September 22, 2013 – Three Tasty Reds

Okay, so I am combining the tasting notes from three nights into one, but these three wines are all deserving of each other’s company.  The prices and compositions of these wines are dissimilar, but the quality and strength are what brings the consistency.  To pick a favorite would be pointless, but I am leaning towards the least expensive of the bunch.  All three wines featured terrific balance.

2002 Macauley Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This was the first of the three wines and it was the only Cabernet.  I am loving the way that the 2002 Napa Valley Cabernets are turning out, and this wine is no exception.  This wine needed a minimum of 90 minutes to open up on the palette, but once it did, it delivered.  The nose was quite prominent, followed by a nearly rich palette that delivered a delicious complexity of red and dark fruit and minerals.  This wine was the most expensive of the lineup.

2005 Carter Truchard Vineyards Merlot

When I first bought this wine, I had to open a bottle to decide (1) whether to get more, and (2) how long to hold onto the wine.  Well, the first answer turned to “yes!” simply based on the gorgeous nose.  The second answer was “quite a while” as the tannins were monstrous.   When I finally opened the second bottle a year and a half ago I was astounded at how well this wine was performing.  Thanks to bottle variation, this one still has some tannins to resolve (more than the bottle from last year).  But, the flavors have developed nicely (and vintage typical) with cranberry, red cherry, chalk, pomegranate, and minerals.  And the wine still retains its great nose.

2003 Saint Clement Oroppas Red Wine

This wine is actually performing better in the half bottle than in the full bottle.  The full bottle was nice and seemed to be near its peak, while the half-bottle has more structure and tannins to resolve.  Being a blend of Cabernet and Merlot, this wine tends to capture the strengths of both and builds on it with balance and richness.  On the palette, I sensed cranberry, pomegranate, mint, leather, mineral, and a touch of lime on the finish.  Of the three wines, this one was the least expensive and my favorite.  But I would long for any of these three wines again.