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What We Say 2006 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
ELITE WINE ALERT
Today’ selection is a fantastic multiple Gold Medal winning wine made with some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon grown in California’s Dry Creek Valley by one of our favorite winemakers. It easily deserves this special recognition. At today’s special price it also deserves your special recognition!
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Mission Codename: When I See VC, I Crave VC
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Return to VC Cellars and acquire the latest delicious Cab from Miro and the good folks at Trentadue Cellars.
Mission Status: Accomplished
Current Winery: VC Cellars
Wine Subject: 2006 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker: Miro Tcholakov
Backgrounder:
The Dry Creek Valley across the Russian River from Alexander Valley has a generally cooler and wetter climate which makes the growing season longer and more flexible than neighboring appellations. This is an area best known for producing rather incredible Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Merlot as well as other red varietals.
Today’s limited release Cabernet selection is aged for 20 months in French and other European barrels and only 186 cases where made.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Deeply dark and dense purple and nearly black with a nearly inky dark heart that only shows slight ruby streaks when held to the light. Deep ruby red along the edges and when swirled slow and randomly spaced thin legs ring the glass.
Smell – Tangy and dusty black cherry, blackberry and other dark berries blend with soft exotic spice, toasted oak with vanilla hints and a touch of bittersweet chocolate and mocha. Hints of black licorice and savory notes round out the classic Cab nose and invite a sip.
Feel – Smooth, rich and generous on the palate this full-bodied and dry wine has finely textured minerality and powder-fine tannins that are framed by this wine’s lively acidity keeping things in balance.
Taste – The dusty and ripe black cherry, blackberry, red plum and other classic dark Cabernet fruit flavors expand over the palate with this wine’s earthy notes and flavors of brown and other soft spices emerging at mid palate. The toasted oak, bittersweet chocolate and licorice adds depth to this wine.
Finish – Long and clean with this wine’s plush and ripe fruit lingering as the toasted oak and vanilla, brown spice, licorice and earthy notes gently fading while the powder fine tannins dry the palate making the mouth water for another sip.
Conclusion – ‘Agent KGB’, AKA Miro Tcholakov, once again blows us away with his 2006 VC Cellars Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a delicious example of Dry Creek Valley’s unique terroir. Ripe and fresh aromas of dark fruit, complex brown spices, dark bittersweet chocolate and toasted oak seamlessly glide from nose to palate with a long finish. A great wine to enjoy with grilled meats and drinking perfectly right now (let it breathe for a little while to fully explore all of this wine’s great flavors and aromas.)
Mission Report:
MIRO INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIERSUBJECT: Miro Tcholakov
DATE OF BIRTH: February 4, 1966
PLACE OF BIRTH: Trojan, Bulgaria
WINE EDUCATION: Higher Institute of Agriculture, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, UC Davis, SRJC
CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: Dry Creek Vineyards-1990-1999 as Assistant Winemaker/Cellar Master, Trentadue Winery-1999-present-Winemaker/VP of Production, Miro Cellars-2001-present. Also consulted and continue to consult for a few other small projects domestically and abroad. Currently serving on the Board of Directors for ZAP and “PS I Love you” organizations
WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: “Freedom of Expression”- meaning for Miro wines I source only vineyards that are interesting to me in regard of geology, soil types, location, grape growing styles, grape grower…etc. Not being confined to an “Estate” vineyard gives me the freedom of choice. If the vineyard does not deliver I move on. Great wines can be made without blue blooded heritage and a Chateau in the foreground.
SIGNATURE VARIETAL: So far I made my mark with Petite Sirah for the Miro brand, with my other jobs I have done very well with other varieties and blends. In general I’m very fond of perhaps the only two varieties that California has claim to fame as truly “heritage” –Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. But, I am so pleased with my inaugural Pinot Noir! It turned out beautifully.
CAREER HIGHLIGHT: Well I’m not sure what do you consider Highlight but if you mean wine scores I have a few 90 points and above from Wine Enthusiast, Parker, Wine Spectator, Connoisseur Guide, California Grapevine, top picks in New York Times, USA Today, and hundreds of Gold medals and Best of Class and a few Sweepstakes from wine competitions that matter.
I have met and tasted my wines one on one with Michelle Rolland (without paying for it) if that is considered an event but I found that to be very interesting. I have been on the pages of few wine publications. Once Dan Burger put me on the top 20 winemakers in the country…
There is probably more that I don’t remember.
MIRO QUOTE: Just drink it-it is only wine!
What the Winery Says
VC Cellars
Awards & Accolades:
Best of Class — 2010 California State Fair Wine Competition
Gold Medal — 2010 California State Fair Wine Competition
Gold Medal — 2010 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
Silver Medal — 2010 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Bronze Medal — 2009 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
About This Wine:
The 2006 vintage will be remembered as the one with heavy rainfall in the winter and cool summer. The long ripening season provided extra “hang time” for the grapes instead of the usual rush to harvest the fruit and thus produced wines with great depth and superb balance of acid and tannins. Following the abundant ’05 vintage, ’06 had a relatively low yields contributing to more intense flavor and overall concentration. The cabernet in this blend was selected from our best block-900 and the grapes were hand picked at 2 AM still very cold for maximum freshness. After a few days of cold maceration the fermentation was started and complete in seven days. The wine was left on the skins for extended maceration for additional 22 days. After pressing the wine was aged in about 35% new French and other European barrels for about 20 months.
The wine is a classic Dry Creek Valley Cab with nose of ripe sweet cherry and plums, developed aromas of leather, licorice and hints of cocoa powder and molasses. With more aeration additional aromas of vanilla, brown sugar and slight earthiness complete this wine. The mouth feel is balanced and not heavy with long and pleasant finish. The wine is ready to enjoy now!!
Cheers, Miro Tcholakov, Winemaker
About The Winery:
Just 12 acres, harvested by hand, spectacularly located on southwest facing hillside and benchland in Dry Creek Valley. Our wines feature three hearty, concentrated-fruit, food-loving varietals — Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon — all share the signature of our family’s long history with this land.
A focus on crafting delicious food-friendly wines: When Victor and Cindy Trentadue launched VC Cellars, they let their 30+ years of vineyard management experitse guide their decision to focus on three varietal standouts: Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Victor and Cindy limited their planting to just 12 acres on a gently sloping, southwest facing hillside in upper Dry Creek Valley.
The results have been more than mouthwatering — the first releases from 2005 and 2006 vintages brought home nearly a dozen awards from top wine competitions.
Our roots in Dry Creek Valley span generations: Located in the northwestern region of Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley has a rich history of ranching and fruit farming going back to the 1850s and has been the place called “home” for our family for several generations. In 1959, Victor’s parent, Evelyn and Leo Trentadue, decided to flee the developers encroaching on their apricot and cherry orchards in Sunnyvale, the area known today around the world as Silicon Valley. Finding a vibrant Italian farming community in Sonoma County, the Trentadues settled their family here and were among the very first to plant new grapevines in Sonoma County after the days of Prohibition. Dry Creek Valley was also great sheep farming territory and Victor took part in many sheerings down in the old barn — the chalk marks keeping count are still in evidence on the barn walls!
Victor and Cindy operate Four Seasons Vineyard Managment, which oversees 422 acres of grapevines throughout Sonoma County.
VC Cellars is joined on the shelf by their sister wine POUND HOUND, whose most dedicated ambassador is Abbey, the family’s Jack Russell Terrier. Pound Hound literally puts together the “pick of the litter” of each harvest, offering some of the most delicious industry “strays” at workday prices.
Technical Analysis:
Alcohol: 14.8%
