30th Annual Best of The Best:
California Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet-Based Blends
QRW Tasting Team
Cabernet Sauvignon
and other Red Bordeaux blends continue to dominate
the California wine market, as the following list shows.
the California wine market, as the following list shows.
✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ Five-Star Wines ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
Wines of extraordinary character and quality —
in a class by themselves.
2011 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley), $65. Rich, ripe, plump, deliciously seductive, black fruit, mocha and spice flavors.
2011 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley), $120. Beautifully ripe, pure, silky, round, utterly compelling, blackberry and vanilla crème flavors.
2010 Corley Proprietary Red Wine, Napa Valley $55. Rich, deep blackberry, with dark chocolate and coffee aromas, big body, easy tannins, and elegant finish.
2010 HALL Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley), $125. Big, rich, fat, succulent, elegantly turned, black fruit and cappuccino flavors.
2010 Ridge Monte Bello (Santa Cruz Mountains), $160. 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Big, deep, rich, earthy, resonant, French roast and dark fruit flavors. A “powerhouse,” in the finest sense of the word. BEST OF SHOW
2010 Saint Supéry Cabernet Sauvignon Dollarhide Estate Vineyard, $100. Lush, spicy, well-structured, multi-layered, black fruit, licorice and vanillin flavors.
2009 Shafer Hillside Select (Napa Valley/Stags Leap District), $240. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Big, deep, rich, muscular, well-structured, dark chocolate, oak vanillin and blackberry flavors; long, authoritative finish.
2010 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon “One Point Five” (Stags Leap District/Napa Valley), $72. 99% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot. Deep, concentrated, age-worthy, black fruit, licorice and nutty oak flavors.
2010 Viader, Napa Valley $150. Deep, complex wines. Give it time. Blackberry and cherry with oak spice, rich mocha notes, firm texture, with soft and slightly sweet finish.
Related articles:
• 29th Annual Best of The Best: California Chardonnay
• 29th Annual Best of The Best: Champagne Tasting
• 29th Annual Best of The Best: California Pinot Noir
• 29th Annual Best of The Best: California Zinfandel
