Call Me a Cab Preview: 2005 PreVail Back Forty

Many wine collectors have a few special bottles that they hang on to for a special occasion or to share with close friends or family. Many of these special bottles are Cabernet Sauvignon and can age for years, but you have to drink them sometime.

Last Saturday, my parents generously shared a couple bottles of 2005 PreVail Back Forty Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from their wine collection. You can think of it as a preview of Call Me a Cab night (see our post). Sally and I are hosting a Call Me a Cab party this Saturday, May 19 and my parents are hosting a Call Me a Cab party of their own. Fortunately, they held this wine out of the party and shared it with us instead.

PreVail is a sub-label of Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery that focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2005 Back Forty is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that's grown on a 40 acre vineyard in Alexander Valley, which is a part of California's Sonoma Valley wine region. They didn't spend a lot of time coming up with the "Back Forty" name, but they put all the time they needed into making this wonderful wine.

It has a very "Cab" smell, which is herbaceous with a bit of fruit. The taste seemed perfectly balanced with hints of raspberry and blackberry and well-structured tannins that kick in mid-palate. The wine is silky smooth with plenty of complexity, but without being overpowering. We enjoyed it with Chateaubriand at Duane's Prime Steaks and Seafood at Riverside's Mission Inn. Another treat indeed.

If you have a special bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon you've been saving, consider sharing it at a Call Me a Cab party of your own. Or, perhaps you'll soon find a special occasion where the wine can make an appearance. Whatever you do, remember that shared bottles are the best bottles.

Call Me a Cab! Share A Bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon on May 19

One of our favorite ways to share a bottle is with theme wine tasting parties ~ more formal sit down meals (dinner party, Pinot-palooza) and less formal gatherings (Hallowine, Oscars).  It’s a fun way to open a few bottles, and taste with friends. This Saturday, May 19, why not give it a try and join us with Call Me A Cab!  

The Wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, or course)~

When planning what wine to drink for the evening, consider the following ideas:

• Include wines from your own inventory
• Invite friends to bring a selection for the group
• Do a combination - you provide the wine for the evening, and have all guests bring a bottle as well.  When everyone leaves, grab a different bottle than you brought and enjoy another night!
• Taste a vertical (different vintages of the same wine type)
• Taste a horizontal (same vintage different wineries)
• Select all from the same region or country
• Select a price point (like cabs under $25)

However you select the wine, we recommend doing a blind tasting.  It really forces impartial judgment of the wine by removing preconceived expectations of how a wine will taste because of cost, geography, origin or producer.  You may be surprised on what wine turns out to be the favorite!  There are a number of ways you can make the tasting blind – serve in carafes (just remember to mark someway so you remember which is which!), place bottles in bags, or simply cover the label with a dark piece of paper. 

The Food ~

Dinner parties can be as formal (or informal) as you like.  Whether it is a sit down meal, or a casual gathering with cheese and small bites, the key is to select items that will pair well with the wine.  We are by no means pairing pros, and rely on our favorite resource What to Drink with What You Eat.  When tasting the wine, try it with and without food.  It is really interesting to see how the flavors of the wine are impacted, and may even alter which wine is the favorite among the group. 

Not up for a dinner party?  If local laws allow for it, meet friends at a restaurant and bring the wine with you (Let’s Taste Two!).  Taste wines side by side while enjoying a nice cab friendly meal…and drink wisely ~ you literally may need to call a cab!  

This weekend, let’s all share some cab!  Check for a post next week to find out which cabs we shared and the favorite among friends.  We look forward to hearing the same from you!

Tasting the Napa Valley Appellations

There are various regions throughout Napa Valley that possess distinct microclimates and terrains, with recognizable characteristics that can be found on the grapes grown within them.  Over the years as we’ve tasted more and more wines from the Napa Valley region, we have discovered that we gravitate to certain valleys more than others.  The soil, daily sunlight, wind, swings in temperature and slope of vineyard all impact the flavor profile.  On our recent trip to Napa, we visited some of our favorites in the more mountainous regions. 

Mount Veeder – Hess Collection

2008 Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvee

(69% Cab Sauv, 13% Malbec, 8% Syrah, 8% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Cab Franc)

This wine has aromas of black cherry compote and ripe plum with hints of vanilla and spice.  A silky, berry taste with rich tannins fills the mouth, with a lengthy finish ~ would pair well with a spicy flat iron steak.

2008 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon

(82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 8% Merlot)

Full body, with a long, silky finish, this wine is full of aromas of toffee and wild berries.  It has a rich mid-palate and full of tannins.  It’s a big cab that could age up to 10 years.

Howell Mountain - Cade

2008 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon – 92 points by Robert Parker

(96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot) 

A cab with a powerful punch, this wine has aromas of black fruit and a little smoke.  On the palate, dense flavors of black cherry, baker’s chocolate, and a touch of herbs, and finishes with well-structured tannins and acidity that will allow the wine to age well for 5-10 years. It’s a screw cap!

2009 Howell Mountain Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

(100% Cabernet Sauvignon)

This one earned our “pfg” rating.  Aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate that carry through to the palate bringing in flavors of espresso and cardamom, which balance with the deep, round tannins.  This wine would benefit from aging 5-10 years.

Wonder what appellation would appeal to you?  Here’s a quick description of flavor profiles typically produced from some of the more popular areas:

Howell Mountain – powerful, firm, richly tannic, with blackberry-currant flavors

Mount Veeder – tannic backbone with dark fruit and floral flavors & aromas

Rutherford – subtle tannins, with tastes of mineral, earthy & cherry

St. Helena – deep and ripe, “chewy” and round with flavors of currant, blackberry & chocolate

Spring Mountain – powerful, tight, richly tannic & mineral-y, red fruit notes, good acidity for aging

Stags Lead District – lush and velvety, with soft tannins and perfumes of cherry and red berry

Yountville - Ripe but supple, with firm tannins and aromas of violets and black raspberry

You can't go wrong with a Ridge Zinfandel

Maybe it's because we're from California, but we count Zinfandel among our favorite wine varietals. And, when it comes to Zin, a Ridge Zinfandel is always a safe bet. Some are critical that it’s hard to remember one single vineyard Ridge Zinfandel from the other – they all have the same plain-Jane label – but that really shouldn’t matter. They’re all exceptional.

Here are a few examples:

2006 Ridge Carmichael Zinfandel

We shared this outstanding wine with my parents when we enjoyed a gondola ride on the Coronado Cays. It was distinctively Ridge - jammy and smooth with just a hint of pepper on the finish. See our smiles?

Enjoying a Ridge on our Gondola Ride in the Coronado Cays2009 Ridge Ponzo Zinfandel

Sally and I recently spent three awesome days touring Napa (see that post). After Day 1, we unwound at the Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ and ordered a 2009 Ridge Ponzo Zinfandel to go with it. Despite all of the amazing wine we’d tasted that day, the Ponzo was at the top of our list. It was oh so smooth with dark cherry flavors, a little jamminess, and some lusciously soft tannins on the finish. Simply outstanding - see my smile?

Enjoying at Ridge at the Bounty Hunter Wine Bar and Smokin' BBQ

2007 Ridge Old School Zinfandel

Last Saturday, we enjoyed a nice romantic dinner at our favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant, Antica Trattoria. We brought a bottle of 2007 Ridge Old School Zinfandel to go with our meal. It smelled like figs on the nose, was jammy like a Ridge should be, had hints of raspberry and fig on the front palate, was silky smooth on the mid palate with a luscious mouth feel and a little pepper on the finish. Wow – this wine was outstanding - see my smile?

Enjoying a Ridge at Antica Trattoria in La Mesa, CA

Chatting it up in the tasting room - 3 fun stories

One of the many things to love about the wine industry is the people who work for wineries are generally a lot of fun. The next time you visit a tasting room, be sure to bring your good humor, ask a lot of questions, and maintain a spirit of adventure. If you do, you'll be sure to have a great time!

Here are three quick stories from our recent winery adventures.

Andrew Murray is our Cheers!

Sally and I were eating lunch in Los Olivos at Panino, which is across the street from Andrew Murray's tasting room. We were planning to meet my parents in an hour at another winery and then work our way back to Andrew Murray later in the day, so we decided to play a little trick after finishing our meal. The two of us went into Andrew Murray's tasting room and introduced ourselves to Tracy and Stephanie who were pouring wine that day. We told them we'd be back later that afternoon with my parents and asked them to greet us like long lost friends. Of course, they agreed.

We returned an hour or so later with my parents and strolled into the tasting room. Right on cue, Tracy and Stephanie greeted us like we were Norm walking into Cheers. "Jeff! Sally!" At the same time, we were surprised to see our friends Alisa and Ken at the counter tasting wine. They turned around, saw us, and exclaimed, "Jeff! Sally!" My parents were a little speechless, but so were we. Alisa and Ken were there at our recommendation, but we had no idea they would be there on that day and time.

Needless to say, we all had a great time! My parents are also now convinced Andrew Murray is our Cheers.

Getting cozy at Cheers, er, Andrew Murray

Why Cuvaison is our favorite winery

Our trip to Napa earlier this month focused on our ten favorite wineries, so naturally Cuvaison was on the list. Not only do they make outstanding wine, but everyone who works there always makes us feel like an old friend.

When we arrived we were greeted by Gabe, the Tasting Room Manager. Gabe is a very outgoing guy who also knows his wines. He's also the reason we joined the wine club and now buy entirely too much of their wine. Damn him.

Patty was our host that day, and she kept our glasses full of many outstanding current releases. Bob, another favorite, also made sure we didn't go empty when Patty was busy serving other guests. At one point, Suzanna (their marketing guru) came out to say "Hi" and snap our picture for their Facebook page.

We joked that other guests might be wondering who we were why we were getting our picture taken. The explanation is actually pretty simple. We keep in touch with the many awesome people who take care of us when we visit Cuvaison. If you visit a winery more than once, I highly recommend you get their business card and drop them a note from time to time. There's a good chance they will keep in touch and treat you to a special time on your next visit.

Showing off our purple teeth while overlooking the vineyardConnecting with locals always pays off

Skip the tour guides - talk to the locals. We've lived by that advice ever since we started visiting wine country and it's consistently led to outstanding experiences. 

Our latest adventure started in the tasting room at Miner Family Vineyards. We were enjoying many of the great wines poured by our host, Steve, while we chatted about wine with Steve and another guest. It turned out that the other guest, Bob, worked at Rombauer Vineyards and was visiting Miner Family on his day off. We were all clearly enjoying the wine and had similar tastes, so Bob gave us his card and invited us to stop by if we had a chance.

That Saturday, we were in the neighborhood, so we decided to pay Bob a visit. The tasting room was packed, but Bob immediately recognized us. We hung back to wait for the crowd to clear, but Bob soon approached us with a couple of glasses of wine. "I figured you'd enjoy our reserve wines," he said. "Let's start you with the Merlot."

The Merlot was amazing, as were many of the other wines we tasted. And, we had a terrific time with Bob as our host. Despite the large crowd, he made time to answer our questions and kept us engaged. We even met another couple from San Diego, proving it is a very small world indeed. 

Rombauer wasn't originally on our list, but thanks to a chance encounter at another winery we ended up having an amazing time there! (And we bought some awesome wine, but that's another story.)

If only this door would open, I could get to the wine!