We attended the Euphoria Grand Wine Tasting event in downtown Greenville today. We were impressed with some very fine wines and a few that were great values. Some of the outstanding wines we sampled were the 2006 Buehler Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Chono Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, 1987 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2004 Elivette, and the Eagle Eye Voluptuous. Some of the surprise values were the 2006 TEIRA Sonoma County Zinfandel, 2006 Magellan Ponant, the 2006 Cucao Cabernet Syrah, and the Saxon Brown Flora Ranch Syrah.
The best of the best went to the 2005 Burly Napa Cabernet Sauvignon which edged out the 2004 Xtant Napa Valley Red Wine. More about all of these wines soon.
red berry flavors and a touch of spice. The finish is short and the tannins are still heavy on the end. The Botella vineyard has rich, well-drained clay loam soil. The site features southern exposure and the cool microclimate of the Santa Ynez River canyon which is in the Santa Rite Hills AVA.
The nose has glass filling notes of wild berry, spice and oak. Across the palate currant dominates the profile with shadings of vanilla, plum and an ending mineral edge. The tannins arestill a little aggressive but may soften with more bottle time. This producers is very consistent and is one of the better “value” Napa Cabernet Sauvignons today. I say ”value” because it’s rare to find a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon of this quality for $55. Excellent.
