Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA

安德森措恩谷莊園赤霞珠干紅葡萄酒

點(diǎn)擊次數(shù)：5213

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label is flat-out great. Dark fruit, menthol, tar, licorice, violets and incense are some of the many notes that emerge from this breathtaking Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a dazzling effort from start to finish. Waves of fruit build towards a huge climax of intensity, power and pure sensuality, all backed up by compelling structure. The Black Label is essentially the best barrel at the winery. It’s hard to believe there aren’t more barrels that are closer to this level of quality. Readers who can find the Black Label should not hesitate; it is magnificent. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. I preferred the 2009 and 2010 reds to the 2008s among the wines I tasted at Anderson’s Conn Valley with long-time Winemaker Mac Sawyer and General Manager Ronnie Anderson.Tel. (707) 963-8600

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label exhibits lots of tannin and oak along with powerful, deep, concentrated flavors, considerable muscle and a layered finish. It needs time as the oak, tannin and extract are high, which is not always a good thing. Of course, this is a barrel sample and often the wines from Conn Valley perform better from bottle than from barrel. (Not yet released)Tucked away in the sometimes seemingly forgotten Conn Valley, this winery is run with considerable gusto by Todd Anderson and his winemaker Mac Sawyer. This is an undeniable source of very complex and potentially age worthy wines. As did his father, Gus, Todd Anderson has consistently done well with Chardonnay from a cool climate site in the Green Valley south of the city of Napa. The 2008 and 2009 Chardonnay Fournier are both non-malolactic, barrel-fermented Chardonnays that have lots of minerality and little evidence of wood. They are made from the newer Dijon Clone rather than the clone preferred by most of the outstanding practitioners of California Chardonnay, the Old Wente and occasionally the Mt. Eden clone. The Right Bank cuvee is made from Merlot, which usually dominates, and the rest Cabernet Franc. This offering has been a winner since its debut release and it continues to be one of Napa Valley’s most interesting wines. My favorite offering from Todd Anderson is the Eloge cuvee, a distinctive effort of first-growth quality. One would think this wine would be somewhat Medoc-like as it is generally one-half to two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon combined with a significant amount of Cabernet Franc. However, one can’t really compare it to a Medoc since there is never that much Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux Medocs and there is not that much Cabernet Sauvignon in any St.-Emilion or Pomerol. A project I had not tasted before is the small lot (500-750 cases) of the Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label. Aged longer in barrels than its siblings, it is meant to be a super-premium wine. If you have not yet discovered the wines from this nearly 28 acre vineyard tucked away a few miles east of the famed Meadowood Resort, it’s time.Tel. (707) 963-8600; Fax (707) 963-7818