2005 Rombauer Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon

Last Spring, we had a wonderful tasting experience at Rombauer Vineyards (see "Chatting it up in the tasting room"). We ended up buying a few bottles, including a 2005 Rombauer Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon.

This was definitely a special occasion wine, so we decided to bring it to dinner when we celebrated our wedding anniversary at Fleming's in San Diego. And, like a nice steak dinner, this wine was all straightforward excellence. The nose smelled like currant and cedar, which gave way to cherry on the a mild tartness on the palate with a smooth finish with light tannins. It paired wonderfully with our butternut squash soup, steak, and potatoes. It was also good enough to continue enjoying in lieu of dessert.

We all need a few special occasion bottles in our collection. For us, we prefer special occasion bottles that have a story behind them, so we might remember it when we finally get to enjoy the wine. Opening this bottle reminded us of our last trip to Napa (3 Days in Napa at our Top 10 Wineries). 

Enjoying a special occasion wine at Fleming's

“Drink Yourself Blind” and Discover New Wine

One of my favorite ways to discover new wines is with unique tasting experiences.  It’s a fun way to share wine with friends and try something you may not otherwise.  This week, co-workers were in town and our friends at Bacchus Wine Market & Tasting Room set up a very fun tasting experience for us, “Drink Yourself Blind”. 

For the tasting, we were served 8 mystery wines ~ 4 white, 4 red.  We were provided a list of possible wines.  Of course, they didn’t make it easy, as each list had an extra wine that was not part of the tasting.  We were also provided grape descriptions to help us along.  Here’s the list of our potential wines with actual selections marked with (x):

WHITE:

(x) Le Capitaine Vouvray Chenin Blanc, France

(x) Cavallotto Chardonnay, Italy

(x) J. Rickards Sauvignon Blanc, California

(x) Trefethen Riesling, California

Lagar de Cervera Albarino, Spain

RED:

(x) Medlock Ames Merlot, California

(x) White Hawk Syrah, California

(x) In Situ Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

J. Rickards Zinfandel, California

(x) Aster Ribera del Duero Tempranillo, Spain

The wines were served one at a time, starting with the whites.  After every taste, we each made a guess and then took the most common answer as our ‘team pick’.  After tasting all the whites, I learned, well… I really suck at this ~ it was hard!  I only got 2 correct.  Our collective team pick scored the same, and we gave mad props to our co-worker who successfully picked three.  I was confident I’d do better with the reds.  Not so much.  I didn’t get any correct (ouch!), and I once again matched our team score.  The best among our group was a total of 4 correct picks. 

I have convinced myself I would do better if the wines were tasted all together and I could compare side by side.  Then again, maybe I just need the practice, and should take it as a sign to share more wine!

Bacchus is holding the "Drink Yourself Blind" event on Friday, Oct 12, 4-8:30pm and Saturday, Oct 13, 2-8:30pm.  Tickets are only $20. If you are in San Diego during this time, I highly recommend it ~ tons of fun!

Sharing a fun wine tasting experience with co-workers at Bacchus Wine Market, downtown San Diego

August 30 is Cabernet Day

Yes.  It is true.  Today is Cabernet Day!  Today is a day to celebrate and appreciate all things cabernet ~ including cab franc, and cab blends.  August 30, 2012 marks the third annual International Cabernet Day.  According to organizer, Rick Bakas, “The idea came about in 2009 when the wine economy was in the toilet and I was trying to find ways to connect wineries with consumers. It helps the industry and doesn’t cost anyone anything.”

So, how do you celebrate?  It’s easy.  Open a bottle of cab, drink, and share.  Join the conversations on twitter using the hashtag #CabernetDay.  According to wine-searcher.com, last year more than 6,000 people shared over 17,000 tweets using the #CabernetDay hashtag, reaching an estimated 4.2 million people in one day.  That’s some considerable wine sharing!

Check out prior posts on some of our favorites cabernets:

2006 Cade Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Plumpjack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

2004 Plumpjack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Ehlers 2004 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon "1886"

Cabernet Franc ~ tasty all on its own

Call Me A Cab Party

Kuleto Estate Cab Arbitrage in Kansas City

Arbitrage.

We look for it on every wine menu. Last Friday night, we found it on the wine list at Pierponts in Kansas City. 

Our special prize was a 2007 Kuleto Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This bottle retails for $50 from the winery, but was selling for just $58 on the Pierponts wine list. A normal restaurant price might be in the $100 - $150 range, so this was clearly arbitrage! I actually asked our waiter to confirm the price just in case I was misreading the menu. 

This is a beautiful wine. It's made from 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petite Verdot grapes, all from Kuleto's vineyards in the hills above eastern Napa Valley. The nose is pure Cab, with dark fruit and silky tannins that hold up well to all sorts of food without being overpowering.

Our Quest for Arbitrage
Restaurants typically mark up the wine they sell by two to three times retail. This is one of the reasons why we often bring our own wine to restaurants (see our full list here), but lugging a bottle around isn't always feasible when we travel. We have a few tricks for selecting wine at a restaurant (see them here), but arbitrage always makes things more exciting. It's always great to get something on sale!

2006 PlumpJack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Last Saturday, my parents were in town visiting for Father's Day weekend. Sally and I took my parents to one of our favorite special occasion restaurants in San Diego, Bertrand at Mister A's to mark the special occasion. The patio of their roofdeck restaurant offers what is arguably the best view in San Diego plus the food and service is superb. (One small ding - their corkage fee is an outrageous $30 per bottle.)

When it's a special occasion, it's a good idea to bring a special occasion kind of wine. For us, one of our go-to wines for big events is PlumpJack Cabernet Sauvignon. (We previously wrote about their 2004 vintage - read that here.) This time, we had two bottles of their 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, in keeping with the idea that you should always buy at least two bottles if you really like a wine (why you should always buy two bottles).

The wine was outstanding. The nose smelled like cocoa and herbs, tasted like black fruit on the front palate, and finished with full, soft tannins. It was velvety smooth throughout as a good wine should be.

So, what lessons were reinforced?

1. Always buy two bottles of the good stuff.
2. PlumpJack is a premium wine that's worth it.
3. Take good care of your Dad on Father's Day.

Jeff and his Dad (on the right) enjoying a glass of PlumpJack.