I first heard about this wine on the 3 Wine Guys podcast (thx, T-bone) so I picked up a bottle when I saw it at a wine store this summer. And I’m glad I did as it really shows off what blending young vines can do for a wine.

This is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from noted winemaker Chris Ringland. I’ll have to check out his other efforts given what magic he casts on this modest wine.

Henry’s Drive, “Pillar Box Red” 2005 ($10) - Deepest purple-black in color. This one needs to unwind a bit before it shows it’s best but once fully open it features nice black and red fruit aromas with fennel and a bit of chaparral. Full and rich black cherry and strawberry fruit gives way to a bit of licorice, vanilla and spice on the finish. A delicious fruit bomb for everyday drinking.

15% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 90
Rating:

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There are two trends that I hope will develop steam in 2008: the rise of the blend in American wine and restaurant wine at reasonable prices both in bottle and by the glass. This wine touches both of these trends with Cabernet Sauvignon making up 82% of the blend joined by 10% Merlot, 5% Syrah and 3% Petite Sirah. It’s also targeted exclusively at restaurants in the U.S. with a suggested retail price of $30 a bottle and $10 per glass.

Winemaker Melissa Bates has created a rich and balanced wine ready for enjoyment now and, unlike many California red wines these days, not overpowering to food. Another interesting differentiator is the great design of the bottle graphics making this an impressive choice on the table. I hope to see more wines targeted at restaurants that are a cut above most choices in this price range.

Silver Palm, Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast 2005 ($30/sample) - Very dark purple in color with aromas of black currant, fennel and cedar. Spicy black cherry and currant flavors with fresh bell pepper, cracked black pepper and some vanilla on the finish. Seems more like a Chilean Merlot or Carmenère than a Cali Cab but still very nicely done.

13.9% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 87
Rating:

Wine Blogging Wednesday rolls into June with a cooler weather theme of Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon. Catie over at Through The Walla Walla Grape Vine is hosting and has asked us to look beyond the mega brands of Washington State such as Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle in our selections which I thought would not be a big problem here in the Twin Cities.

As it turned out, I found that the Cabernet aisles of many wine stores here are dominated by Napa Valley brands and some stores only stocked Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle. But I was able to track down a selection at one of the larger warehouse stores here but didn’t come up with a bottling from Walla Walla (sorry Catie!). I also noted some older stock from 1996 and 1998 which either indicated slow turn-over or some close-out deals with the distributors here. But I took the plunge and picked a wine from a producer I know nothing about. I figured that is half the fun of this WBW thing, anyway.

So the wine selected was Barnard Griffin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 1998 which I picked up for less than $20. The store where I found this wine is not known for their great storage conditions so I took the chance this wine would not be over the hill (likely) or corked (maybe 5% chance). With no “Plan B” if this wine was spoiled, I extracted the slightly dried out cork and broke it in half; not a good start. But once the wine was in the glass, I noted good color and sound aromas so I knew I might have something interesting to taste.

Barnard Griffin Winery was founded in 1983 by Rob Griffin and Deborah Barnard and produces a range of under their “Tulip” and “Reserve” labels. This Cab is from their value priced tulip range. The winery is located in Yakima Valley in south-central Washington just up the road from Walla Walla but the grapes for this wine came from the well known Columbia Valley AVA further north.

Tasting Notes:

Barnard Griffin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 1998 ($17.50) - Rusty garnet in color getting a little tawny at the rim. Ripe black current, licorice, menthol and pencil lead aromas. Rich and mouth-filling blackberry and current fruit with some cracked pepper and chocolate finishing with dusty, but still noticeable, tannins and good acidity. This must have been a tannic monster at release but has now settled down and is drinking quite well. Given it’s maturity and price point, I think this is a nice value in Cabernet that will hold for another year before decline.

13.1% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 86

Thanks again to Catie for hosting this month and for opening my eyes to Washington State Cab outside of the big brands. I’ll keep my eye out for some Walla Walla Cab to try in the near future and post a review here. See you all next month when I’m guessing a white or rose theme might be the plan.

Christmas dinner in our family is centered around a standing rib roast. To match with this meat, I almost always grab a Cabernet; not sure why, but this seems to be the classic accompaniment. Perhaps it’s the English origin of our tradition, where “claret” is often served with this entrée.

This year’s selection is the last bottle of Chateau Camensac 1995 that I picked up on sale a few years back for around $20. The Chateau is in the Haut-Médoc and was named a Fifth Growth in the 1855 Classification. Like a lot of Bordeaux estates, Camensac fell onto hard times for much of the 20th century but has made a resurgence of late and now employs famed consulting winemaker Michel Rolland. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot aged in one and two year old barrels for about 20 months before fining and bottling. A little over 20,000 cases are produced each vintage.

Chateau Camensac, Haut-Médoc 1995 ($25) - Medium garnet in color with no browning at the rim. Blackberry, chocolate and pencil lead aromas. Nicely balanced black cherry and currant flavors finishing fairly long with plush tannins. Elegant, understated and at it’s peak now. I’d say it should hold for another 3 or 4 years before decline. A nice value in aged Bordeaux if you can find it under $30.

12.5% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 89

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At Christmas we always make standing rib roast for our dinner. Almost every year this means a Cabernet to match with the meal. Sometimes it’s from California, other times from Chile, but most times it’s from Bordeaux.

This year’s choice is a Château Camensac 1995 that I have been cellaring for a few years. I can almost smell the pencil lead now… hope it’s not corked

In honor of Great Grape Day over at Wine Sediments and somewhat inspired by a slightly snarky post at Good Grape, I picked up a bottle of Napa River Cab to try. For those not in the know, this is a new brand from Bronco Wine Co. sold exclusively at Trader Joe’s in the U.S. like the phenomenally successful Charles Shaw (a.k.a. “Two-buck Chuck”). This Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a Merlot and Chardonnay, retail for $4.99 a bottle. For this price, you really can’t expect a whole lot of varietal character or complexity and I can’t think of any other Napa Valley designated Cabernet being sold at this price (with the possible exception of the occasional fire sale).

I think of Napa River as a sort of vendetta wine since Bronco had to change the name of Napa Ridge after losing a protracted legal battle. Bronco founder Fred Franzia took the setback in stride and worked the bulk market to find enough Napa Valley AVA juice to blend into Napa River. A normal entrepreneur might have taken the same juice and sold it in the $10-12 a bottle range and done well, but Franzia is on the warpath with the Napa vintners who took him to court. Napa River is the result and, from this tasting, is good news for wine lovers on a budget.

Napa River, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2003 ($5) - Dark ruby-purple in color with aromas of blackberry, currant and a tinge of bell pepper. Full and soft on the palate with blackberry and black pepper flavors finishing with a bit of concentrate sweetness and moderate tannins. Tastes like a $15-20 Napa Cab and a clear step up from Two-buck Chuck. Buy it by the case while it lasts.

12.5% ABV

Natural cork closure

Score: 84

William Hill Winery, now “Estate”, is one of those Napa Valley wineries that doesn’t get a lot of buzz but constantly produces very good wines at affordable prices. Specializing in Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards in Carneros and the Stags Leap District, the winery is now owned by Fortune Brands. Although estate grown, the wines are made in sufficient quantities to be widely available in most U.S. states.

William Hill Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2000 ($22) - Garnet in color with aromas of black cherry and sage. In the mouth, this wine is rich in texture with black cherry & currant fruit flavors finishing with black pepper and plush tannins. I think this wine will still be at it’s peak for another year or two. It’s throwing some sediment, so you should decant. A very nice value in Napa Cab.

13.5% ABV
Natural cork
Score: 88

Trinchero Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, “Mario’s Reserve”, Napa Valley Estate 1999 ($45)

Trinchero was started in the late 1990’s by the Sutter Home Winery to create an ultra-premium brand for their best wines. When I was in college, I remember tasting some interesting reserve Zinfandels at Sutter Home and presumably the vineyard sources from some of their best wines of old are now marketed under the Trinchero brand. Today Trinchero Winery is among 15 other wineries in the Trinchero Family Estates line which is dominated by mass scale brands like Sutter Home, Trinity Oaks and Three Thieves.

This wine is deep garnet in color with purple edges. Blackberry, black currant and licorice aromas. In the mouth it has more of a mixture of black currant and bramble fruit with black pepper finishing with medium tannins. Going into it’s eighth year, this wine still has plenty of fruit and structure for longer term aging. Overall, a smooth and satisfying Napa Cab that I would recommend decanting right now.

13.5% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 9/10

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Sterling Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2000 ($24)

I have nice memories of visiting Sterling when I was in college back in the 1981-82. Not only were the commanding views of the Napa Valley beautiful, but the gondola ride didn’t cost much (or anything, if memory serves). Somewhere in the later 1980’s, when Sterling became another brand under the Seagram’s line, I drifted away from drinking their wines. I don’t recall any bad wines, they just didn’t seem to stand out anymore. So when I received this bottle from a friend a few years back, it went into a bin waiting for the friend to return. They are back in town this week, so the bottle was enjoyed with grilled shish kabobs. I’ll have to give some of the other Sterling wines a try again soon.

Dark ruby in color with aromas of blackberry, plum and eucalyptus. Black currant and plum fruit with some spice and very fine tannins. Drinking very well now with plenty of fruit that will remain for a few more years. Delicious and a great value if you can find it.

13.5% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 9/10

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Mankas Hills Vineyards, “Amelie”, Suisun Valley 2004 ($14.90)

Mankas Hills is a family winery with a passion for Cabernet Sauvignon and, interesting enough, for blogging. They are among a few wineries that have taken the plunge into the blogisphere as another way to connect with customers. I received this sample after responding to their post a few weeks back and applaud their initiative as being the first California winery to take a page from the Stormhoek playbook. If you haven’t heard of the Suisun Valley AVA, you are not alone, as I had never heard of it either. According to Appellation America, the AVA has a long history of growing wine grapes and being just north of the Napa Valley, it is not a stretch to expect some pretty interesting Cabernet-based blends coming from the appellation.

Amelie is one of those blends being 75% Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot grown elsewhere. The wine is garnet-purple in color with aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, eucalyptus and vanilla. In the mouth it is nice and rich with nicely concentrated blackberry and blackcurrant fruit finishing with sweet tannins a very slightly bitter note which didn’t bother me very much. This is a very good wine and a nice value at less than $15 a bottle. 13.9% ABV. Finished with natural cork. Score: 8/10

I hope more wineries follow Mankas Hills’ lead and send bloggers samples of their wines for review. It will certainly extend the conversation about their wines far outside the traditional wine media and encourage positive word of mouth. So if you see Amelie in the supermarket or wine store, give it a try.