The Accidental Wino » Oakville

Tasting Report: The 10 Best Napa Cabernets for $50 or Less

The Accidental Wino — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:04:33 +0000

As I spent 2009 combing the Napa Valley for great wines (the one definite perk of living here and being in the wine business), I decided to pay special attention to the Cabernets that were priced at $50 or less, hoping to one day compile a list of favorites. In order to confirm their merit, I plan to eventually put all of these wines into blind tastings alongside a few of their $100 counterparts, just to see how they fare against the big boys (I suspect that many of these lesser-priced wines will easily rise to the top). But first things first: Although it did take me all of last year, I’ve finally encountered enough outstanding wine to formulate a serious list, and so I’m now prepared to finally put my selections on record. To that end, I submit the following 10 wines, listed in order of preference…

• Martin Estate Bacchanal 2006 ($48) : One of the great unsung wines in the Napa Valley, I have already placed Bacchanal into a blind tasting of Oakville and Rutherford Cabs, pitting it against the 2006 Groth ($58), 2005 Rubicon ($175), 2006 Pedemonte ($39), 2006 Nickel & Nickel John C. Sullenger ($90), and 2006 Paradigm ($62). The Bacchanal won the tasting, with all five wine tasters ranking the wine in the top half (no other wine exhibited such consistent positive marks). My personal favorite was actually the Nickel & Nickel, with the Bacchanal ranking second. Frankly, Martin Estate is a winery that I have long meant to review, but simply haven’t yet.

• Terra Valentine Spring Mountain 2006 ($38) : In my previous review for Terra Valentine, I mentioned that the winery’s single-vineyard Cabs were the wines that originally drew me up to the top of Spring Mountain Road, but that their Spring Mountain Cabernet blend has now become my favorite Terra Valentine wine. This Cabernet features ripe, plush fruit with terrific character and concentration. If you’re spending a day visiting Spring Mountain wineries, make sure to visit Paloma and Behrens-Hitchcock, as well.

• 2006 Turnbull Estate ($45) : Flanked by Nickel & Nickel to the south and Cakebread Cellars to the north, I think that Turnbull is often overlooked by far too many of Napa’s tourists. My notes from my blind tasting of 2005 Oakville Cabernets revealed Turnbull as the clear winner (and the lowest-priced wine in the flight, to boot). One more reason to visit Turnbull: The winery also offers its 2007 Old Bull Red ($19), a tasty catch-all blend and one of the few good Napa reds that you can find for under $20.

• 2005 Heitz Cellars Estate ($42) : After living in the Napa Valley, I have found that the wineries with the greatest histories sometimes have the lowest prices. Many say that the old-timers have that conservative, farming mentality that will see them through good times and more importantly, bad times. The 2005 Heitz Estate Cabernet is an affable wine that boasts big ripe fruit, and I’m always amazed at how long Heitz holds back its releases (I can’t think of many other wineries that still offer a 2005 Cab as their most current vintage). As a result, these wines are often plush right out of the gate.

• 2006 Bennett Lane Maximus ($35) : Maximus is the perennial 90-point “Feasting Wine” that lures folks to drive all the way up to Calistoga, even during the height of summer. It’s bold in the way you might expect for the newly-designated Calistoga AVA, which typically does so well with hot-weather varietals like Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. My last tasting report for Bennett Lane was in December 2008. Although the winery has since discontinued its White Maximus, the proprietary red is still at its consistent best.

• 2007 Chappellet Signature ($47) : For those who have spent any time perusing the “Essay and Oddities” on the right, I have long championed Chappellet as one of the top five wineries in the Napa Valley. The winery, founded in 1967, has great history, a great view from Pritchard Hill, and great wine. With neighbors like Colgin and Bryant Family, Chappellet presents the best value, by far, along Sage Canyon Road. The winery also offers its terrific 2007 Mountain Cuvee ($29), which could’ve made this list on its own (although this wine is just 51% Cabernet).

• 2006 Titus Vineyards ($41) : Chappellet winemaker Phillip Titus owns an eponymous wine label — Titus Vineyards — that also produces a noteworthy low-cost Cabernet. For me, this Cabernet exhibits some similar traits to Chappellet’s terrific estate Cab. Titus Vineyards is another winery that I’ve meant to review more recently, but have not found the time for a more thorough recap. Hopefully, I can coordinate something in the next month or so.

• 2007 Newton Claret ($25) : Another bargain from Spring Mountain Road, the Newton Claret is one of the lowest-priced bottles on the list. Keep in mind, you could actually purchase two full-sized bottles of the Newton Claret, yet still remain within the $50 or less level (impressive). As with Chappellet, the quality of Newton’s lower-priced wine reflects the overall quality of the winery’s portfolio. Newton wines are always a pleasure to drink, and their Red Label Cabernet ($28) is also an over-achiever. Like Bennett Lane’s Maximus, the 2007 Claret is technically a Bordeaux blend, and not an official Cabernet.

• 2006 Dare ($34) : The second label of Viader, the Dare series offers 100% varietal bottlings of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, and Tempranillo, each at the same price. The Dare Cabernet features fantastic pedigree, combining fruit from Viader’s Howell Mountain Estate and from the historic Lewelling Vineyard in St. Helena. I tasted these wines very recently, on the same day as my trip to Ladera.

• 2007 Vincent Arroyo Estate ($36) and 2007 J.J.’s Blend ($20) : Although the strength of Vincent Arroyo lies in its single-vineyard Petite Sirahs, the winery earns kudos for offering a legitimate giant-killer of a Cabernet (and the only wine on the list at less than 14% alcohol), as well as its lighter and less-expensive counterpart (which takes its name from one of the winery’s resident Labradors). The winery remains one of the Napa Valley’s best-kept secrets.

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Tasting notes: 2005 Oakville Cabernets

The Accidental Wino — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:43:58 +0000

Six wine professionals, including yours truly, blind tasted six Napa Cabernets this week, all from the 2005 vintage, and all hailing from the legendary Oakville appellation. The survey produced some mixed, yet interesting results. The list of wines was as follows:

• 2005 Tamber Bey Cabernet Savignon ($65)

• 2005 Groth Cabernet Sauvingnon ($58)

• 2005 Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon ($55)

• 2005 Gargiulo “Money Ranch Road” Cabernet Sauvignon ($85)

• 2005 Nickel & Nickel “John C. Sullenger” Cabernet Sauvignon ($90)

• 2005 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon ($45)

•••

The top wine of the flight was the Turnbull, and it was also my overall favorite. Among the members of the tasting panel, this wine was actually the favorite of one other taster, and no one ranked it as their least favorite. The only other wine to avoid any last-place votes was the Gargiulo — which earned one first-place vote — although three people did place it in the bottom half. Still, it did earn the runner-up title. Third place was the Groth, with an even number of votes for and against.

In fourth place was Nickel & Nickel, which was actually my second favorite, and a close second at that. Fifth was Tamber Bey, which I actually enjoyed the least, and sixth was the Ghost Block. I should point out that none of these wines were what I would classify as below average, even at this price range. This flight was pretty strong compared to some others, where I have immediately been able to pick out my least favorites. But the kicker is that the Turnbull is only $45 per bottle: just half the price of some of the others, and the least expensive bottle by $10 or more.

My next tasting will cover Rutherford. Hopefully, another great value will emerge. Stay tuned.

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Tasting notes: Turnbull Wine Cellars

The Accidental Wino — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:49:40 +0000

If times are as difficult as people say, then Turnbull Wine Cellars should be on everyone’s short list of wineries to visit this year. Not only does the winery offer a terrific 2005 Napa Cabernet at just $45 per bottle, but its 2006 Old Bull Red, priced at just $20 per bottle, will prove to be an unbeatable “barbecue” wine this summer. I buy a fair amount of both of these wines annually, since I can always count on Turnbull Cellars for a price-to-value ratio that is almost unmatched anywhere here in the Napa Valley.

The 2005 Turnbull Cabernet has tremendous fruit with fantastic balance — enough to make you wonder how other wineries can charge $100 or more for wines that lack such grace and elegance. Of course, Turnbull also offers its own version of $100 Cabernet, which is their 2005 Black Label, a Bordeaux blend that features a wonderful depth of flavor, but with the same soft tannins as its less expensive counterpart. The 2005 Turnbull Black Label is comprised primarily of Cabernet, although the wine is augmented with a particularly heavy dose of Petit Verdot, which pushes the blend towards darker, fleshier fruits.

The 2006 Old Bull Red has a burst of strawberry on the nose and a light, yet pleasant finish. I’m going to be frank: at the $20 level, this is all I can reasonably hope for. The Old Bull is a blend of 13 different varietals, although Merlot composes the base of the wine. The 2006 Old Bull is clearly a catch-all, with additions of Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Cab, Cab Franc, Barbera and Syrah. With its engaging aromatics, I wouldn’t be surprised it a little of the Turnbull Viognier also found its way into the mix.

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Tasting notes: Lokoya Mount Veeder 2005

The Accidental Wino — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:44:49 +0000

I’ve often acknowledged that my blog entries on Thirsty Reader comprise only what I find time to mention, and that they account for only a small portion of my excursions into wine country. I happen to enjoy wine tasting, so I’ll visit dozens of wineries within a month, just for my own education. But even if I had the time and the energy to deliver notes for all of the wines I taste, there would still be hundreds of wines left uncovered. Even the Wine Spectator, which rates tons of new wines in each issue, tells only a fraction of the story.

My approach to blogging has evolved as I’ve come to realize the utter futility of trying to be comprehensive. I’ve scaled back my efforts this year, as I’ve adopted a Michelin-style approach to food and wine criticism: the good places receive their due shine, while the forgettable places are mercifully omitted. After all, exhaustive accounts are tedious to write and boring to read, so what’s the point in all that wasted effort? If I’m going to bother with things such as grammar, diction, punctuation and spelling, I’d much rather highlight a gem than rehash a sub-par experience.

The reason why I mention this approach is because I have quite a few drafts in my queue at the moment. I have recent visits to Elizabeth Spencer and J Vineyards that I would like to detail, and I will try to get to them as soon as possible. But there is one wine that deserves to be mentioned before all of the others: the 2005 Lokoya Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. I tasted this wine at Cardinale last week (winemaker Chris Carpenter oversees both the Cardinale and Lokoya labels, as well as the La Jota label), and the profound depth of the wine has remained with me.

The 2005 Lokoya Mount Veeder offers dark expressions of violet and blueberry, which linger on the palate. The wine is smooth, integrated and balanced. Totally spot-on, and a rare combination of power and finesse. For me, this wine easily earns a place among my top 10 Napa Cabernets, and perhaps a spot in the top five. It’s serious juice.

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Tasting notes: Paradigm Winery

The Accidental Wino — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:35:13 +0000

I had visited so many tasting rooms this summer that it was often difficult for me to keep this blog totally up to date. Keep in mind, what you read on these pages only represents a fraction of the entire story. Living in the Napa Valley, I’ve always had so much material to draw upon that I decided to focus mainly on the positive, since it’s much more constructive to recommend something that’s good than to speak out against something that’s not so good.

Surprisingly, I had failed to mention Paradigm Winery after I had visited them this summer. I’m not sure exactly how that happened, but I guess I had only written that review in my mind. In truth, Paradigm is a winery that I recommend fairly frequently. I think that in many ways, it is exactly the kind of winery that people who visit the Napa Valley hope to discover (at least for those less interested in paying homage to the likes of Mondavi and Beringer).

Nestled against the base of the Mayacamas Mountains, the Paradigm property occupies 55 acres of prime Oakville real estate, and has been farmed by Ren Harris for more than 30 years. In a typical season, the winery will use less than half of its fruit for its own releases, selling the lion’s share of its grapes to a handful of other top Napa Valley labels. In terms of the wine itself, legendary winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett consults at Paradigm, which produces only about 5,000 cases annually.

Paradigm offers just four wines each year, with Cabernet Sauvignon representing about 80% of the winery’s total production. I tasted the 2004 Paradigm Cabernet today, and I was pleased with its balance and elegance. This wine is further proof that there are plenty of great Napa Cabs in the $60 range (I am compiling a short list of these wines for January). I also sampled the 2005 Paradigm Zinfandel, which featured a cookie-spice nose and a bright cherry palate. The Zin is blended with 12% Cabernet Franc, which is an unusual blending grape for this varietal, but the formula definitely works.

And so today, I purchased the 2004 Paradigm Cabernet. Lately, I have begun to prefer subtlety and finesse over heavy-duty extraction, and this wine certainly fits the bill. I enjoyed the 2005 Paradigm Zin as well, but I still have the bottle that I purchased during my visit this summer. Plus, I’m already swimming in Zinfandel as it is.

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