2006 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon H3

Spicy plumb stew on the nose on this “great for the money” Cabernet Sauvignon from the Horse Heaven Hills (H3) region of Eastern Washington. The flavors are a ripe mix of plumb, red cherry, anise, mint, and black pepper. The mouth feel is a nice balance of softness and fine grained tannins. This wine from the Horse Heaven Hills region of Washington is quite the value. Winemaker Ray Einberger has done an excellent job with this designated Cabernet Sauvignon for two vintages in a row. For those looking for a value fruit forward Cabernet this wine fits the bill. Unlike most quality Cabernet Sauvignon’s from Washington this wine is readily available and can be found in many grocery store wine sections.

2007 Bennett Lane Maximus White Napa Valley

This Bennett Lane White Maximus Feasting wine from the Napa Valley wine has a medium golden to yellow color. The nose has a citrus peel note as well as honeydew melon. In the mouth the wine has a good balance of tangy citrus and sweet peach. It’s crips but with just enough sweetness to make it refreshing on a hot summer day.  A blend of 87 % Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Chardonnay and 2% Muscat. Well worth the $25 for a well made wfite from Napa.

2006 Chappellet Cabernet Franc Estate (Napa Valley)

Deep dark purple in color. The nose has a beautiful note of Earl Grey tea on top of plumb aromas. Across the palate the tea and plumb notes hang on adding layers of coconut, spice and smoke. The finish in long with the round tannins hanging on till the end. This balanced and well made Cabernet Franc wine is produced of fruit from the Chappellet Pritchard Hill estate overlooking Lake Hennessey on the eastern side of the Napa Valley. This wine is a blend of 76% Cabernet Franc 13% Cabernet Sauvignon 11% Merlot.

2007 Michael-David Vineyards Petite Petit

Michael and David Vineyards have a good time making wine. It’s obvious they are serious about what they do but don’t take themselves to seriously. Why else would they produce a wine called Petite Petit? Even the label is fun. Dark purple in color. The nose has notes of purple flowers and spiced plum stew. Big and bold flavors of plumb, black berry and currant also hit the plate with guns a blazing. Fun and easy to drink. This red wine is  blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot fruit from Lodi. Aged 14 months in French oak.

2005 Realm Cabernet Napa Valley

2005 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Napa Valley. Very dark purple in color. The nose had aromas of intense black fruit and sweet oak. The flavors across the palate were layered, complex and included black currant, cherry, and spice. Although this wine is lush and very ripe it’s not over the top and is very well put together. The long silky finish ends with another hit of the fruit. An exciting expression of this legendary Oakville vineyard. Extraordinary

2005 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Napa Valley

Very dark purple in color. The nose had aromas of intense black fruit and sweet oak. The flavors across the palate were layered, complex and included black currant, cherry, and spice. Although this wine is lush and very ripe it’s not over the top and is very well put together. The long silky finish ends with another hit of the fruit. An exciting expression of this legendary Oakville vineyard. Extraordinary.

2006 Chappellet Vineyard Merlot (Napa Valley)

Dark crimson color. The nose has hints of spice, mineral and nice cherry and raspberry notes. The palate is very balanced and complex with the spice and cherry continuing with a stewed plum flavor as well. The flavors are very concentrated as would be expected from this hillside vineyard fruit. The tannins are fine grained and linger on the medium length finish. This sturdy Merlot is blended with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec from their Pritchard Hill vineyard and is built for some age so buy a couple and lay one down. Excellent.

Napa Trip part 4 Bennett Lane

We wanted to take a trip up past Calistoga to visit Bennett Lane’s winery. It’s worth the trip up to the top of the Napa Valley. We have purchased their red Maximus since the 2004 vintage and were interested in trying their Napa Valley Cabernets and Reserve wines in their tasting room. Their brochure said they have the “friendliest tasting room in the Napa Valley” and our experience proved to be relaxed, unhurried and very friendly. We were able to taste the 2005 and 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the 2005 Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. All were excellent and very good values. The surprise of the visit for us is that we actually purchased some white wine while there. We are red wine drinkers, mostly, so for us to taste a white and like it enough to buy it is a statement. We tasted the 2007 Maximus White which is a blend of 87 % Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Chardonnay and 2% Muscat. It was refreshing with bright citrus flavors and just the right amount of sweetness. We thought it was well worth the extra dive to visit Bennett Lane.

2005 St. Francis Red (USA, California, Sonoma County)

Not much nose to speak of after a short time in the decanter. This wine showed aromas of red fruit and pepper. The flavors were a mix of jammy cherry and raspberry with the pepper carrying on through the finish.  Simple but easy to drink and not bad for the money. A interestingblend of 58% Merlot, 25% Syrah, 9% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Zinfandel.

Napa Visit Part 3 Delectus

The major reason we decided to travel to Napa this trip was that a party thrown by Gerhard and Linda Reisacher coincided with our wedding anniversary so we maded a long weekend out of it and attend the very first “Chill and Grill” at the Delectus estate in Knights Valley to celebrate. We have been fans of the Delectus wines for a while. Now we are also fans of Linda and Gerhard and their wonderful group of dedicated family members. The visit began at the winery which, for now, is located in South Napa in an office park. Just because there isn’t a beautiful building located among the vines doesn’t mean that the experience isn’t just as nice….just a different “view”. Inside you will find great wine and a super relaxed experience. We started with barrel samples of the 2007 Napa Valley Merlot. This is a baby wine so it was very tannic but has the structure to really be something after additional barrel and bottle age. We also were able to try some 2007 Cabernet Franc in barrel. This wine was originally produced to blend with other wines but it was outstanding by itself. I’m not sure if Gerhard is going to bottle this by itself or use it for its original purpose but it’s very good now for a barrel sample. After meeting the rest in our group of about 15 we loaded up on a bus for the hour or so trip up to Knights Valley to visit the future winery site and more importantly the four year old vines that are now producing fruit beginning with the 2008 vintage. The site is located just above the legendary Peter Michael vineyard and in the shadows of the “backside: of Mt. St. Helena. The picture below does not do the view justice. We tried a 2008 Cabernet based blend barrel sample. Normally wine this young in barrel is not very pleasant regardless of how it eventually turns out. This one was and will be special. The event, the food, the wine and the company were all exceptional. Look for Delectus to continue to produce outstanding Napa and now Knights Valley red wine for many years to come