over the oak/spice.  Nice balance.  This is very food friendly but not for the lightest of foods.  It worked great with some spicy chili.  This should continue to drink well for the next five to seven years at least.  

The 2013 Napa Cabs were released with a lot of fanfare, and justifiably so.  It seemed, however, that they shut down very quickly and hard.  Now, at age 7, they are starting to open back up and while, as a general rule they have lots left, many are drinking quite well.  I don't remember a Napa Cab vintage that shut down so hard so quickly and reopened so quickly as well.  In any event, this was opened and allowed to breath for 30 minutes and then served.  It was beautiful.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  On the nose, there is cassis, slight black cherries, roasted herbs, nice minerali

This is always a great value from Oregon/Washington producer Sineann.  Peter Rossback makes a lot of a wide variety of wines.  Once he is done, he makes a couple of different blends with the leftovers.  The Abondante is the better of the two (the other is labelled Red Wine).  This sells for around $22 and comes screw capped!  This vintage is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet and Zinfandel.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, slight chocolate and char.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Drinking well right now.  Light tannins.  Good finish.  This should drink well for

I am always looking for reasonably priced wines and this one sells for around $25 locally.   It is a very nice wine that is worth picking up a bottle or two of if you like Sonoma Cabs.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, slight cassis, slight tobacco and spice.  On the palate, this is ready to drink now.  The black cherry fruit carries thru.  Light tannins.  Some depth and complexity.  Solid finish.  It will work well with burgers or grilled foods.  It should be consumed in the next five years.  

  This is a blend of 87.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec and 1.5% Petit Verdot.  It is a big wine that seems like it will still get better with cellaring.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, dust, and an interesting citrus quality.  On the palate, this is very concentrated.  Notes of cassis, some dark chocolate and orange peel (?) come thru.  It is deep with firm tannins that will need time to open.  Long finish.  This needs another five to ten years of cellaring and should be good for ten to twelve after that.  Right now, it should be given an eight h

This is still one of the poster boys for big, fruity Aussie wines.  It can be a love it or hate it wine, but I find, as long as you know what to expect going in, this is a well made and delicious wine.  A blend of 71% Shiraz and 29% Cabernet.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, black pepper, slight dill (American oak?), and smoke.  On the palate, this is rich and full bodied.  Black raspberries, slight raisins with light tannins.  There is some alcohol/heat on the mid-palate and finish.  It is ripe and delicious and probably better on its own, but it trying

This is a reasonably priced Cabernet.  I had not tried a vintage of this in a while.  It is still a solid wine and a great value.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cassis, some cherries, a bit of dust and sandalwood.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  It has ripe, slightly sweet fruit but enough structure to handle it.  Cassis and cherries.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  Right now, this is probably better on its own but with a little age, it will work well with roasts and other meat dishes.  It should be consumed in thee next five to seven years.  

This is one in a series of Tawny "Ports" made by Penfold's.  It has very attractive packaging although no longer in the wood box.  Made in a Solera style, the minimum blended age is 20 years old.  The Solera currently contains vintages from 1960 to 2004.  Mostly Shiraz, Cabernet, Grenache and Mourvedre but others as well.  Iced tea in color.  The nose is a bit oxidized (in a good way) with brown sugar, toffee and crème brulee.  On the palate, this is viscous.  Lots of caramel notes.  Some heat.  There is a nice depth to it.  Long finish.  This will work well on its own or with toffee/carame

This is a big young wine.  It is delicious, but will need some time.  it is a blend of 70% Monastrell (Mourvedre) and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Purple in color.  The nose is big.  The nose has black raspberries, smoke, black cherries, and dark chocolate.  With air, some baking spices come out.  On the palate, this is ripe, slightly sweet with black raspberries and plums.  A bit of spice.  Firm tannins.  Long finish.  This is accessible now but will improve as the tannins and fruit integrate.  In the meanwhile, it is delicious on its own.  With age it will work well with roasts and casseroles

Bob Foley is one of Napa's great winemakers.  This is from his eponymous winery.  It is a typical Bob Foley Cab which is to say, big and fruit while at the same time, ageable and having a sense of class.  It is still quite young right now.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, sandalwood and baking spice along with a touch of pencil lead.  On the palate, this has sweet cassis fruit.  Firm tannins.  It is drinking well on its own today and will take bigger food to not be overwhelmed.  However, with another ten years this should mature nicely into something that will be more flexible.  It s