October 2008
Cabernet Sauvignon (Cab-air nay Soo-veen yo)
One of the first grapes wine-lovers run across is Cabernet Sauvignon. It's natural, for not only is it a strong factor in France's Bordeaux region, one of the most high-profile wine areas, but across the globe it is the 3rd most widely planted red grape after Grenache and Merlot. It is everywhere. Unlike cool-climate grapes such as Pinot Noir or Gamay or warmth-loving Grenache and Carignane, Cabernet is planted from the coldest reaches of the Loire, northern Italy and even Canada and the Ukraine, to hot-house areas like the Central Valley of California, the arid Columbia Valley of Washington and even South Africa (Zimbabwe has about 100 acres!) Alone, this grape, like all the other thoroughbreds, shows a wealth of flavors strongly dependent upon macro climate. In the cooler regions, you might sense green bell peppers or green olives while in the hotter climes, more of a black currant fruit character emerges. In Bordeaux, sometimes you pick up tobacco or chalky notes. In California, Cabernet Sauvignon appears to have found its natural home, fo rthis is the grape that has established California as one of the World's greatest wine producing regions. Enjoy!
2004 Trefethen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Constructed in 1886 by a Scottish sea captain, Hamden McIntyre, the Trefethen winery was originally known as Eshcol. McIntyre designed it as a gravity-flow system: a horse-drawn winch brought grapes to the third floor of the three-story structure for crushing; gravity carried the juice to the second floor for fermenting; and, eventually, the wine descended to the first floor for aging. During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Napa Valley was a thriving viticultural community with nearly 140 wineries. However, in the late 1890s, phylloxera, a root louse that destroys grapevines, brought wine production in Napa to a crashing halt. Growers soon recovered with re-planted vines, but in 1920, Prohibition arrived, driving a stake through the heart of the wine business. The old Eshcol facility survived by making sacramental wines, but by 1940 was dormant. When the Trefethen family purchased the property in 1968, the winery had fallen into serious disrepair. John and Janet committed themselves to restoring the building to its former glory. The Trefethen’s restoration efforts were recognized in 1988 Department of the Interior, which placed the winery on the National Register of Historic Places as the only 19th-century, wooden, gravity-flow winery surviving in Napa County. Today, Trefethen boasts a state-of-the-art fermentation facility and 13,000 square foot barrel cellar, but the McIntyre Building remains integral to the winery's operations.
The 2004 Trefethen Estate Cab is the winner of numerous awards including the Gold Medal from the 2008 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, one of the most prestigious international wine competitions in the world. Deep ruby in color, the wine exhibits a luxurious nose of blackberry, black cherry, plum, black currant, black pepper, cola nut and chocolate. The tannins are ripe and velvety, leading to a richly textured palate. The wine’s fresh rich raspberry jam, blackberry, currant and chocolate flavors lead to a long persistent finish of cherry and toasted oak vanilla. Wonderful now, this wine will be glorious in 4 to 6 years.
2005 NxNW Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
There was a time in the not too distant past the if you heard someone speak of Walla Walla, your first thought would be of sweet onions. Not so today. Walla Walla is now hip, chic, dynamic. And it’s no longer onions upon which its hat is hung but wine, glorious wine. With acreage in both Oregon and Washington, Walla Walla Valley’s soils fashion remarkable wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. The jewel of Walla Walla Valley is Seven Hills Vineyard, named one of Americas’s top 10 vineyards by Wine & Spirits magazine. Such cult status wines as Pepper Bridge, L’Ecole 41, Leonetti and Seven HillsVineyards source their grapes from this renowned vineyard. And also, NxNW Cabernet Sauvignon, your Connoisseur’s Selection for October.
lNorth by Northwest (NxNW) is new to the scene. Founded by the folks at King Estates in Oregon, NxNW has garnered instant acclaim with its first few vintages. The most recent offering continues this trend. The 2005 Vintage will be remembered as one of the finest in Washington history. On the nose this wine is a harmonious blend of red fruits, caramel, and chocolate with a hint of pepper. Richly structured, the wine resonates with flavors of cherry and plum, and hints of anise and cocoa lingering on a long spicy finish. This wine is a keeper...enjoy now and over the next five to seven years.
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“I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone.
When I have company I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and I drink it when I am.
Otherwise, I never touch it, unless I’m thirsty.”
• - Lily Bollinger on Champagne
