Maroon Wines
2008 "Proprietary" Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
California: Napa Valley
Mission Briefing
R.K's Dream
Highly recommended, this juicy, refreshingly delicious 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet from our friends at Maroon Vineyards is a wine that our tasting panel went crazy for. In fact, we all found ourselves taking deep inhalations, reveling in the wonderful aromatics, and large mouthfuls - in order to coat our palates with the fullness of flavor.
Beautifully balanced, this wine is lively, inviting, approachable and downright fun to inhale, drink and discuss. Pair food-friendly wine with a spicy meat dish or a thick, grilled, pepper-rubbed steak.
At today’s special price, we recommend that you stock up. We know that you can’t purchase every great wine that we feature, but we promise that you’ll love this one!
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Dark ruby hues with perfect clarity through its darker core. At the edge of the wine, a fine ring of light perfect pink glints in the light. Swirl the wine and when it settles, leaves behind short columns of chubby legs that cling to the glass for a very long time. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Sweet, dark aromas leap from the glass, right on opening. Lush, juicy blackberry, cherry, raspberry, dried meats and red plum are layered atop fresh pluot, braised nectarine, sweet brown spice, leather and sweetwood. |
| Taste: | Ripe and juicy mixed berry medley, combines with brown spice, sweet dried leather, red plum, dark chocolate, cigar box, bramble and dusty earth. |
| Finish: | Long and very flavorful, with long-with lingering berry fruit, spice and exotic earthy notes. At the very end, a lovely hit of freshly cracked pepper provides lovely punctuation. |
| Pairing: |
What the Winery Says
The Wine
This was an enjoyable wine to put together, as it incorporates some varietals that we have not historically blended together for Maroon wines. The Cabernet Sauvignon base of the blend was medium bodied and exhibited dark and ripe berry fruit, both aromatically and on the palate. This Cabernet really lent itself to the blending in of the more muscular and firm Petit Verdot, which provides structure and a nice tannin framework to the blend. The small amounts of Petite Syrah and Zinfandel add a nice touch of spice to the aromas and finish.
Bottom Line
This wine has very nice aromas of ripe, dark berries and hints of chocolate and coffee on the nose. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied and expresses a nice balance from the attack through to the finish. We find layers of dark berries and chocolate and a very light acidity that adds a juicy vibrancy to the finish. This wine will be a versatile complement to a variety of dishes.
Drink now through 2015
Appellation
100% Napa Valley
Varietals
75% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14% Zinfandel. 8% Petit Verdot. 3% Petite Sirah.
Alcohol
14.2%
pH
3.75
TA
.72g/100mL
Production
1,500 cases
About the Winery
Maroon Wines was founded by Paul Maroon in 2008. The focus of Maroon is usually on single varietal, single vineyard wines and their philosophy is to introduce as little winemaking manipulation as possible from the vineyard to the bottle.
Along with their “estate” vineyard, Maroon sources from a variety of premium vineyards in the valley and hand crafts a number of very small production wines from vineyard sources that may change from year to year. These wines are often only made available to their wine club and a select few others, like The Wine Spies.
The focus of Maroon is usually on single varietal, single vineyard wines. Winemaker Paul Maroon’s philosophy is to introduce as little winemaking manipulation as possible from the vineyard to the bottle.
Winemaker Paul Maroon
Paul Maroon became interested in winemaking over 40 years ago while as a young man helping his uncle make wine in Pennsylvania. After earning a college degree on the East Coast he came to California for his MBA. In the back of his mind he always knew that, for him, Napa Valley was the place to be.
Paul visited as often as possible throughout the years and finally, in 2000, looking to return to this agricultural roots, he realized his dream and relocated to the Napa Valley. He purchased property just north of the city of Napa and there he began his life as a vintner and has been growing grapes and making fine wines ever since.
For ten years Paul had a lucrative contract with Joseph Phelps to sell them the Cabernet Sauvignon from his Coombsville vineyard. These grapes were used in their Insignia blend. Before the contract ended, Paul made under two barrels of wine for himself and realized the quality of fruit his vineyard could achieve as a single varietal, single vineyard wine. As a result, his first commercial vintage of Maroon Wines came two years later in 2008.