Give $20, Get $20. Refer a Friend Today!

Galante Vineyards 2003 Red Rose Hill

Galante Vineyards 2003 Red Rose Hill

What We Say 2003 Red Rose Hill

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!

Today’s wine is so special that we issued this special alert! With a QPR that is through the roof, this stunning wine easily outperforms other, higher-priced wines

SAVINGS ALERT!

Clever spies stock up on the best wines. When they buy 6 or more bottles of today’s delicious Cabernet Sauvignon, they will be rewarded with Free Ground Shipping, but only if they enter secret savings code CABSPY at checkout.

Mission Codename: Yee Haw!

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Galante Vineyards in California’s beautiful Carmel Valley and procure an ample allotment their fabled Red Rose Hill Cab for our Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Galante Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2003 Red Rose Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker: Greg Vita

Backgrounder: Our Operatives know that we are huge fans of Galante wines. We have featured two of their wines previously, but today’s wine gets our vote is the Galante wine with the best QPR (Quality to Price Ratio). For the price, this is one of the best values that we have ever presented for a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. And, its incredibly delicious! Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and his mission report below to learn more about this superior Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deeply concentrated ruby red to burgundy in color with a fast and bouncy surface that settle quickly when swirled. Incredibly, this wine leaves behind two levels of tightly packed legs – on about an inch above the other – that take a long time to emerge before they creep down the glass

Smell – Rich layers of aromas rush deeply into your nose as you inhale black cherry, sandalwood, fresh dark red rose, blackberry, soft licorice, cowboy campfire, toasted oak, and a hint of spice

Feel – Soft and medium round up front, slightly grippy the mid palate, then mouth coating the mouth with medium tannins at the side of the tongue and back of the mouth

TasteDELICIOUS with layers of brightly distinct flavors of cherry, red currant, rose petal, red plum, and the softest hint of grape bazooka. Don’t get me wrong with that last flavor, this wine is bright and delivious, but its also rich and not at all overly sweet

Finish – A big, rich and bright finish across the entire palate, with flavors that taper off slowly, leaving a slight velvety dryness

Conclusion – I am VERY excited about this fantastic wine, which exhibits the sophistication of a Napa Cab, with none of the pretention sometimes associated with high-falutin’ examples from the north. This is a bright, delicious and fun wine to drink. Its acidity makes it a perfect companion for most foods you throw at it – no need to worry about the wine overpowering your meals as overly-rich cabs may do. From its big, original, aromatics, to its bright velvet mouthfeel, rich flavors and big finish, this is a wine that I give big, BIG, ‘ups’ to. And, at our special price the already-great QPRis now through the roof!

Mission Report:

note: be sure to read the following in your best cowboy voice

Howdy Pardners! Agent Red here, reportin’ back from the range.

During a recent mission to infiltrate the notorious Galante Gang_, I was known simply as ’_*Red*’.

Why me? Well, match up my love for great red wines with the time I spent playing Cowboys and Indians as a child – and it was only natural that Central Command should chose me for this mission.

It had been rumored that Galante produced some of the best Cabernets in the state so I was sent to investigate. I arrived at the Galante Ranch where I was greeted by Cowboy Winemaker, Jack Galante. I told Jack right off that I was new in town and wanted to join his Gang. He looked somewhat skeptical when he noticed my shiny penny loafers, but after he sized me up, he invited me in for a tasting. (Note to self: Pay better attention to my disguises!)

Jack poured me a glass of his Cabernet Sauvignon (shouldn’t he serve it in a tin cup?). What struck me first was this wine didn’t have the overpowering aromas of chili pepper usually found in the Cabs of the Monterey region. Rather, I found sandalwood, oak, cherry, currant and rose. This is an aromatic wine that’s not afraid to boast about its character.

After some very skillful cowboy style sniffing and yelling “YEE-HAW!”, I went in for a taste. I was impressed. This is a very bright and flavorful wine that has a big mouth feel, with medium tannins and big tastes of cherry and berry.

I think that Jack was impressed with my cowboy manner. At least I think that’s why he was looking at me in that way. And, no, that’s not a Brokeback reference. Jack is all man.

This wine certainly gets my personal recommendation and I’m pretty sure that we’ll feature other Galante wines here in the future. Pair it with free range gourmet like pan-seared baked beans, cactus fritters or even a fine tumbleweed stew.

For a real Cowboy Cabernet that can be served with real cuisine, you should pick up a bottle or two. This is a wine that is ready to drink now, but could peak in just a few years.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Galante Estate Vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.

Read Full Review
Hide Full Review

What the Winery Says Galante Vineyards

Galante Vineyards
Galante Vineyards

Awards and Accolades:

Gold Medal – 2007 Denver International Wine Competition (Cabernet Sauvignon)

Gold Medal – Houston International Wine Competition

Silver Medal – San Francisco International Wine Competition

About This Wine:

Bright, fresh and lively, our Red Rose Hill explodes with the characteristic cherry and berry flavors of our Carmel Valley vineyards. Delightful upon release, modest tannins provide the character that will allow this wine to age well over the next 7-12 years.

About Our Winery:

At Galante Vineyards our philosophy is simple: grow the finest grapes possible and let the fruit express itself in the wine. Since all of our grapes are estate grown, each bottle of wine we produce embodies the characteristics of our unique region, exhibiting the natural flavors that are born from the land.

The Galante Family has a long history in the Monterey area. Owner Jack Galante’s great grandfather, J.F. Devendorf, was the founder of the town of Carmel. He later built the Pine Inn and the prestigious Highlands Inn. In 1969, Jack’s parents purchased a 700-acre cattle ranch in rustic Carmel Valley. While still maintaining a working cattle ranch, the Galantes, in 1983, began growing premium grapes on their property, specializing in Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1994, Jack Galante decided to build a winery and use some of his grapes to produce ultra-premium estate bottled wines. Today Galante is recognized as one of the premier Cabernet Sauvignon producers in Monterey County and all of California.

About Our Wine:

We produce very limited quantities of Estate Bottled 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from two single vineyards, Red Rose Hill and Blackjack Pasture. Our philosophy is to grow the finest grapes possible and let them speak for themselves through the wine. Several factors influence the quality of the grapes grown at our vineyards. Due to the extreme daily temperature variations in Cachagua (upper Carmel Valley), the growing season is very long with harvest normally occurring in mid October. This long “hang time” causes the grapes to ripen slowly, intensifying their rich berry flavors. We also thin the crop to an average of two tons per acre providing a low yield of very high quality grapes. We do not use pesticides or herbicides in the vineyards and only irrigate when needed. These methods, and others, combine to produce the highest quality grapes (see Vintner).Estate Wines, Galante Vineyards, California Wines

Our wine label is very special to us and reflects our roots and our efforts at Galante Vineyards. The image of the label is a photograph of real leather, hand-tooled by a California saddle maker with conchos in each corner designed by a local silversmith. The artwork for Red Rose Hill and Blackjack Pasture was created by world-renowned artist, G.H. Rothe. Our vineyard names are also meaningful; Blackjack Pasture is adjacent to the field where a favorite roping horse, Blackjack, spent the last of her 36 years. Red Rose Hill rises above a field of crimson rose bushes (just a small portion of our thousands of rose bushes), and Rancho Galante celebrates our beginnings as a cattle ranch, known as “Rancho Galante”. Even our back labels incorporate our cowboy image by including a special “Cowboy Philosophy” hand picked by owner Jack Galante.

Technical Analysis:

Vintage: 2003

Brix at Harvest: 24.0

Total Acid: 0.68

pH: 3.53

Alcohol: 13.8%

Harvest Date: 10/27/2003

Varietals: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Time in Barrels: 18 Months

Bottle Date: 1/17/2006

Maturity: 2010

Drinking Temp: 60F

Formats: 750ml, 1.5L, 3L, 9L

Galante Vineyards 2003 Red Rose Hill 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Aug 22, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Register to get notified when this wine is back in stock:
Sign Up For Free
Galante Vineyards 2003 Red Rose Hill 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Aug 22, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Register to get notified when this wine is back in stock:
Sign Up For Free