Cabernet Wine Tasting At San Diego Wine Company

Today my beau and I, after running some errands, went to San Diego Wine Company for what was a fun wine tasting. As the title of the post states, on deck today were Cab and Cab blends and while we both liked some more than other none of them bombed. This was a great tasting because it allowed me to find a couple of gems to take on my birthday outing that my beau has schedule (more on that next weekend). Today's tasting had eight wines, most from Napa but one gem came to us from Paso Robles and none that I had ever tasted before. Here was tasting in the order poured and my own notes:

Side Job Cellars 2005 "Sonoma County": This lovely blend (93% Cab, 5% Merlot, 2% Cab Fanc) was a great opener. Nice blend of cherries and black fruit on the noise that accompanied a little toasty oak and hings of chocolate in the mouth. Lovely balanced tannins and acidity and a steal at $14.95!

Ideology 2006 "Napa Valley" (Oak Knoll): A nice offering from Napa, darker than the Side Job Cellars, almost purple. Chocolate, "earth" on the nose. Very fruit forward, soft tannins, almost a "lite" aspect to it. Finish was a little short but a very drinkable wine.

X Winery 2004 "Napa Valley": Fantastic little wine, lovely fruit and milk chocolate on the nose, cherries and blue berries on the tongue with soft tannins and mouthwatering acid. If you are in the area, pick up a bottle... it's only $15.95!

John Alan 2006 "Paso Robles": Yum! Black cherries and chocolate on the nose delivering bigger fruit and chocolate on the tongue. Wonderfully balanced fruit, tannins, and mouthwatering acid producing a middle to longish finish.

Chappellet 2006 "Napa Valley": The first of two wines from Chappellet. Nicely made blend of Cab, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, slightly "rustic" in nature. Nice plum, cherries, chocolate, and a slight spiciness (cinnamon perhaps)? Nice, but between the two I'd splurge on the one coming up.

Turnbull 2005 "Napa Valley": Again nice, but I don't think it deserved the 90 points it got from Wine Spectator. Dark, deep, purplish hue. Nose seemed faint to me. Black Cherries, red cherries, and blue berries with slim tannins and good acidity producing a medium length finish. Probably worth a second tasting at another time. Again, nice but not sure if I would have rated it as high.

Stags Leap Winery 2005 "Napa Valley": Smooth! "Old world" type of nose with the wine components hitting all areas of the tongue with Black cherries, dark chocolate, and coffee along with lovely acidity combined with smooth tannins drawing out to a long finish that was a wonderful experience.

Chappellet 2006" "Napa Valley" Signature: What a closer! This has been Chappellet's flagship wine for three decades and no wonder, it is a hit. The pourer kept talking about cellaring it but I loved it as it was. Excellent. Extremely smooth, chocolate, caramel, blackberries, cherries, and cassis combine together to create a beautiful "jammy" experience for both nose and tongue. Stunningly balanced with a long, smooth finish. Definitely my favorite, but I am not sure I would want to cellar it instead of sharing it because this is one to experience.

Wines Reported On In 2009: 67