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What We Say 2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
Today’s exciting wine is a truly exemplary Cabernet Sauvignon, representative of the best that the Coombsville sub-appellation has to offer – at a fraction of the price of similar Cabs from this region.
SECRET SAVINGS ALERT:
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Mission Codename: Et tu, Maroon
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: For our special Elite Operative Saturday, infiltrate Maroon wines, in the Napa Valley. Extract their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – a true Napa Valley gem – and make it available at a Top Secret price.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Maroon wines
Wine Subject: 2009 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – Maroon Vineyard
Winemaker:
Backgrounder: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon continues to dominate as the leader in California red wine. For good reason, too, as Napa produces some of the richest and most delicious examples on the planet. Today’s wine is a delicious treat from the Coombsville region of the Napa Valley. This region is best-known for producing extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Darkest burgundy, with magenta hues at the edge and when swirled. When the wine settles, tall, skinny, widely-spaced legs descend from high up on the glass wall.
Smell – A heady rush of ripe blackberry, blueberry preserves and stewed plum leap from the glass. These gorgeous aromas are underpinned by candied cherry, Bing cherry, spice, fresh red flowers and subtle leather – with a very subtle hint of eucalyptus.
Feel – Soft and silky on the attack. Then, the wine digs in at the tip of the tongue, spreading a softly peppery and mineral-rich dryness throughout the palate. Plush tannins gradually give the wine a very plush feel, while balanced acids propel the fruit long into the lingering finish.
Taste – Juicy and ripe, with generous mixed berry fruit, plum and black currant in the lead. Flavors then turn to braised black fig, subtle mushroom, leather, flower petals, minerals, pepper and softest spice.
Finish – Juicy and delicious at first, with red and black berry lingering long into the slightly dry, slightly mineral-pepper conclusion.
Conclusion – The Maroon Wines Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a delicious, vivacious, approachable and balanced drinking experience. Layers of aromas and flavors are exuded from the wine and the more you swirl, the more you are rewarded with the fullness that this wine has to offer. This wine is clean and elegant, but also complex enough to be very interesting. Pair this elegant, juicy, flavor-filled wine as you would with a less robust California red. Enjoy now, but cellar a few bottles for the next decade and beyond.
WINEMAKER INTERVIEW
AGENT RED: Please tell me a little bit about the wine we are featuring today.
PAUL MAROON: These grapes for our 2007 Zinfandel were harvested between 26-27 brix on October 6 & October 7, 2007. The fruit was very ripe but also retained nice acidity, which is one of the hallmarks of Zinfandel grown in the Chiles Valley district. The fruit was crushed and cold-soaked for 4 days prior to inoculation. Total skin contact time was relatively short at 10 days, resulting in a medium bodied wine, with lots of fruit but moderat tannins. The wine was aged in 25% New Hungarian oak barrels for 20 months, resulting in a wine with dark berry fruit flavors, spicy overtones and vibrant fruit and bright acidity.
RED: What is your favorite pairing with today’s wine?
PAUL: Pork Tenderloin with a sweet and spicy sauce.
RED: In your opinion, what makes the Chiles Valley such a special place for Zinfandel?
PAUL: Chiles Valley gets pretty hot during the day and cold at night. For Zinfandel, this is great, because the fruit can get very ripe yet still maintain nice acidity levels so that the wines can stay in balance even if pushed to higher levels of ripeness.
RED: What is occupying your time at the winery these days?
PAUL: Blending Trials.
RED: Oooh. that sounds fun! Thank you so much for your time. We learned a lot about you and your wine. Keep up the great work, we are big fans!
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Maroon Wines own Maroon vineyard can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Maroon
About This Wine:
This wine has wonderful aromas of dark black fruits and red berries. There are accents of mocha and dark chocolate on the nose which combine with the sweet toasted vanilla from the French oak barrels. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, with moderate tannins that frame a full midpalate. The core of the wine is big and juicy and the finish is long and lingering with an aftertaste of dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate and sweet vanillin oak.
This is the first wine that will be bottled entirely from the Maroon Vineyard on Hagen Road. These grapes have been the base of many fine blends over the years. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to bottle this first 100% Maroon Vineyard, and really let this fruit shine on its own. 2009 was a difficult growing season, but with careful management in both the vineyard and in the cellar, we have been able to produce one of the finest Maroon Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons to date.
About The Winery:
PAUL MAROON became interested in wine over 40 years ago. He visited Napa as often as possible through the years and finally in 2000 he realized his dream and relocated to the Napa Valley from Portola Valley, CA ( Silicon Valley). Here he began his life as a vintner. He has been growing grapes and making fine wines in Napa ever since.
In addition to his own Maroon label, he was also growing grapes and producing wine for Crauford Wine Company. Paul took over total responsibility for the Crauford in 2006 when Crauford’s founder retired. In addition to grape growing and wine production, Paul became responsible for all marketing and sales activities of the Crauford Wines.
Technical Analysis:
RELEASE DATE: November 2011
PRODUCTION: 1044 cases
APPELLATION: 100% Napa Valley,
BLEND: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% Maroon Vineyard – Hagen Road (Estate)
ALCOHOL: 14.1%
TA: 0.62 g/100mL
PH: 3.80
