House Wine Steak House Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

The original thought was to be a one wine brand, with a single minded vision to produce the best value-priced Cabernet Sauvignon in America. How do you go about this? Traditional winemaking. Natural fermentations. Barrel-aging. Plus, bottling unfiltered and unfined. In essence, making the wines in small batch winemaking integrity, but doing so on a larger scale. The wine is black. The label definitively says, "This is Cabernet Sauvignon." With the CS, you know who made this wine: Charles Smith. There is also the single vineyard, single expression, Bordeaux varietals (ex: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) produced in very limited quantities. Let's not to forget, the single vineyard Loire-style Substance Sauvignon Blanc. This is the newest chapter in the history books of Charles Smith and his wines.

Review:

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Powerline Vineyard (which is all from Clone 2) is a brilliant, brilliant wine that’s loaded with ripe red, black, and blue fruit as well as notions of green herbs, tobacco, chocolate, and even hints of spiced meat. Complex and medium to full-bodied, with good acidity and a balanced, seamless mouthfeel, it’s already hard to resist yet is going to cruise of 15+ years in cold cellars. -Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points

Cardinale Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot.

 Winemaker CHRISTOPHER CARPENTER

Reviews:

There was no Wallis vineyard fruit used this vintage. Very deep purple-black colored, the 2017 Cardinale charges out of the glass with notes of fresh blackcurrants, blackberries and Black Forest cake plus hints of menthol, cardamom, baking spices and lilacs plus a waft of cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house with firm, grainy, ripe tannins and fantastic freshness supporting the taut, muscular black fruits, finishing long and mineral laced. 1,440 cases produced. -Wine Advocate 96 Points

A blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot from throughout the valley that was brought up in 80% new French oak, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is dominated by its Stags Leap fruit (which is 30% of the blend) and has the classic elegance and spicy character of that district as well as great red and blue fruits, a seamless, building mid-palate, ripe yet present tannins, and ample tobacco, earth, and spice aromas and flavors. It's plush and textured on the palate yet has the structure to evolve for two decades. -Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points

Le P'tit Paysan Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot

11 months on lees in French oak barrels (3% new)

Le P'tit Paysan offers intense blackberry, dark cherry aromas, chocolate, herbaceous and toasty notes on the palate. Medium-bodied, well-balanced with moderate and integrated tannins that give structure and liveliness to the wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from two vineyards, a 44 year old vineyard planted in the calcareous alluvial deposits of the San Benito River and a 25 year old vineyard east of Gilroy, which grows in deep, extremely sandy soils against the foothills of the Diablo Range. The Petite Verdot from the Paicines AVA and grows in rocky alluvial deposits above the Tres Pinos arroyo. All three vineyards experience the warm days and cold nights typical of the Central Coast, allowing these late ripening Bordeaux varieties to be picked at high acidity and moderate sugars. Fermented whole berry in several lots with endemic yeasts, pressed after approximately 20 days. Aged for 11 months (3% new) French barrels. A beautiful example of ‘old school’ California Cabernet made with minimal intervention from mature vineyards.

Pairs well with steak, duck, game, hearty stews, ribs, and dark, rich sauces.

   SALE!

Our Cabernet Sauvignon is always the last to ripen on the Alegria vineyard in the foothills of the Andes. And this year the Cabernet Sauvignon enjoyed high heat in January, followed by a cooler than usual countdown to harvest during February and March. The consequence was a crop of perfect clusters, exemplary concentration, enhanced flavors, and optimal, natural acidity. The result is a Cabernet Sauvignon of rare finesse.

SonVida Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 boasts classic varietal notes, blackcurrant, ripe red cherry, cassis. But what distinguishes this vintage is the excellent body and structure, the soft, round tannins and minerality so characteristic of the award-winning Altamira district, and the bright balance of its finish.

Once again, we selected whole clusters by hand as we harvested relatively late, in the third week of April, with low yields of 75 hl/ha. There was then a double selection: first, by bunches, then grape by grape. Total maceration took 20 days, starting with cold soaking for four days, alcoholic fermentation 12 days, then four days additional. The Syrah came from our vineyard – as always, SonVida represents the single vineyard wine.

Yes, this is a Cabernet Sauvignon to be enjoyed with a quality steak, or cut of beef. But also it can be enjoyed on its own, its smooth balance and finesse lending ideally to a relaxed evening in good company. It will age well, as have earlier SonVida Cabernets, adding complexity and richness.

Review:

Tamarack Cabernet Sauvignon is made from  91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot 

Crushed gently and dropped by gravity into 1.5 ton bins, cold soaked for 24 to 72 hours, then inoculated with a variety of yeasts, hand-punched and pressed directly to barrel where the wine finishes both primary and secondary fermentations. The individual lots of wine that compose the Cabernet Sauvignon are kept separate for at least one year before they are blended.

A warm summer led to an early start to harvest, followed by a stretch of lower than average temperatures in late September that slowed ripening so grapes hung longer without sugars skyrocketing, providing balance, more flavor development and concentration. A long but successful harvest!

Full bodied with black currant jam, honey glazed dates and black peppered seasoned T-bone steak aromas intertwined with piercing boysenberry, rosemary rack of lamb, balsamic, blue cheese, bacon wrapped figs and intriguing tannins extended out over an intricate and balanced finish.

Tamarack Firehouse Red is 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Syrah, 22% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 3% Sangiovese, 2% Grenache, 2% Cinsault 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Counoise, 1% Mourvèdre and 1% Carmenere.

Deceptively sweet aromas of strawberries, raspberries and rose petals. The flavors are dark, rich, lusciously mouthwatering, with cherries, boysenberries, tart plum skins, hints of leather, sweet pipe tobacco, and coffee beans. The tannins are firm, but not a bit edgy and the finish lingers with just a touch of anise. A truly lovely vintage.