2013 Tua Rita Giusto di Notri

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This is truly a SUPER Tuscan!

The 2013 Tua Rita Giusto di Notri  is an incredibly rich and lush wine that is still very young and in need of a few more years in the cellar to soften its massive and youthful tannins.

This Bordeaux blend from Tuscany tips in at 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and retails at a very reasonable $65 for such a high quality bottle.

The nose is wonderfully captivated by floral and sweet cherry perfume that is accented by hints of slate and berry aromas.

The palate is awash with a powerful and long lasting assortment of flavors that include wet earth, ripe blackberry and cherry fruit, leather, bitter licorice and assorted spices, highlighted by cinnamon and mint.

Although the wine is drinking nicely now, I am very excited to see how it unfolds after a few more years in the cellar.

2005 Cliff Lede Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

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What a massive and powerful Napa Cab!


The 2005 Cliff Lede Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is bursting with concentrated flavors of blackberry and plums that are balanced by the cinnamon and licorice infused velvet tannins that cling incessantly on the palate.

Even after 12 years, this dark purple juice has great structure replete with an abundance of youthful fruit which together should allow this wine to continue to age another 15+ years.

I really loved this wine, and its original cost of $65 gives it a ridiculously high quality to price ratio.

 

2007 Cakebread Benchland Select

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The 2007 Cakebread Benchland Select is simply gorgeous!

Fruit for this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced almost evenly from Rutherford (56%) and Oakville (44%).

After maturing for almost 10 years in the cellar, the wine is now perfectly balanced as delicious ripe fruit and juicy acids are harmonized and supported by soft dusty tannins.

The juice is a beautiful, inky purple almost black color with aromas of licorice and blackberry on the nose.

Lush flavors of dark berries, plum and cinnamon are followed by chocolate and leather with hints of earth on the satisfying and long dry finish.

Although drinking exceptionally now, the experience is amplified even more when paired with food like this roasted filet mignon.

Limited quantities of this Cab can be found for $200 or more, but current vintages retail for about $110 – $120.

2014 Goosecross Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

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Goosecross Cellars is a boutique winery in Yountville, Napa Valley that produces about 7,000 cases of wine annually.

Their focus is mainly on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Red Blends as well as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and most of their offerings range between $27 and $82.

The 2014 Goosecross Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a lush, fruit forward effort with vibrant blackberry and blueberry fruit that wash across the palate and are followed by generous amounts of cinnamon and nuts on the creamy long finish.

This youthful Cab is drinking wonderfully now, and should provide enjoyment over the next 7 – 10 years, and at a price of $54 it won’t break the bank!

Rocca Grigsby Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

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The 2010 Rocca Grigsby Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is an intense and sophisticated Cab that is firing on all cylinders.

The silky ripe fruit and juicy acids are in perfect harmony with the velvet tannins that stretch across the long finish.

A dazzling deep purple with intoxicating fragrances of violets, berries and forest floor waffling up from the glass.

Only to be outdone by the killer combination of dark plum, blackberry, cedar and cinnamon flavors that cascade across the palate, highlighting different components on each sip.

Rocca is a boutique winery in Yountville with an annual case production of 2,200 across a 6 wine portfolio focused on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.

These limited production wines make great Christmas gifts for the oenophiles on your shopping list, as 5 of the 6 wines retail between $45-$100.

The Rocca Grigsby Cabernet can be found today between $70-$80 which is a great price for such a high quality Napa Cabernet!

 

Nickel & Nickel State Ranch

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Nickel & Nickel is the sister winery to Oakville’s legendary Far Niente.

Nickel & Nickel is also based in Oakville, and is devoted exclusively to producing 100% varietal, single-vineyard wines that best express the distinctive personality of each vineyard.  Nickel & Nickel produces single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from all over Napa Valley.  They have multiple offerings from St Helena, Oakville, Yountville, Rutherford and Oak Knoll.  I love this estate because it truly allows one to see how deeply terroir impacts wine.

Unlike my beloved Giants, the Nickel & Nickel 2007 State Ranch from Yountville is a winner!

This full bodied beauty exudes lovely aromas of cherry, blackberry and dark fruits balanced neatly between juicy acids and velvety tannins with traces of blueberry and mushrooms on the finish.

The wine retails for $99.99.

Chimney Rock Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

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2010 was another outstanding vintage in Napa Valley.

This Stags Leap District Cabernet is a perfect representation of the high quality juice produced throughout the Valley that year.

The wine’s lush balanced structure easily supports its blackberry and creamy toasted oak flavors, while the velvety finish keeps me reaching for another sip.

This $70 beauty will appeal to Napa Valley Cab fans!

Brancaia Ilatraia

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Being a Cabernet lover I have always been partial to Super Tuscans, especially those from Bolhgeri and Maremma Toscana.

The 2013 Brancaia Ilatraia from Maremma checks all of the boxes.

Lively dark fruit and blackberries are supported by soft tannins with hints of clove and floral undertones on the finish.

Brancaia Ilatraia is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Petit Verdot and 20% Cabernet Franc.  The wine was aged 18 months in French barriques – half of them new – and then matured for 12 months in the bottle, prior to release.

With a retail price of $55, this wine is a must add to any Cab lover’s cellar.

Delille Cellars Grand Ciel

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Delille Cellars is one of my favorite wineries in Washington State.

I love everything they produce, and recommend their wines every chance I get.

The 2010 Grand Ciel from Red Mountain is their flagship wine, and it is Magnificent!   The wine explodes with lush fruit, cinnamon and clove flavors on a backbone of smooth round tannins.

This is a complex, concentrated wine that is the perfect compliment to a T-Bone or any other hearty dish.

The wine’s suggested price is $135, but it can be found at as low as $89 at a few on-line stores.  At that price the Grand Ciel is a cheap alternative to its rival high end Napa Cabs.

 

Bennett Lane Red Maximus

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The 2007 Bennett Lane Maximus Red Feasting Wine was the perfect wine to celebrate my sister’s birthday.

This Cabernet based wine has healthy doses of Merlot and Syrah added in to round out the tannins and augment the jammy berry flavors.

This 10 year old wine was still oozing these youthful blackberry and blueberry fruits accompanied by rich polished tannins.

The wine was fun and easy to drink, which allowed us to focus on the celebration.

The wine retails for about $30, which is unheard of for a quality Napa Valley proprietary red blend.