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What We Say 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Rosenthal – The Malibu Estate.
Mission Codename: The Girl from Ipanema… I Mean Malibu!
Operative: Agent White & Agent Blush
Objective: Explore the Wines of Newton Canyon in Malibu, California
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Rosenthal – The Malibu Estate
Wine Subject: 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker: Christian Roguenant
Backgrounder: Rosenthal – The Malibu Estate is located in the one vineyard AVA of Malibu-Newton Canyon in Los Angeles County. Surprisingly, the south facing slopes of the Santa Monica mountains provide an excellent climate for producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
While, the exact location of the vineyards is a closely guarded secret, Newton Canyon (see satellite photo below) is located in northern Malibu in the coastal hills and canyons above Point Dume.
All of Rosenthal-The Malibu Estate’s wines are produced by Christian Roguenant, one of the Central Coast’s premiere Winemakers. His hands-on approach to wine making has gained him notoriety with critics and consumers alike.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Medium dark, ruby red and garnet, excellent clarity with pink edges and long slender legs.
Smell – Solid and intense fruit and oak, with ripe cherries and raspberries and a candied-sweetness.
Feel – Smooth and creamy, wet initially with solid tannins that appear at mid-palate and last through the finish.
Taste – Solid fruit flavors of cherry and raspberry, jammy sweetness, but not too sugary, toasted oak and vanilla.
Finish – Long and smooth, solid lingering finish that invites a follow up sip (perhaps a gulp).
Conclusion – A very solid California Cabernet Sauvignon deserving of all its awards. This is a fine wine to seek out and will pair well with a variety of foods. Our agents, after completing this mission, enjoyed a bottle of this great wine watching the romantic sunset on the beach in Malibu. Ahh, life as a Wine Spy is good!
The Wine Spies Technical Analysis:
pH: 3.49
Brix at Harvest: 24.6
Residual Sugar: none
Alcohol: 14.1%
Total Acidity: .62
Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc All estate grown
Oak: Seguin Moreau château barrels — Allier and Tronçais, medium toast, 20 months
Finishing: Unfiltered, Unfined
AVA: Malibu – Newton Canyon
Case Production: 1,900
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Rosenthal – The Malibu Estate vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Rosenthal - The Malibu Estate
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Awards & Accolades:
GOLD — Los Angeles County World of Wine Competition
DOUBLE GOLD — Florida State Fair International Wine Competition
92 POINTS, “EXCEPTIONAL” — Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago
GOLD — Tasters Guild Wine Competition, Michigan
GOLD, BEST OF CLASS — New World International Wine Competition
FOUR STAR RATING “EXCELLENT, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED” — Restaurant Wine, Issue #107
“HIGHLY RECOMMENDED” — California Grapevine, Vol. 31, No. 4
Winery’s Tasting Notes:
Exhibits deep purple-red color, with aromas of sandalwood and toasty oak. Polished flavors of cassis, mocha, and minty-sage, with hints of black raspberry, dark cherry, and exotic spices on the long, rich finish.
About the 2001 Vintage:
The 2001 harvest gave us an outstanding crop, with a warm spring and a moderate summer allowing concentration of fruit flavors, and adding to the deep color, complexity, and balance — quality markers for an exceptional vintage and an exceptional wine, with multiple Gold Medal awards to its credit.
About Rosenthal – The Malibu Estate:
Fine wine from Malibu? Southern California’s Malibu, home to movie stars and Bay Watch?
Yes, these wines are from grapes grown in Malibu not on the famous beach, but in a scenic valley four miles from the coast, 1,400-feet up, above the coastal fog, in the AVA Malibu Newton Canyon.
George Rosenthal, owner of movie studios, hotels, and other enterprises, first planted vineyards at his 250 acre estate in 1987, after spending two years checking soil and weather to make sure he planted the correct varietals in the correct locations.
25 acres of hillside vines are planted in this unique microclimate, where cool breezes filter into Newton Canyon in the evening, tempering warm, sunny days. Even with this boutique size, individual plots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc are separately vinified and barrel-aged before blending.
Winemaker Christian Roguenant strives to bring out the unique terroir of the site. The reds are unfiltered and unfined, and the Chardonnay does not go through ML. All the grapes come from the estate vineyards.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay can be enjoyed in some of LA’s toniest restaurants, and some of Hollywood’s top stars have sipped the wines at the estate.
You may not be able to wrangle an invitation to the vineyard (then again, you might), but you can now enjoy these wines at your own – estate”.
