SUPERIOR VINTAGE ALERT:

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate rated the entire California North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 vintage a stellar 96 Points. Today’s wine is a shining example of the vintage.

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:

Today’s selection from Rutherford Grove is truly a wine of elegance and distinction. If you are a fan of the great wines from Rutherford, this wine belongs in your cellar.

SECRET SAVINGS ALERT:

Subscribe to our Daily Dispatch (above) and you’ll always know what our Top Secret coupon code of the day is. Every day we issue a new members-only code that entitles you to have Ground Shipping included on orders of six or more and, sometimes, an added discount!

Mission Codename: Dust In The Wind

Operative: Agent White

Objective: Return to family run Rutherford Grove and acquire their latest Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2007 Estate Pestoni Family Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker: Andy Pestoni

Backgrounder:

The Rutherford AVA is among the most famous names in the valley and is primarily know for its exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the other big Bordeaux varietals. Ironically, Rutherford was the last of the major districts to receive AVA status and is home to about 30 wineries. Its well drained soil made of a combination of marine sediment and volcanic gravel, sand and loam is distinct and contributes to its famed ‘Rutherford Dust’ component found its its great wines.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep dark ruby red with a dark and dense but clear core with highlighting ruby hues that sparkle as you swirl this wine. Deep ruby along the edges with slow thick legs that leave hints of this wine’s color on the sides of the glass.

Smell – Rich in intensity with aromas of wild blackberry, black cherry and wild bramble that are layered over complex notes of pungent black licorice, green savory herbs, toasted and smokey oak and hints of dusty minerals.

Feel – Extremely smooth and rich, this full-bodied wine has plush, fine and well developed tannins and soft acidity with a touch of minerality and the famed dusty texture. Well structured and generous, as this wine opens up and breathes, it becomes even more plush and round but still retains its tannic structure.

Taste – Rich and ripe dusty black and red-fruit including currants, blackberry, plum and black-cherry are supported by toasted oak with vanilla hints, wild black licorice as well as subtle green herb component and spice.

Finish – This wine is exceptionally long in its finish with clean lingering fruit flavors framed by its licorice, oak and spice, all of which are well supported by this wine’s balanced structure.

Conclusion – The 2007 Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is delicious plush and generous Napa Cab that is both fruit forward and elegantly complex. Great fruit along with spice, licorice, green savory herbs and dusty minerality transition from the nose, through the palate and long into the finish. Drinking wonderfully right now, this wine will continue to develop and evolve for the next several years. We paired this with delicious grilled marinated steak tips served over an olive oil dredged and toasted baguette for a top-shelf steak sandwich.

Mission Report:

Sometimes our winemakers get really busy, and they don’t have time to sit down with us for an interview. Be sure to check back the next time we feature another fantastic Rutherford Grove wine. Below is a recap of Agent White’s original mission when he discovered Rutherford Grove Winery & Vineyards.

Every now and then wine mixes with another passion, specifically my love of fine historic automobiles. So it was with great pleasure that we accepted an initiation to attend a specific wine tasting event at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles that was featuring the wines and wineries of the Howell Mountain Vintners & Growers Association. (To honest, given the magnitude of great wines, they could have hosted the event at a stock yard and I’d be there).

I asked one of my favorite tasting partners to join me, We’ll call her Agent Fire Cracker for now. So named as she is half French and half Columbian, I’ll let you guess which side won, but she has one of the most sophisticated palates of anyone I know and I wanted her judgment since I was likely to be swayed by all the four-wheeled distractions.

With so many great wineries represented this was both a pleasure but also a daunting task. So many great wines so little time. We used the W.I.N.E. (Wine Internet Nexus Engine) to help us narrow down the specific target wineries and their selections so we could focus on only the best. Fire Cracker and I, with our cover established covertly tasted the wines on our list. So many were great and over the next few months you’ll be presented with our findings.

The folks at Rutherford Grove have an extensive history of winemaker that dates back five generations. Winemaker, Andy Pestoni and the Pestoni family is committed not only producing wines of exceptional character but also to sustainable farming practices. After you taste today’s selection, we are sure you’ll agree that history, tradition and respect for the environment make all the difference.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.