Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Lovely stupid.

Elegant that is elegant. So soft with cooked savory notes. Blackberries, black raspberries, creamy raspberries, dark cherries, plum, savory herbs, moist volcanic clay, some tarry notes, black licorice, mid berry cola, dark chocolate bar, salted caramel, nut skin, dark, rich earth with dry leaves, bright florals in a bouquet, excellent acidity with extremely well knitted, perfect structure, balance for days and smartly polished with a two-minute finish.

Nose has ripe plum, mashed blackberries, dark chocolate powder, strawberry jam on leather, molasses, molasses cookies, wet soil, nutmeg and vanilla bean.

Palate has blackberry compote, black cherry reduction, partially dried plum, wet baking spice, wet+dry leather, dark chocolate shavings, (light) oak/vanilla influence remains. Extended finish, really starting to pick up incredibly at 3-4H in the decanter.

Paired with Allen Bros. ribcap (USDA Prime version) tonight, unfortunately our grill has a 4ft. snow drift in front presently so the best I can muster was a super hot cast iron pan from the oven, then onto stove with lots of butter and in 7m total we had beef to die for...Which I had some competition for dining this evening.

This bottle was a very generous gift from my West Coast brother @David T from earlier in the year. My work travel schedule was hectic and never found a good time to settle in on a weekend with the wine or pairing, until now. (I've lost track of the amount of COVID tests I've done in the past 5M, but all have been negative 🙏 to date.) A fabulous gift to enjoy now that I'm hopefully relaxing for the next 2w...
Happy Holidays to everyone.🎄

2nd steak wine with the Allen Brother Ripcaps & Covers. Dessert steak wine.

Ruby, ripe, dark, fruit, spice, withering floral fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum, cherries, creamy raspberries & poached strawberries. Dark spice, anise to black licorice, steeped tea, dry crushed, rocks, limestone volcanics, sap, dry twig, leather, barrel shavings, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanilla, dark chocolate, melted, salted, caramel, herbaceous notes driven with sage, touch of menthol, mint with lavender & violets for days framed in dark, withering florals. Acidity is dead on. The finish falls into well knitted & well balanced elegance for days

2002 is such a beautiful vintage IMHO. In many ways, I think even better than 07. We’ll see in five years from now as I lack a time machine.

I’ve said this a couple of times over my nearly 4,200 Delectable notes. There is no amount of decanting a young wine that can reproduce the beauty, elegance, florals, integration, balance and finish as long bottle age. If you are buying expensive Cabernets and drinking them young, you are simply short changing yourself out of your deep investment.

This largely under known Napa producer is a shining example of that tonight. Proof in the pudding so to speak.

The nose reveals, sweet, ripe, lush, ruby, slightly baked/liqueured fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black cherries, black plum, understated blueberries and baked strawberries haunt the backend. Dark Asian & Indian spices, black licorice to anise, sweet tarriness, black tea, dark expresso, crushed dry rocks, limestone minerals, herbal notes, mint, incense, graphite, dark chocolate, caramel & mocha, dry top soil, moist clay, dark rich, turn earth with fresh & withering; dark, red, purple, blue flowers & just a touch of violets.

The body is; round, rich & luxurious. The tannins still have baby teeth and show chewy tarriness. The tension, structure, length and balance have hit their peak. It’s not going to improve, it will simply show you descending changes which, can be quite enjoyable but, not necessarily for the ones that appreciate wines young. Interesting, none the less, for the ones that enjoy all sides/aspects of wine evolution. Sweet, ripe, lush, ruby, slightly baked/liqueured fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black cherries, black plum, mulberries, boysenberries, more blue fruits than the nose, cherries and baked strawberries haunt the backend. Dark Asian & Indian spices with just the right amount of heat, black licorice to anise, sweet tarriness, black tea, dark expresso, crushed dry rocks, limestone minerals, herbal notes, mint, graphite, dark chocolate, caramel & mocha, dry top soil, moist clay, dark rich, turn earth, fresh tobacco, suede style leather, saddle-wood with fresh & withering; dark, red, purple, blue flowers & just a touch of violets. The ABV on this wine is really nice given today’s hotter wines. Climate change, it’s a bitch. The round acidy is as good as it gets. The long, excellent, elegant, rich, ripe, ruby, gorgeous, sexy, floral, perfectly balanced finish falls into persistent heaven.

This is a gorgeous example of what Napa Valley is capable of in grand vintages, if you have good storage & can show patience.

Photos of; an arial view of Jones Family Winery, patio tasting area, beautiful Jones Family Cabernet fruit and their amazing vineyards.

Last of the blind red wines. Theme was Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux Blend from Oakville, Stags Leap District or generic Napa Valley with professional reviews of 95+.

Oldest wine of the lot for sure with a deep garnet hue and quite a bit of sediment. Rounded and elegant nose with some dusty undertones. Notes of dark berries, cedar and tobacco leaves too. Medium and rounded tannins (5.5/10) with a medium to medium plus body. Still quite a bit of fruit on the palate, both blue and black berries. As well as some dark spices, cedar and a little forest floor. Long and balanced finish. Drink till 2022.

Pretty solid!

As badly corked as any wine I've ever had. Really disappointed.

This Mag needed 30 minutes to blow off the 20 years, but it started going downhill quickly compared to other 02’s . Retail purchase so who knows storage conditions,

New pix,
Used @Severn Goodwin decant time recco,👍🏼🥩
Tried to delete the last post, not working🤷🏼‍♂️

Great Cabernet for leftover Waygu.