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What We Say 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
Today’s wine, made by one of our favorite winemakers, is so outstanding that it easily earns this special alert. We only showcase wines that we love, but when one really rises above, we issue a special alert.
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Mission Codename: Oh, Occitania!
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: Troubadour Cellars
Wine Subject: 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley
Winemaker: Jason Moore
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. Approachable, richly flavorful and deeply delicious, today’s wine shows off the winemaking skills of our long-time friend, Jason Moore. At a price that is hard to resist. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report to learn more about this fantastic Napa Cab.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Darkest burgundy, with a deeper, inky core. Rich magenta hues show at the edges of the wine, when sitting in the glass and when swirled. When the wine settles, tall, skinny, widely-spaced tears crawl downward from high up on the glass wall.
Smell – A rich rush of ripe blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry preserves leap from the glass. These full aromas are followed by candied black cherry, fresh red flower petals, dried red rose petals, cigar box, leather and a subtle hint of fresh fennel.
Feel – Soft, round and very silky at the tip of the tongue. The wine then coats the palate, gaining weight and dimension at the mid and back palate. A soft dryness spreads all around the palate, leaving behind a mineral-laden cracked pepper flavor.
Taste – Ripe, dark and bursting with flavor, this wine leads off with rich, overripe blackberry and blueberry jam. These are quickly joined by black cherry, tobacco leaf, cigar box, roasted Mission fig, black currant, flinty minerals, cracked pepper and softest brown spice.
Finish – Dark fruit sustains for a very long time. As fruit flavors fade, cedar and tobacco remain for even longer. At the tail end, when all of the fruit flavors have finally faded, the palate becomes dry and mineral and cracked pepper flavors persist until you take the next delicious sip.
Conclusion – The 2009 Troubadour Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic, bold and big Napa Valley Cabernet. With layers of flavor and an amazingly long finish, this wine is a delicious delight. A little tight, at first, this wine really opens up as you swirl it in your glass. If you perfer, just decant the wine for 30 minutes or more. Enjoy this complex and elegant wine with a hearty grilled steak or your favorite red meat dish. We enjoyed our sample bottles all on their own. Highly recommended, please don’t miss out on this special wine.
Mission Report:
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Napa Valley can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Troubadour Cellars
About This Wine:
Our 2009 Napa Cabernet is from a single vineyard in Coombsville area of Napa. Coombsville is located in the southeast corner of the valley which is greatly influenced by its location near the San Pablo bay. While days may be warm during the growing season, the bays influence offers cool evening temperatures which add depth and character to the wine while keeping great acidity. The nose gives aromas of Black raspberry preserves, and dark cherries leading to a palette of blackberry tart, dried herbs, and just a hint of leather. While approachable today this wine will only benefit from a few years in the cellar.
About The Winery:
They say it all begins with the soil, the vine, and the grape. This is true for most, however at Troubadour Cellars, it all begins with the dance. The story of Troubadour Cellars begins, like only the best stories do.
Once upon a time in Las Vegas. It all began with a whirlwind, six-week long dance date between two UNLV students, Andy Byers and Beth Wellar. Both were unable to travel home to their families during the Christmas holidays and at the request of Beth’s beau, who was Andy’s roommate, the pair spent time together so Beth wouldn’t get lonely. How nice of Andy! They soon discovered a shared love of dancing and indulged in this passion for 43 straight nights at a small nightclub called, The Troubadour. With never a hand held or a cheek pecked, Andy and Beth spent those six weeks forming a bond and a friendship rooted firmly in a passion for fun. They’d dance the night away from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m., share a sunrise breakfast special, and then go their own way until 10 p.m. rolled around again. So tangible was their connection that the beau picked up on it upon his return to campus, and graciously stepped aside. Andy and Beth’s bond was strong, and it would soon turn into love and family, careers and children and they all lived happily ever after. Or at least 30 years until their new story can begin…
Now nearly 30 years later, with the help of our four sons we are channeling that passion and love into every bottle that Troubadour Cellars produces. We believe that wine, food, family, fun and music make the world go ’round, and there is nothing that embodies our belief like our wines. We are a family-owned and operated boutique winery, which specializes in small-lot Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Our family takes great care in hand-selecting the grapes that ultimately make it into our bottles. We take only the best the vineyard has to offer, resulting in wine that enchants the palette and intrigues the senses. What began as a love of dancing has evolved into a passion for wine making and living our lives to the fullest.
Take a moment to peruse the web site and read more about our story. In addition to the wine listings and notes, you’ll find our recipe page where we share some of our original creations and wine pairings with you. Be sure to get on the mailing list, because you won’t want to miss our newest releases and infamous get-togethers and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to always be the first to get the latest news.
Join us in “the dance” and experience for yourself how our passion is reflected in each glass we pour. Enjoy!
Technical Analysis:
Alcohol: 14.6%
