Greetings and salutations! Happy 2014 to you and yours! Your favorite Wine Bargain Sleuth cleverly managed to avoid the absurd driving skills demonstrations that constitute Amateur Night—A/K/A New Years Eve—by camping out at a local hotel with family. I even truculently made it to the midnight hour and enjoyed a splash or three of bubbly. Now it’s time to haul the dried-out Christmas tree to the curb and store away the decorations that turned my humble abode into a facsimile of Santa’s workshop. Time to count our many blessings with a renewed optimism that only a brand new year brings!
It strikes me that there is no better time to discuss great Cabernet Sauvignon than the beginning of a new year. The cooler weather of the winter season is affords a perfect opportunity to enjoy the robust flavor of your favorite Cabs. Accordingly, this month’s Chapter will list of some of our favorite Cabernets for your enjoyment. For proper classification, we will adopt the US labeling standards of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau which require that in order to be labeled as Cab Sav, the wine vendor must use at least 75% Cabernet Sauvignon juice. Just for fun, let’s set an arbitrary maximum retail price of $35 (slightly on the Worth a Splurge Wine side without getting ridiculous with our wallets as a nod to your pending and dreaded January credit card bills!) and choose five delicious Cabs to start your 2014 on the right foot!
I must confess that I have a few misgivings about the self-imposed $35 cap, which automatically eliminates two annual house favorites: the Peju Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (www.peju.com) and the Hall Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (www.hallwines.com), each of which retails for approximately $10 more. Both are consistently polished, elegant wines that could easily sell for much more than their asking prices and which have had mentions in prior Chapters. On the other hand, part of the fun of this month’s exercise is getting out of our comfort zones and broadening our horizons! Without further ado, here is the official Wine Bargain Sleuth 2014 Top Five Worth a Splurge Cabernet Sauvignons for $35 and Under list, in ascending order of retail price:
Top Five Worth a Splurge Cabernet Sauvignons for $35 and Under
Washington Liquid Silk from Horse Heaven Hills. When I think of Washington’s Columbia Crest label, I think consistent quality and remarkable bang for your buck. Exhibit A to this theory is represented by the 2010 Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon. The true Value Wine of this list, the 2010 H3 Cab Sav retails for a modest $15.99. If you prefer your Cabs medium bodied but full flavored and refined, you can look no further. A nose of dark cherries followed by an earthy finish with just a hint of cocoa, this Big Red has been rated at least 90 points by one or more of the major critics 5 out of 6 consecutive years, and the 2010 H3 Cab Sav was no exception. This 2010 vintage was rated a very impressive 90 points by Wine Spectator, which described the Columbia Crest Cab as follows: “Polished and distinctive, offering chocolate and espresso accents around a supple core of cherry and fresh currant fruit. The finish is well-defined, with a silky feel.” At this price, grab a case!
South American Splendor. The Susana Balbo Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 is a fine reminder that some remarkable Cabs, as well as Malbecs, are being bottled in Argentina these days. This full-bodied, deep ruby colored South American offering gives your palate the full Cabernet Sauvignon experience, with lots of dark fruit, spice and even a hint of red pepper, followed by a lingering, earthy finish. Folks, there is a lot going on in this glass! Notoriously hard grader Steven Tanzer bestowed an impressive 92 rating on this vintage of the Susana Balbo Cab, opining that it “…nicely combines an Old World silkiness of texture with the ripeness of Mendoza cabernet. The long, rising finish features very smooth tannins. Classy juice, and long on personality.” Best of all, this South American gem is widely available for $25 retail, and likely a bit less with clever shopping.
Sleeper from Napa Valley. I think it is fair to say that the 2010 Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon is somewhat of an anomaly. It is a very consistently very-good-to-terrific Cabernet from the heart of Napa Valley that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Although it retails for approximately $28, I have been able to locate the 2010 Franciscan and several of its previous vintages for less than $20, putting it within striking distance of our typical Value Wines. This is a medium-to-full bodied Cab with a relatively low alcohol content of 13.5% that displays a finesse that includes balance and a satisfying and lengthy finish. While perhaps not quite as impressive as the highly rated 2007 and 2008 vintages, the 2010 Franciscan nevertheless is an excellent “go to” or house Cabernet, garnering a solid 89 rating from Wine Enthusiast. That publication is obviously a fan of the Franciscan Cab, describing it thusly: “Good price for a Cabernet this elegant and classy. It’s not something for the cellar, but offers everything it has now, with ripe blackberry, black currant and cedar flavors that are wrapped into sturdy, smooth tannins.” You can grab this one and enjoy it immediately.
Oakville Royalty in a Plain Wrapper. Wine negociant and entrepreneur Cameron Hughes has traditionally reserved Lots 200, 300 and 400 from what he considers some of the finest producers in Napa Valley, and the 2011 Cameron Hughes Lot 500 Napa Valley (Oakville) Cabernet Sauvignon follows suit with a blockbuster Big Red. If you have not become familiar with the Cameron Hughes label, the wines each are released under a lot number, along with a generic description of the source of the premium juice obtained for the individual wines. In doing so, Mr. Hughes and his team are able to consistently obtain excess wine production at a bargain from some of the best producers in Napa Valley and beyond (see Chapter 21 for a review of the terrific Cameron Hughes Lot 343 from the South of France) without devaluing the primary releases of the source vineyards. Particularly in years of copious production of grapes the Cameron Hughes model is a very clever one indeed, and the big winner is the consumer of great wines. Contractually obligated to protect the source of the juice, the Cameron Hughes website (www.chwine.com) describes the 2011 Lot 500 Cab as follows: “Lot 500 comes from one of the best vineyards Napa has to offer. Located in the heart of Oakville, this is a tremendous estate that holds the honor of producing one the first Napa Valley wines to be awarded 100 points, and continues to make some of the best Cabernet you can find anywhere.” The CH Lot 500 was a Gold Medal winner in the prestigious 2013 Cabernet Shootout Challenge. Full-bodied and bold in texture, the Lot 500 contains a large profile of blackberries and plums, with polished, fine tannins and a lengthy finish. This is one for the cellar, as the 2011 vintage is very young for wine of this pedigree. Best of all, it is available for a quite-reasonable $29, a true value when you consider the stratospheric costs of other Oakville Cabs, such as Far Niente, Opus One, Rudd and even legends such as Screaming Eagle! The more you know about fruit from the floor of Napa Valley, the more you will like the 2011 Cameron Hughes Lot 500 Cabernet Sauvignon, particularly when the reasonable price is factored in.
Classic Bordeaux That Won’t Break the Bank. It seems only appropriate to recognize a remarkable red Bordeaux wine from the already-legendary 2010 vintage: Chateau Lilian Ladouys 2010 St. Estephe. Barely clearing our maximum cut-off with the retail price of an even $35, the 2010 Chateau Lilian Ladouys offering eminates from an up-and-coming vineyard from the storied Left Bank of the Bordeaux region of France. The Lilian Ladouys is a remarkable value, particularly with its spectacular 2009 and 2010 vintages. Like many Big Reds from St. Estephe, the young, tannic 2010 Chateau Lilian Ladouys needs at least 5-7 years of cellaring for full enjoyment. Wine Enthusiast awarded a terrific 94 rating on this red Bordeaux, naming it as number 15 on its annual 2013 Wine Enthusiast 100 List. Wine Enthusiast succinctly described the 2010 Chateau Lilian Ladouys thusly: “Obviously wood-aged, with a smoky toast flavor, this is a wine that shows the power of Saint-Estèphe tannins in full force. At the same time, there is a blackberry character that adds richness and juiciness, which cuts through the dry core.” At bare minimum, if you can’t wait to sample this beauty, make sure you decant the Lilian Ladouys for at least two hours before enjoying it. A confession that although the 2010 Chateau Lilian Ladouys may not quite meet our stated 75% Cab threshold, it seems a shame not to feature a gorgeous Bordeaux in a Top Five Cab list. So we shall!
Thought for the Day: First Wine Quotes of 2014
“Wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, makes weariness forget his toil.”
~ Lord Byron
“Wine, one sip of this will bathe the drooping spirits in delight beyond the bliss of dreams. Be wise and taste.”
~ John Milton
“A woman drove me to drink and I didn’t even have the decency to thank her.”
~ W. C. Fields
Until next month– Cheers!
© The Wine Bargain Sleuth 2014—All Rights Reserved
Len Musgrove
Diane, I found the 2010 Lilian Ladouys on Wine.com. Happy hunting!