Front Row Wines
2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
California: Napa Valley
Mission Briefing
Family Legends
Charlie Carpy is a third generation winemaker whose family has been involved in the wine trade in the Napa Valley since the 1800s. Charlie’s grandfather, Charles, shipped his Uncle Sam Wine Cellars wines up the Napa River by barge. Later Charlie’s dad, Chuck, founded Napa mainstay wineries Freemark Abbey Winery and Rutherford Hill Winery.
Today, Charlie Carpy carries on the family traditions with his own Front Row Napa Valley Wines, making exceptional Chardonnay and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Today’s 2008 Front Row Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is a full-tilt boogie, richly delicious and deeply aromatic wine that delivers a big drinking experience at a price that should be difficult for any experienced Wine Spies Operative to resist.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Deep and rich-looking with dark maroon hues through a slightly opaque core. At the edges, a lovely ruby ring catches the light. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Sweet black cherry and sandalwood leap from the glass, followed by spiced Bing cherry, blackberry jam, sweet tobacco leaf, and black pepper. |
| Taste: | Black cherry, blackberry compote, black plum, dark leather, sweet dark chocolate, chocolate covered cherry, and a hint of sandalwood. |
| Finish: | Very long, very plush and very dark with pronounced dark fruit that gradually yields to elegant leather and soft spice. |
| Pairing: | Enjoy this richly delicious wine with the finest and fanciest gourmet burger that you can create. This wine will hold up to all of your favorite toppings, while the meat itself will carry the flavors for a long time. |
What the Winery Says
Lengthy skin-to-juice contact and long barrel aging creates a balanced wine with dense colors, full fruit components and firm tannins.
Nose displays berry and cedar aromas. On the palate, a full-bodied wine with notes of blackberry, plum and currant, with an enduring fruit finish.
- Alcohol
- 15.1%
- Case Production
- 142 cases produced
- °Brix at Harvest
- 26.1 °
- Harvest Date
- October 23 and November 1, 2008
- Fermentation
- Natural yeast in cold stainless steel
- Barrel Age
- 26 months in 50% new and 50% second-vintage French oak
About the Winery
Charlie Carpy, Proprietor
Charlie’s great-grandfather (also named Charles Carpy) had a winery on the Napa River called Uncle Sam Wine Cellars, from which he shipped wine by barge to San Francisco’s Barbary Coast in the late 1800’s.
Charles’ grandson, Chuck Carpy (Charlie’s father), was a founder of the modern Napa Valley wine industry, helping to bring it back from the long hiatus created by Prohibition. Chuck founded Freemark Abbey Winery and Rutherford Hill Winery, and a ranch vineyard in Rutherford.
Charlie is carrying on the family tradition of winemaking as an art and a craft, born of respect for the land and for those who went before him. Chuck handed down the belief that wine is something to be enjoyed, not about status or self-importance, and Charlie makes Front Row from that same point of view.