Enter The Big Dog Reds
WORDS Andrew Chalk PHOTO Steve Kennedy
T
hinking of some powerful
cabernet sauvignon wines
for fall dinners? Here are
four that came by our office
recently that are worth a
look. They even come at four different
price points, from $31 to over $200.
We tasted the wines first on their own,
and then paired them with roast leg
of lamb from Hirsch’s Specialty Meats
cooked with slices of garlic and sprigs
of rosemary inserted in the flesh.
2013 Treana Red Wine, Paso Robles,
CA ($24-$31)
Deep blood-red color presages
bright fruit on the nose with blackberries, and redcurrants. There is also a bacon note attributable likely to the 25%
Syrah in the blend. In the mouth the
wine has velvety tannins that make it
easy to drink now, although it will age,
likely for up to a decade.
Winemaker Austin Hope reports that
2013 harvest conditions were near perfect. “The wines from 2013 have great
color, flavors and tannin structure” he
reports. The grapes were fermented
individually and given a period of
extended maceration to extract color
and tannin. Ageing was in small French
oak barrels (65% new, 35% once-used)
for 13 months. The blend was then
created and given an additional two
months ageing. Production 7,000
cases.
2012 cade ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet
Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA ($64)
Intense dark ruby color. Nose of
blackberries, thyme, cherry and coffee.
The tightly woven mouthfeel needs
56 ModernLifestyles.tv
time to become more expressive but
the tannins make this an enjoy X