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Wine Recommendation
Chanticleer
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon(Yountville ~ Napa Valley)
Fourteen years ago vineyard manager Jim Barbour planted the "Grace Family" clone Cabernet Sauvignon in the Morningside Vineyard, a rocky, east facing knoll comprised of sedimentary rock, shale and gravel at the foot of the Mayacamas Range just south of Domaine Chandon and Dominus. Complementing the five acres of Cabernet Sauvignon are two and a half acres of Sangiovese. Vineyard owners George and Cadd Grodahl wanted to make a Super-Tuscan style wine. After meeting Chris Dearden, winemaker at Benessere Vineyards – an Italian varietal specialist – they decided to partner up to produce Chanticleer. Dearden says, “ …what makes it so exciting for me is that I see the potential of the vines maximized each year as they struggle to produce a mere 2.2 tons per acre of small-berried, loose clustered fruit.”
The Cabernet is blended with less than 10% of seductively aromatic Sangiovese, which lifts the aromatic profile of the wine with high notes of violets and plums. The Yountville appellation Cabernet has a distinct profile of cherry fruit, spice and soft, well-structured tannins that integrate without overpowering. The wine has the ability to age well while being accessible now through aeration by decanting.
Reviewed October 5, 2006 by Catherine Fallis.
The Wine
Winery: Chanticleer |
The Reviewer
Catherine Fallis
Founder and President of Planet Grape LLC, a company committed to bringing the joy of wine, food, and good living into the lives of everyday people, Catherine is creator of the “grape goddess guides to good living,” a series of books, television presentations, seminars, and e-learning programs. The fifth woman in the world to become a Master Sommelier, grape goddess Catherine Fallis is still very much down-to-earth. |