Wine of the Week: Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon

In the last column, we covered Levent Bozkurt's desire to seek out wineries that have a true grasp of terrior. The folks at Burgess Cellars have a feel for the slopes of Howell Mountain on which their vineyards are situated. They plant only Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, because it is their belief that these three varietals are best suited for the land and conditions that God gave them.

Burgess Cellars has been a family-owned winery since 1972, which is by no means commonplace in today's Napa Valley. Another unique aspect of Burgess is that their winemaker, Bill Sorenson, has been at the helm for the full duration of the family's operation of the winery.

Now that you know a little more about Burgess Cellars, how was the wine?

2005, Burgess Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, California - $35 (on sale for $25)

From the get go, I was excited about this wine. The aroma did not take long to unfold. The nose was led by a healthy dose of vanilla, which was followed up by currants and blackberry. The palate was very pleasant and well structured, with currant and blackberries leading the way with some cedar coming in about mid way. This medium/full bodied wine had a tremendous amount of acidity and the tannins were still firm. A very good bottle now which should only become a little more nuanced with age.

My only gripe about this wine is that someone at Burgess thought it a good idea to use synthetic corks instead of natural. Now call me a romantic, but if you are opening a good bottle of wine, you do not want to be pulling the equivalent of a rubber stopper out of it! Regardless, this was a good one and I shouldn't be so picky.

Wine Spectator gave this wine an 87 point rating and I would bump it to 90 points. The structure and nuances of this wine is surely improving with age (compared to their notes from back in February of 2009). Be sure to check this out and take advantage of the ridiculous discount available at the NH Liquor Store!

This wine is available at the Exit 6 NH Liquor Store (behind the Nashua Mall).

Wine of the Week: Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine of the Week: Justin Cabernet Sauvignon

Justin Vineyards, as I said many times before, is a wonderful expression of what California represents. They are innovative, they are Earth-friendly, they are focused on healthy living, and they are quality wine.

Justin is one of the hipper wine discoveries I have made. Currently they are going through the process of becoming certified biodynamic (using natural means to tend to the grapes on the vine). They have at their core the principle of taking care of the Earth, but they also take care of their employees. They have an on-site gym and strongly encourage participation in athletic competitions and physical activity.

Overall, I think this makes them very appealing as a company, but how is the wine? I have featured their ’05 Isosceles in a couple past columns and included it in a recent wine dinner that I picked the wines for. Hence, their upper-tier wines are terrific, but how about their entry level offering?

2006, Justin Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California - $25

The 2006 Justin is a lovely California Cab. It is a really deep purple and has a nose that shows of the typical dark berries and then evolves to include some spice and leather. The palate is a little less complex than the nose. Blackberry, currants and strawberry are the most perceptible flavors with a little spice. The body is in the medium-full range and the tannins are firm, yet not too overpowering.

Overall this is a really good wine and my wife absolutely loved it (she said it three separate times)! Wine Enthusiast rated this 90 pts and I am going to up them to a 91-92, because the nose was great and the palate had nice depth in the berries. This wine would pair nicely with food, especially

Wine of the Week: Justin Cabernet Sauvignon

There's nothing like an older bottle of wine

1991, Simi Reserve, Alexander Valley, California

The Simi Reserve was still alive and well, although it is in that last quarter of its life. This was somewhat of a surprise based on what I had read prior to opening it and the conditions in which it was stored. In 1995, Wine Spectator's most discerning palate, James Laube, said it was supple and harmonious, with well-focused cherry, currant, mineral and spice notes that lead to firm tannins and an excellent, long finish. This ample California Cabernet needs to age into 1998 or 1999 to show its best. This would put its peak from 1998-2001 before starting to fade.

After tasting this last evening I would say that this is just past its peak (by 3-4 years). The 1991 Simi Reserve offered the color and body that would not reflect the fact that this wine is old enough to vote. The meniscus (outer ring) was of garnet but overall the wine still radiated a dark plum hue.

It had a medium to full-bodied feel, which still offered a nice dose of fruit on the nose and palate. The aroma jumped of prunes that folded nicely into saddle leather. At the very end, the nose put forth a nice amount of wet peat moss. The palate was of matured blackberry and cherry that evolved into plum, seemingly with traces of menthol (?). The tannins were completely mellowed out by this point.

This wine still has a good amount to offer and should drink pretty well for at least 3 more years. The original Laube tasting in 1992 was scored an 88, with the 1995 tasting scoring a 92. I would put this in the 90-91 range, because this wine still has some terrific qualities.

Although this wine will be extremely hard to come by, I feel that it is important to try older wines if wine is a passion of yours. It gives you a completely different experience and appreciation. Also, older wines make terrific birthday and anniversary gifts. Imagine opening a wine from your birth year, wow!

Note – when looking at projected time in wine ratings, the rule of thumb is as follows:

Let's use this wine as an example:
1995 (date published) – 1998 (date of peak) = 3 (years) + 1998 (date of peak) = 1998-2001 (peak drinking time)

This just goes to show you that estimating a peak drinking time is not an exact science. These expert palates are simply using what the wine is showing at the time and trying to put some practical advice forward.

There's nothing like an older bottle of wine

Cab rules supreme, but why?

Final Tally:
Cabernet Sauvignon - 6
Zinfandel - 3
Merlot - 3
Sangiovese - 3
Pinot Noir - 2
Nebbiolo - 1
Other - 1

The results of the latest poll are in, and as expected, Cab is King. I am sure a number of factors go into this outcome, but to me the most notable would be the vast selection of Cabernet that is carried at most liquor and grocery stores. Along with this, and equally as important, the simplicity of the labeling. The thing is there are a lot of cabs that fall under that appealing decent category in quality, but very few are stellar (and those that are usually demand overly inflated prices).

For those of you who enjoy Cabernet I would strongly suggest that you branch out and try something new. Two of Italy’s gems, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, possess many of the characteristics that make Cabernet appealing. These two Italians offer the same strength and complexity that Cabernet usually possesses without the savagery that can sometimes make Cabernet not the best wine to pair with food.

Like many European grape varietals, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese are more known for the wine regions they hail from then by their names themselves. Nebbiolo is the backbone of the terrific wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, while Sangiovese may be more familiar to you as Chianti or Toscana wines, of which they are the majority grape used. No matter what they are known as, they make some of my favorite wines! Also, wine in Italy is meant to be consumed at most meals, thus their wines are created with food friendliness in mind!

The next time you are looking for a wine to select, I want you to venture out of the Cabernet section and start taking a gander at the Italian section. Find a bottle that is in the price range that you would have selected and try that instead. It is a cool way to begin to learn about different wines (just make sure you stay away from da Vinci).

One to look for in a reasonable price range, and one that is readily available, is Antinori Villa Toscana. The Antinori Wine Empire can easily be thought of as the Mondavi Dynasty but of Italy (sans family turmoil that was the inspiration of TV's Falcon Crest). The current release is the 2005 vintage and will run you around $20-25. Compared to most Cabernet offered at this price, it is a terrific option.

2005, Antinori Villa Toscana, Tuscany, Italy - $20-25

Antinori makes some of Tuscany’s best wines. Their higher end Tignanello and Solaia have enjoyed heaps of praise throughout the years. They also produce some very nice entry-level wines as well. For many years their Pèppoli Chianti has been one of the most reasonably priced Chianti gems out there. To this list I would add their table wine, the Villa Toscana.

The 2005 is a very deep red that is medium to full-bodied. On the nose you can almost smell what you picture of Tuscany. Dark berries and herbal notes paint a rustic picture and lead to the palate in which you get some of the berry with a lot of ripe red plum (the kind that stains your fingers). The finish is moderate with nice balance and decent complexity.

To me this Tuscan is a solid 89 and Wine Spectator have it an 87. Although not quite a great wine it is certainly very good and at $20-25 I feel that it is a good value as well. Pizza would be the best food pairing with this, but also most meals containing steak, pork, veal, meaty fish, or grilled vegetables will also shine.

Regardless of what I think, challenge yourself the next time you are out shopping for wine. Step away from what you are comfortable with and try something truly unique to most American wine drinkers. I am by no means knocking Cab, but next time grab a Barolo or Barbaresco for a special occasion, or a nice Toscana, Chianti or Chianti Classico (only difference is the age of the zone it is in) when you order a pizza. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Cab rules supreme, but why?