Name your Favorite Cabernet Sauvignon

originally posted by: Bhadhidar
1974 Heitz Cellars Martha's Vineyard.

I envy you sir.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I would almost be afraid to try something with that old of a date in this day and age lol.. I don't think I have tried anything that old but I have had a few 'expensive' wines with friends that were bar owners and maybe I just don't have a sensitive palate but I'm still happy with my $13 bottle of Yellow Tail cab or merlot..

I'm always open to suggestions on something to try that will make me see the light of day tho

a reply to: toepick

I'm sure it would still be drinkable, that vineyard ages well. I have opened older wines than that from Italy and France and they were spectacular, it all depends on the vintage and how they were stored.

moderate priced vinyards that I frequently drink from:

Sangliere
Trione
Enkidu
Bennesere

Bennesere has one called Phenomenon that is about the best meritage I have ever had. Enkidus cab is spectacular, as is the cab and pinot noir from Trione

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
Bennesere has one called Phenomenon that is about the best meritage I have ever had.

I've had that one and it is very good.

a reply to: toepick

I tried yellow tail a few nights ago and didn't like it, it was too sweet. My standard cheap favourite is Jacobs Creek from Australia.

originally posted by: verschickter
a reply to: ATF1886

Not saying EVERY wine from california but those that have to much sugar and in the end to much alcohol are treated that way. Saw that on TV years ago and EU tried making laws so they can not be imported as wine (because it is not god damned

)


-unfiltrated of course ^^

I had to go off Cali wines, I had terrible reactions to them. I am a wine snob AND a WINO

New Zealands Oyster Bay aren't a bad drop, you can buy in the US (if I haven't bough them out of Word Market and Trader Joes that is)

Sir that bottle looks older than me lmao im sure it tastes imaculately scrumptuous deliumpshious one of those that you wish it was a fountain not a bottle!!! a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I have a trader joes round the corner ill have to stop in!!! a reply to: zazzafrazz

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I´m honest, after that bottle and the reactions that came with it, I stayed with my known brands but I think it´s time to give Calif-wines a knew chance. I don´t buy wines in markets normally, I get them delivered here after I tasted some at their annual-wine-taste-days. I just called my wine distributors specialist, if they have any wines from S.Cali but he declined. He´s visiting all the places where he buys the wines but USA is not on their list currently. I may have to order directly at her website but it seems they do not ship to Europe.

a reply to: zazzafrazz
You said you had terrible reactions, I think I know what you mean. And I bet you did not drank that much but still got a horrible awake in the morning? The place where they sold that bottle still has some (and that was 3-4 years ago).
Next time I am there, I will look for the name/brand.

Very good one for that price:
www.bacchus.de...
Classic Cabernet Sauvignon

It´s not a Cabernet Sauvignon but I stocked some bottles of these:
www.bacchus.de...
Very beautiful gasing, perfect with a good slice of cheese and white grapes.
Lecker!
And apparently from the oldes wine yard in south africa.

a reply to: ATF1886

It was pretty damn good. Amarone has a bit of a rasinated flavor. I matched this up with a prime rib I seasoned and dry aged for 3 days and then drizzled a bit of my 50 year balasmic on top.

a reply to: verschickter

Give some of the better producers a chance.

Heitz was mentioned. I recommended kathryn Hall. Seas Smoke is also very good. Dominus. Caymus. Ridge.

These are a few that are always consistently good.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: toepick

I'm sure it would still be drinkable, that vineyard ages well. I have opened older wines than that from Italy and France and they were spectacular, it all depends on the vintage and how they were stored.

I´m not sure! Valpolicellas are supposed to be drunken at an young age. Do not wait too long is my advice. I had valpolicella from 1992, the year my niece was born, and it was essentially vinegar when I opened it in 2009/10. I´m rotating my bottles in the cellar every few month for a 90° to keep the korks moistured but this one was a fail.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
I may have to order them directly but I wrote up the names and will do a little research tomorrow how I get them to my house.




Edit: OK, I see its riserva, so it was bottled up at least 2-4 years before even selling. If you´re lucky, you´ve got yourself an amarone. Man, then I´m a little bit envious

a reply to: verschickter

That is not a regualr Valpolicella, that is an Amarone della Valpolicella which is a blend of several variatels and is from Valpolicella.

The production process, where the grapes are rasinated on bamboo mats (appasimento) concentrates the flavors and tannins and after aging in oak for at least 3 years (but more often, 5 or more) allows the wine to age very well.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Yes my failure, see the edit in my post above yours
If you ever open that bottle, could you do little review here??

BTW, I saw those mattes to be from straw when I did my italy tour, not sure if it was bamboo
Either way, you´re lucky!!!

a reply to: verschickter

It was fantastic. It was similar to port with a very dry, rasinated, full flavor and paired well with the prime rib as it still had a good deal of tannis left.

BTW, I saw those mattes to be from straw when I did my italy tour, not sure if it was bamboo.

To produce this unique Amarone, Masi combines ancient varieties (Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara) and winemaking methods (vinifying grapes semi-dried on racks for 3-4 months) with the latest techniques: bamboo racks in temperature- and humidity-controlled conditions induce natural drying;

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
Oh my god you got my mouth watering already. What´s tannis? Never heard of that word.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
(Bamboo) Is this coupled with the new technique thats spoken of in your quote?
I could swear it was straw in 1996 and without any moisture/temperature regulating devices.

a reply to: verschickter

Tannin is the astringincy in wine and in part comes from aging in oak for extended periods of time. The comparison of what tannis are like to taste is similar to what tea does to your tongue.

Tannis pair well with the fat in meat which soften the tannnis and help expose more underlying flavor in the wine and meat. Tannin also allows the wine to age well.

As for bamboo, the better prodcuers have been using it for sometime.

If you find one that tastes bad I'd like to know so I can avoid.
I've had pricey and I've had cheap.
It all tastes like wine to me.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Ah we call it "Gerbstoff". I just googled Tannines.
Speaking of my tour, it was not a wine tour per se, I just hopped on my motorbike (Honda XL250, 1972) and drove through italy for 3 and a half weeks back then. The machine leaked oil and I was forced to stop and wait, finally was picked up by a local wine farmer somewhere between Torino and Asti. Very friendly people, they showed me their vineyard and I could stay overnight, I wanted to buy a bottle at least, but they gave it for free to me. Could not take more because I was just with my backpack and bike. They drove me to the next town and gave me some bread, olive oil and a piece of dried prosciutto for the way, I looked up GE, it could have been Chieri but I´m not sure.

I´ll never forget the pesto his wife made and the beautiful morning looking down the hills fog lighted up in the early sunrays. I always wanted to revisit them but never got the time to do it and I´m not that sure how I can find them again.

a reply to: skunkape23
Did you let the wine breath(decanting) at least some minutes before you drank it? Temperature and decanting is crucial when it comes to taste. That´s what they said back then to me and I went well with that advice.