Vice Versa Wines
2011 Apriori Red Wine
Red Blend
California
Mission Briefing
Mister Hobbs, I presume?
From Patrice Breton and winemaking legend, Paul Hobbs, comes another masterful creation from Napa Valley’s Vice Versa Wines.
Today’s spectacular wine is Vice Versa’s budget-friendly 2011 Apriori Red, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the world-famous Stagecoach Vineyard in the Napa Valley. Rich, flavorful, elegant and ultra-delicious, this is a very enjoyable wine that is classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
With less than 100 cases produced, this easy on the wallet (where else can you buy a Paul Hobbs wine for under $30?!) and fantastic on the palate wine won’t last for much longer.
Decant this bold wine for best results. Be sure to stash a few bottles away for the next decade or longer. It will only continue to evolve and improve with age.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Dark purple hues with pretty crimson edges. When swirled, color clings to the glass wall. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Dark black fruit of ripe blackberry, tart cherry, black cherry, fresh plum are followed by a hint caraway seed, supported by tobacco, black tea leaf and dried earth. |
| Taste: | Delicious blackberry, plum, tart cherry, huckleberry and dried cherry present out front. Cocoa powder, cigar box, Underneath, subtle licorice, earth and sweet spice provide a solid foundation. |
| Finish: | Bright and bold with tannins that present at the edges of the palate and the roof of the mouth. As the wine ages, the finish should become even more extended and supple. |
| Pairing: | A garlic-rubbed tritip with horseradish and mini potatoes or a beef stroganoff would be delightful. |
What the Winery Says
2011 Apriori Cabernet Sauvignon, by Vice Versa
- Vintner’s Tasting Notes
- Dark ruby in color, our latest vintage of Apriori (which means “the beginning”) offers complex aromas of cassis, blackberries, bay leaf, smoke, spices and cedar. On the palate, this full bodied 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is refined, balanced, vibrant and structured.
- Winemaking
- Stagecoach Vineyards. Unfined and unfiltered. Aged for 21 months in 100% French oak. 94 cases produced
- Consulting Winemaker
- Paul Hobbs
- Harvest
- October 21
- Brix at Harvest
- 25.5
- Alc
- 15.2%
- TA/pH
- 0.59/3.72
- Varietal Composition
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
About the Winery
In October 2001, I left my career as a software entrepreneur and followed the call of my passion to Napa Valley. The results, thanks to mother nature and an extraordinary group of people including winemaker Shawn Johnson, talented vineyard managers and the rest of my team, are already shining with promise. Everyone involved is highly focused, dedicated and passionate.
I strive to make distinctive, pure, concentrated and balanced wines that proudly express their origins. I believe in limited yet contrasting varietal and vineyard blending, stressing the vines to achieve low yields for maximum flavors, harvesting only when total physiological ripeness is reached, indigenous yeast fermentation, no fining or filtration and limiting new oak to optimal levels. The rest is just hard work and tender loving care.
Winemaker Shawn Johnson
Shawn’s talent is well known in Napa Valley, where he is recognized as a rising star. He worked under the tutelage of Mark Herold at Merus, Kobalt and The Vineyardist between 2006 and 2012.
In 2001 he began working in sales at Cottonwood Canyon Winery in Santa Maria, but quickly discovered a fascination for winemaking and moved to Napa Valley to work a harvest.
During the next 10 years he ascended from a young cellar worker to seasoned assistant for a few of the best winemakers and labels in the business. He combined the foundation of science with the sensory skills necessary for crafting a fine wine. In 2009 he started his own project, then began making wine for other labels.