Cabernet Sauvignon Wines From The New World That Rock!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to taste one of our high end Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley and it was quite a treat.

2005 Whitehall Lane Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon (94 Points) ~ $59.99 / Bottle and only 23 in Stock!

In today’s economy, very few people can splurge on those pricey wines and I was thinking about how very disappointing it must be when your special wine arrives corked on the table....

Armed with a Puigpull,  my favorite corkscrew opener invented by Mr. Puig from Sabadell Catalunya also the land of our famous 2007 Loxarel OPS Penedes, I was ready to carefully uncork this jewel thanks to an intelligent car jack system.

To my surprise there was no cork! Instead there was a glass stopper with an embossed lion which my son insisted on adding to his feline collection...

My curiosity was piqued so I went to Google University.

The glass stopper is a Vino-Seal which I had never seen before and was invented by the German company Alcoa to put an end to corked wines caused by TCA CA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) which causes wines to have musty aromas and flavors.

Now I was impressed... almost paying more attention to the package than to the wine itself!

"A beautiful deep garnet color with intense black fruits (especially blueberries and cherries) and very soft tannins. Because of the glass stopper the wine did not need to be decanted and offered immediate enjoyment (no closed nose here...)".

Cork can ruin a wine so you do want to protect your investment...  As Mr. Leonardini Sr., owner of Whithehall Lane Winery, said it to the Wine Spectator Magazine.

"People have asked who would pay $75 for a bottle of wine that doesn't have a cork," said Thomas Leonardini Sr. "My question is why would anyone pay $75 for a bottle with a cork, put it down for a few years, then find it's got TCA?"

2004 Brava Terra Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (92 Points) ~ $24.99 / Bottle

Now if you are watching your pennies as I do but want an exceptional wine, this other Cabernet-Sauvignon from the Napa Valley will fit the bill very nicely.  It is quite impressive from start to finish. A month ago upon our return to the United States I had savored after dinner (which had been a disaster) with some Pecorino Peppato  unvoluntarily smuggled through U.S customs. What an enchantment it was with an explosion of ripe red fruits in the nose, very chewy tannins and a long finish in the mouth.

We do get very excited about our wine values here. We've even developed a special name for the really amazing finds; we call them "almost-too-good-to-be-true" deals. (TGTBT for short.)

2008 Circle Springs, Cabernet Sauvignon, South Eastern Australia (90 Points) ~ $11.99 / Bottle

Since we are talking TGTBT this is another great Cab I had a few days ago to match our 100% organic budget dinner – Roasted chicken with lots of garlic and stir-fry Chinese Long Beans from our garden. A lot of garrigue notes (thyme, rosemary) and a touch of Eucalyptus in the nose with very soft tannins Mmmm! I can’t believe this wine is only $11.99!  

Next time I will go for the rack of lamb!