The King of Varietals
Last column, I wrote about what a focused wine tasting offers, discussing particularly the opportunity to discover the value of aged wines.
Now let’s talk about some of the magnificent wine I sampled at wine LA’s Stars of Cabernet.
Bottle prices ranged from $18 to $250. The wine came from South America, California and France. The majority hailed from Napa.
Spottswoode offered one of my favorites, the 2014 Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Helena. Intense black fruit with a hint of pepper with an aftertaste that lasted 40 seconds (no, I did not time it – it just seemed limitless). At over $150/ bottle, it’s not a week night pour. But celebrating a milestone birthday or any wedding anniversary or simply because life is treating you well or life is messed up and you need a boost, this wine fits the bill. Spottswoode also had a tasty 2016 Sauvignon Blanc that had only 15 percent new oak and was fairly priced at $38. But watch for it since they only made 3500 cases.
Premium Cab doesn’t come just from Bordeaux or California. A great alternative is Chile, whose representative at the tasting was Almaviva. As they described themselves, “Almaviva is a château concept winery, established by Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro. One Bordeaux blend is released annually, offering Chilean terroir interlaced with French winemaking tradition.” T’s quite a partnership! Their 2013 Bordeaux Blend, Puente Alto, Maipo Valley could still use five years but was quite tasty with great body and texture. (You notice how some of these wine descriptions sound almost pornographic? Of course, fine wines are a treat for several of the senses.)
La Sirena is another fine example of what Napa offers. Of course, once you learn that Heidi Barrett creates these gems, you shake your head in understanding. You see, she had another gig before this at that wanna-be winery, Screaming Eagle. Never heard of Screaming Eagle? Suffice it to say that each vintage sells for over $2,000 (yes, two thousand dollars!) per bottle if you can find it. My wait time to graduate to the mailing list where I can buy some exceeds a decade. But La Sirena provides a less cash-intensive preview of the Eagle might be. Its 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon delighted with a great bouquet of forest floor and inviting spices. A fun bottling is the 2013 Pirate Treasu Red, which comes in its unique bottle, fashioned after what you might imagine Black Beard enjoyed while roaming the seven Seas.
Finally, it’s good to see other members of my profession (in the daylight hours, I’m an attorney) succeed outside of the courtroom. Paul Woolls opened O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery as an alternative to the office and has nailed it. His 2014 Mount Veeder Cab shined at the tasting. Featuring a great bouquet, it combines tastes of chocolate and black fruit seamlessly. Even though it is only three years old, it’s very approachable now.