Concha y Toro’s Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto Don Melchor 2003
October 21, 2008 by WineMag.us · Leave a Comment
Cabernet Sauvignon
Puente Alto Don Melchor 2003
96 / $47
Chile
10,500 cases made
Concha y Toro’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, Don Melchor comes from 25-year-old vines in the Maipo Valley’s Puente Alto vineyard. The 2003 vintage was long and warm, but cool nights allowed for ideal ripening. The Don Melchor, which contains 5 percent Cabernet Franc and was aged in French oak for 14 months, is our highest-rated Chilean wine to date. Read more
Robert Mondavi - Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2004
September 16, 2008 by WineMag.us · Leave a Comment
Robert Mondavi
Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2004
95 points / $125
8,688 cases made
California
The 2004 vintage was the very last in which the Robert Mondavi family was involved with the winery, and it produced the best Mondavi Reserve since the 1996. Comprising 86 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this is a sensational wine from a classic vintage in Napa Valley. Winemaker Genevieve Janssens has brought new luster to this Napa stalwart, and the winery still has access to some of the valley’s top Cabernet vineyards.
California’s Other Cabernet - Cabernet Franc
September 15, 2008 by WineMag.us · Leave a Comment
Cabernet Sauvignon, with apologies to Pinot Noir, is arguably the world’s most distinguished red wine grape. It’s the principal red grape of Bordeaux and the sine qua non of the extravagant new SuperTuscans. It’s what Spanish winemakers add to Tempranillo to bring it up to snuff. And in California… Cabernet is king!
The earliest distinguished wines to come from California? Cabernets from Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. First wine to trample the primacy of the best of Bordeaux? A Cabernet from California (Stag’s Leap). A dozen or more wineries now make truly world class Cabernet Sauvignon in California.
Before we raise our glasses in celebration, however, consider that great California Cabernet Sauvignon is no longer a terrific value. While in former days the best California Cabernet Sauvignon could be purchased for about one-tenth the price of a first growth red Bordeaux, today the difference is inconsequential. Today’s premium “Cal Cabs” are priced up to $250 (750ml), about the same as many of the best from France, although the average price is around $75.
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