2003 Neyers Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Neyers Cabernet Sauvignon Neyers Ranch, Napa Valley.

I have nothing but high praise for this little gem from Napa Valley, CA. All the fab Cab characteristics were present, but what makes this wine stand out is its smooth complexity. Smooth complexity may sound oxymoronic, but there are so many dimensions and flavors to this wine, and at the same time the flavors are balanced. This is the kind of wine that one should buy a case of, drinking two bottles per year to note how the wine changes each year. This wine is well worth the $50 price tag.

X Winery 2005 Red X

It has been a long time since I wrote about a specific wine. It is not that I haven't been sampling wine, but, instead, that the wine I imbibed lately has been so bad that I haven't had the inspiration to write about it. I know that bad wines deserve reviews as much as good wines (maybe even more from a public service standpoint), but that is how it is.

Last night, I opened up a little gem for the money: X Winery 2005 Red X from California. As I have written before, never purchase wine because of the bottle itself. That being said, the X Winery bottle is very pretty. The wine is a blend of the following varietals: 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Syrah, 19% Petite Sirah, 5 % Grenache, 3% Cabernet Franc.

Here is what X Winery has to say about this wine: "Explosive dark cherry and blackberry aroma. Complimented with blueberry, clover and dark chocolate with a hint a cedar. Medium body with balanced acidity and a long delicate finish."

The first thing I noticed about this wine was the color: a very pretty, inviting dark burgundy. Immediately upon tasting, I noticed the wine has a very heavy mouth feel. Although the wine is slightly more complex than I am making it out to be, basically, there are cherry notes on the front which turn to tannic-chocolate throughout the medium-length finish. While I did get some dark fruit notes, I didn't specifically get blackberry, blueberry, clover, or ceder. I most definitely disagree the wine has a "long delicate finish." For one, there is nothing "delicate" about this wine, and secondly, the finish does not linger enough to be called "long" unless "delicate" means "undetectable." I am not knocking the wine, but am simply disagreeing with someone's description of the wine. At approximately $10-12, this is a good, robust, semi-complex wine.

Two Fine Cabs, One Short Night

Last night I had wine with a couple of fellow-wine lovers at the Deep Fork Grill. First we ordered a bottle of 2003 Ferrari Carano ("FC") Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was served in nice Riedelesque Burgundy wine glasses. It was a pleasure to drink out of "thin" lipped glass instead of a "fat" lipped glass like so many restaurants today. This is one of the main reasons, after cost, I prefer to drink at home.
The FC was truly a pleasure to drink, it was very bold, with pronounced flavors of red fruits, chocolate, and tobacco. Tannins were present, but not overpowering. This wine was such a pleasure to drink that the three of us soon finished off a plate of bacon wrapped grilled chicken with artichoke hearts and spicy sauce, and the bottle. You know the wine was good when someone jokingly wrings the bottle as if to get to the last drop. Not wishing to over-imbibe, we opted to order by the glass. I am glad we did, as we each ordered a glass of 2002 Bennett Family Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. If the first wine was excellent, and it was, this wine was a step above. The wine was balanced: bold and smooth at the same time. It was like drinking silk, and yet was very complex, and three dimensional.

2003 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage: 2003
Winery: Concha y Toro
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon- Marques de Casa Concha
Country: Chile
Region: Maipo Valley, Puente Alto Vineyard

A friend of mine, call her Posh Monkey, requested I provide her with information on a good red wine. This review is especially for her. Although she only asked for a good red, the wine under review is a VERY GOOD wine at under $15! Although I usually do not rate wines with points, I would say this wine hovers around 89.

Concha y Toro produces an entire spectrum of wines, but is often remembered for the less expensive wines of which many are familiar. I was remarking to a connoisseur, you know, the kind who constantly makes allusions to Château Pétrus, that Marques de Casa Concha is one of my favorite wines for the price. "Concha y Tora?" he asked. I told him to try it, but could tell he would not without some prodding. I brought him a bottle from my personal collection, and gave it to him. The next time I was at this friend's home, I saw several boxes of Marques de Casa Concha in his "cellar" area. He commented that he has shared this wine with several connoisseur friends who also like it.

Now, I had noticed that the price had gone up lately, and kicked myself for not buying more. I went from paying less than $10 to about $14 per bottle. I couldn't help but wonder if my blabbing about good inexpensive wine helped make the price go up. Or maybe several blabbers like me made the price go up- you know, all that supply and demand stuff. Anyway, it is still a bargain considering the quality, and you should try it, or the 2004 if it is more readily available in your area.

The delicious full-bodied wine is very bold with heavy oak flavors, striking but very drinkable tannins and red currant, fig, and cherry flavors. This wine is a pleasure, I mean a pleasure to drink, and I believe over time will become even more balanced. (Although I have seen the suggested peak projected to be 2007!) What makes it all the more pleasurable to drink, is that it is under $15. Despite the price, the taste is like you might expect from a wine of about $30. Hooray for Chile!