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Wine Recommendation
Nord Estate Wines
2002 Red Wine Cuvee(Napa Valley)
This is a substantial wine in the Right Bank model (68 percent Merlot with the remainder Cabernet) and in the European manner in that it’s subdued and totally in balance (despite the alcohol percentage being 15.3). And an excellent food wine.
I’m forever, it seems, harping on the high alcohol content of many Napa Valley wines. While a lot of producers can’t contain the sweetness that the alcohol gives their wines, I was amazed to learn that the level with this wine is so elevated. That’s because, it doesn’t show on the palate.
The Nord family, longtime (45 years) Napa Valley grape growers to many high-profile winery, is beginning to emerge as a producer of fine wine as well.
The grapes were harvested from two of Nord’s vineyards: Oakview in Rutherford and Trio C in Yountville. The wine was aged in a mix of new and used French oak, and there were only 235 cases made. The price is $45.
Reviewed March 15, 2006 by Alan Goldfarb.
Other reviewed wines from Nord Estate Wines
The Wine
Winery: Nord Estate Wines |
The Reviewer
Alan Goldfarb
Alan Goldfarb has been writing about and reviewing wine for 17 years. His reviews have been published in the St. Helena Star, San Jose Mercury, San Francisco Examiner, Decanter, and Wine Enthusiast, among others. Not once has he used a point system, star system, or an iconic symbol to quantify a wine. What counts in Mr. Goldfarb’s criteria when judging a wine is: how it tastes in the glass; is it well-constructed; its food compatibility; and presence of redeeming regional attributes. |