Galante Vineyards
2010 Rancho Galante Cabernet
Cabernet Sauvignon
California: Carmel Valley
Mission Briefing
Upstream
Youthful and bright, this wine is distinctly Carmel Valley - and distinctly Galante!
A light-hearted and very approachable wine, today’s 2010 Rancho Galante Cabernet Sauvignon is a delightful wine that fans of Carmel Valley wines will surely love. If you’ve never tasted a Carmel Valley wine, be sure to pick up a few bottles of this budget-friendly red. The terroir of the Carmel Valley is unique and certainly one to be experienced.
A hearty Spy Thanks to Jack Galante, who always gives us early access to his wines. We remain faithful fans of your wonderful wines.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Brilliant ruby with a deeper dark core of red plum skin. After the wine settles, ultra-skinny, wine stained tears fall swiftly down the glass. |
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| Smell: | Dark red cherry, red plum and dried dark berries. Underneath the wine shows hints of the Carmel Valley characteristic artichoke and subtle fresh green bell pepper aromas. |
| Taste: | Dark plum juice with tart cherry, fresh rhubarb, cranberry, green tobacco leaf and subtle brown spice. |
| Finish: | Bright red fruits tail off to subtle earth and spice. At the edges of the palate, tart flavors linger on for a very long time, gradually giving way to an all around the mouth dryness. |
| Pairing: | Pair this bright wine with spareribs, a fatty prime rib or an eggplant parmesan. |
What the Winery Says
Winemaker Comments:
Combining grapes from several of our Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard parcels, this wine offers a burst of distinctive fruit flavors with a hint of oak and soft tannins on the finish.
Cowboy Philosophy:
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
About the Winery
The Galante family has a long and storied investment in the Monterey Peninsula. Owner Jack Galante’s great grandfather, J. Frank Devendorf, was one of the founders of Carmel, a place established in the spirit of scenic beauty, festivity and creative expression. So it makes sense that the Galante credo is: Grow the finest grapes possible, and let the fruit express itself in the wine.
Since all of our grapes are estate grown from deep in Carmel Valley, each bottle of wine we produce embodies the characteristics of our unique region, exhibiting the natural flavors that are born from the land. Galante is recognized as one of the premier Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot producers in Monterey County and all of California.
Winemaker Greg Vita
A fifth generation Californian, Greg has been a vineyard and winemaking consultant to wineries in the Napa Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains, and Monterey County since 1994. Prior to opening his consulting business he was with Spring Mountain Vineyards in St. Helena for twelve years serving as Winemaker and General Manager.
A UC Davis graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Botany and Plant Science. After college, Greg went to work in the vineyards at Spring Mountain Vineyard in St. Helena, where by the end of his 14-year stay he had become general manager and winemaker. As word of his skill spread in Napa, he was asked to make wines for Frogs Leap, Dunn, Philip Tongi, Spottswood, and Chimney Rock.. He helped create the concept of a custom crush facility, allowing boutique wineries to bring their grapes to Spring Mountain and have them crushed.
Since the start of Galante Vineyards in 1994, Greg has shown his dedication to excellence in the rich, robust wines that he produces.
As Carmel Valley’s Wizard of Wine, you’ll never see Vita’s name on a wine label. But he’s the man behind the curtain at eight of the biggest names in the area, including Galante Vineyards, Heller Estate, Rombi Wines and Holman Ranch. He figures he’s responsible for developing 100 wines per year from the region, predominantly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Winery owners hire Vita for his palate, but he’s also known as the go-to guy for starting a winery from scratch. Vita helps first-timers design their facilities, plant their vineyards, dig wine caves and hire staff. At Galante Vineyards he and Jack Galante designed an enormous production and storage barn that can be rented out by smaller neighboring wineries and dug 600 feet of caves into the hillside.