Napa Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a post provided to me by Vin De Valeur who asked that I post this review.

The Napa Cellars 2006 Cab ranked 87 points with Wilfred Wong. Notes on this cab suggest ripe blackberry and cherry hints. This red wine is "Super Good" says Vin De Valeur who continues describing this as a full bodied cab with oak notes.

The Napa Cellars '06 Cab can be purchased in the grocery store for approximately $20. Give it a try and let us hear your comments.

Chateau Chevalier 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

I decided to open a bottle a couple nights ago, and was looking forward to a nice Cab. I chose the Chateau Chevalier 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley. This bottle was given to me as a gift, and has been waiting for nearly 2 years to be opened. This bottle can be found online for $30, but you may want to save your money for something else. After opening for a while, this Cab lacked structure, body and finish. At best, this was a medium bodied Cab, a hint of fruit upfront, with a bit of earth or tobacco in the middle and nothing on the finish. It may have been my state of mind, looking forward to a bigger cab, however, this wine still disappointed the second night. Save your money and move on to something else...maybe a good stand by with a Frank Family Vineyards.

Roots Run Deep Winery - Educated Guess 2005 Cab/Syrah

As the name suggests, and their website describes, Roots Run Deep Winery uses their "...knowledge, intuition, and years of experience to make the best possible decisions, however at the end of the day it still remains an "Educated Guess"." Only 18,000 Cases of this 2005 Cabernet/Syrah were produced. This is an organically grown Cab with cherry on the nose, vanilla in the middle and a rich berry and smoky finish. This was a lighter cab with very little tannins for a Napa Cab, but for the price of $20 it is one worth trying. It may not be an easy wine to find, but check out their website for distributors that may be near you (http://www.rootsrundeep.com/index.html).

Peju - 2003 Cab

If you haven't had a chance, I recommend trying Peju Winery...this family owned, boutique winery in the Rutherford area of Napa produces a very nice Cab, along with a zin and their Provence which is a nice every day wine.
We opened a 2003 Cab this weekend with our friends for an early Thanksgiving dinner. The 2003 Cab is a library wine, currently on Peju's website at $65/bottle (although it is sold out). The website describes this wine as having aromas of bing cherry, vanilla, clove, blackberry, black pepper, creme de cassis, toast, roasted coffee, fresh herbs and green olive. big, rich and round on the palate, displaying flavors of black cherry accented with toast and campfire notes.
This was a smooth cab that was full of flavor. Put this on your list of wines to try.
If you are in Napa, this is also a nice winery to visit. They have a beautiful tasting room and an area to enjoy a picnic. For more on Peju, visit their website at http://www.peju.com/.

Waterstone 2003 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

This Napa Valley Cab offers a great nose, with hints of oak and chocolate. The label suggests hints of cherry, currant and blackberry...however, not something I picked up on. The Wine Spectator gave this 90 points, and they may have been a bit generous in my opinion. This Cab lacked body, at best it was a medium bodied Cab...and I was in the mood for a full bodied Cab...so it let me down a bit. The Waterstone Cab hits at the back of the tongue and lingers for a while...a silky, oak finish that was enjoyable. I bought this one for $30 and after getting over my initial disappointment, I enjoyed this wine. However, it did not pair well with my BBQ, but was a nice sipping wine to finish the evening. This was a slightly above average Cab, and at $30 was worth the try. However, I can't find this bottle online for less than +/-$70. At this price point, there are better Cab's to be tried and enjoyed.