Romeo Vineyards
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
California: Napa Valley
Mission Briefing
The Dream Team
Before we ever tasted today’s extraordinary wine, we knew that we were in for a real treat. Today’s perfectly aged 2002 Sempre Vive Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine had all of the right ingredients; This wine was born of 37 year old Napa Valley vines, from a vineyard that neighbors some of the most prestigious in the AVA, grown by one of the most sought-after vineyard managers and made by one of the wine trade’s most talented winemakers. The result is an extraordinary treat.
A little shy, at first, this wine really opens up after some swirling or decanting. Our tasting panel really enjoyed seeing how the wine progressed, right in the glass as we swirled and sipped our way through this elegant, flavorful wine. Complex and delicious, the wine surprised us by delivering more fruit than we would have expected from an ‘aged cabernet’. In our estimation, this wine actually has plenty of life left in it. In fact, we can’t wait to see how it progresses, after we lay a few bottles down for another decade.
At today’s price, this is one wine that really encourage you to stock up on.
Order today and we’ll ship it to you in time for Thanksgiving.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Dark and dense with deep burgundy hues at the darker core of the wine. At the edge of the glass, a wide ring of pure ruby catches the light. The wine shows a tight and springy surface that settles quickly when swirled. When it settles, the wine leaves behind wide, wine-stained tears that march steadily down the glass. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Integrated and medium intensity with tart, black fruit of plum, young blackberry and black cherry, layered over tobacco, leather, spice and earthy dried herbs. |
| Taste: | Ripe, rich and tart-sweet with black currant, black cherry, plum, blackberry, sweet spice, earthy minerals and dusty cocoa powder. As the wine opens up (keep swirling and witness an elegant transformation) it reveals graphite, softly toasty oak and a hint of olive wood. |
| Finish: | Long and ripe with a remarkable amount of dark fruit that lingers on and on. As fruits fade, sweet oak, leather and sweetwoods persist for a very long time. |
| Pairing: |
What the Winery Says
Old Vines Make Elegant Wines
The ‘ Albie Romeo Old Vine’ Clone has an elegant nose of blackberry and cassis fruit. It is full bodied but balanced and smooth on the palate. The Old Vine Cab can be matched with almost any food and is especially lovely enjoyed on its own.
Accolades
Has earned 5 Gold Medals since its Valentine’s Day release on February 14, 2005.
Alcohol
14.4 %
Cases Produced
750
“Leaning slightly to ripeness and buttressed by lots of sweet oak, this very open, easy-to-taste wine is well filled with fairly deep black-cherry fruit and firmed with modest structural tannins. It is not in danger of fading away anytime soon, but it presents itself nicely right now and will make a thoroughly likeable partner to juicy steaks in the near term.”
- Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine Volume 31 Issue 6: April 2007 89
About the Winery
The small Romeo family vineyard in Calistoga has some of the oldest Cabernet vines in the Napa Valley It was purchased in 1996 by Frank and Eugenia ‘Gena’ Romeo. Motivated by a desire to create and live a lifestyle that represented the Romeo family’s entrepreneurial spirit, they began their journey to craft a legendary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Frank and Eugenia Romeo are deeply committed to protecting and preserving the natural state of their vineyard.
As a result, the artisan wines produced from the old vines, dating back to early seventies, reflect the unique and inspiring way in which the Romeo family lives – Sempre Vive!
Winemaker Alison Green Doran
Alison Green Doran was drawn into winemaking in 1973. Her father, Oil man and long time Alexander Valley vineyard owner, Russell Green, had bought the Simi Winery in 1969, and brought in Mary Ann Graff, the first woman winemaker anywhere to be hired from outside a family, as well as Andre Tchelistcheff, who had been the winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyards for 35 years, as consultants soon after. By working as a harvest intern beside Andre and Mary Ann for 6 months at Simi in 1973, Alison found both her life’s work and her mentors.
Andre found her a 5 month “cellar rat” position in Alsace for the crush of 1975, and then an enologist position with a start-up winery in Paso Robles. After finishing her Fermentation Science degree at UC Davis, she began working for the Firestone Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1976. Starting as lab technician, she worked her way to bottling supervisor and then to cellar master, and finally in 1981, to winemaker. The fourth woman winemaker ever.
The Firestone Winery created many award winning wines during her tenure and Alison became well acquainted with how to extract maximum potential for wine quality from a vineyard site. Now a winemaking consultant with many clients in Napa, she has also started her own family label; Hoot Owl Creek Vineyards.
Vineyard Notes
Romeo Vineyards produces elegant and enduring wines from forty-two year old vines, which reside south of a nine acre reservoir in Calistoga, California. Our vines lie sandwiched between two forested knolls, leading to the geographical conditions that create hot days and cool nights and an extremely long hang time in our Calistoga vineyard. This allows our grapes to develop full flavors, deep color and intense complexity.
Our thick, gnarled old vines produce from their hearts.