![]() ![]() ![]() The sweetness code is based on the amount of residual sugar left in the wine after the fermeting process The very sweet category includes the famous dessert wines of the world like Sauternes, Tokaji Aszú, Port and Cream Sherries. Many Moscato and German wines labelled with the terms “Spätlese or Kabinett” will be included. In this category, wines will have noticeable sweetness but not enough to be considered dessert wines. These wines have a hint of sweetness in the mouth and include many Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer as well as many California-style red blends. Sparkling wines labelled as ‘Brut’ will also be very dry on the palate. ![]() Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio). Bordeaux, Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir) and white wines (e.g. Starting at $50, on up to the “splurge” category, these are classic examples that are lovely now but will reward with deep complexities if you have the patience to cellar them for a while.The very dry wine category includes many popular red wines (e.g. It’s the kind of bottle I feel good recommending to my friends and family.”Īnd on that note, these are 10 noteworthy Napa cabernets from some of today’s best producers. “There are lots of wineries making Beckstoffer To Kalon and Oakville Ranch cabs that sell north of $200, and it’s a real privilege to be a part of that group, but the reach we have producing an under-$50 Napa Valley cab is extensive. Making Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon has been “one of the most rewarding experiences of my winemaking career,” says Amici Cellars winemaker Jesse Fox. “I think the great tragedy would be that all wines taste the same someday.”Įhlers Estate winemaker Laura Diaz Munoz reminds us that although Napa is a small valley compared with other wine regions, “it offers a great variability in climate, soils, elevations and sun exposures that make every single appellation very defined in regards to style,” she says. “Overripeness is the great equalizer,” says Phelps. When grapes are so ripe they’re practically falling off the vine, “You don't have any exchange between the berry and the stem, then you start to have some oxidation, which means you lose the freshness, flavors and the taste of the place and the variety,” says Bascaules. The intense sun and heat in Napa make it easy to overripen grapes if vineyards aren’t properly managed. Both men work in tandem at Francis Ford Coppola’s Inglenook in Rutherford, and although both employ French techniques-Phelps learned to make wine at Petrus-they share a necessary California-focused philosophy of never picking too late because overripe grapes lack complexity. Two of the Valley’s most respected cabernet makers are Chris Phelps ( Ad Vivum Cellars) and Frenchman Philippe Bascaules ( Chateau Margaux). The greatest challenge for Napa producers is not to let the grapes become overripe. Its thicker grape skins imbue cabernet-rich wines with firm, sturdy mouth-drying tannins that can be plush and silky or chewy and robust. Stylistically, cabernet sauvignon wines vary from producer to producer, but in Napa, its unmistakable imprint is power and intensity, often bursting out of the glass with lavish black fruit, cassis, graphite, earth and flashy cedar and oak spices. As of today, the total plantings of cabernet are nearing 100,000 acres in California, of which more than 21,000 are in Napa alone. By 1991, according to “The Oxford Companion to Wine” (fourth edition), some 32,000 acres of cabernet vines were encroaching on zinfandel, which was also widely planted. In 1933, just after Prohibition ended, there were fewer than 100 acres planted with the grape in California. But in California’s Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon is the unquestionable king of the hill, practically synonymous with red wine for most American wine drinkers. In France’s Bordeaux region, the grape is the key ingredient next to merlot for most iconic producers. Cabernet sauvignon is the undisputed heavyweight and reigning red grape champion of the world, responsible for producing rich, bold and powerful wines with immense aging potential. ![]()
0 Comments
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |