Burgess Cellars
2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon •Burgess Estate Vineyards
California: Napa Valley
Mission Briefing
Beggarman Red
Sell Out Alert: We purchased all available cases of today’s wine, but it will sell out.
The Wine Spies offer up a huge thank you to Burgess Cellars for allowing us special access to the final allocation of today’s fantastic 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery was set to relegate all of their remaining cases to their private library. Wineries do this when supply of a great wine begins to dwindle. They offered us [REDACTED] cases, but Agent Red begged for more… and got just a few more cases for our Operatives. All of us here at Wine Spies HQ are grateful to have any cases of this fantastic wine.
This delicious Cabernet Sauvignon is everything we’d expect from Burgess. Layer upon layer of rich, dark fruits cascade across the palate. Flavors and feel are elegant and balanced. The wine finishes long and slightly drying, with flavors of dark fruit, earth and subtle spice that cling to the edges of the palate for a long time.
Decant this beauty for best results. Enjoy with a richer meals. Order soon.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Deep, deep crimson through and through, with just a hint of a lighter ruby at the rim. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Wonderful and aromatic on the nose, with concentrated notes of dark fruit blended with cedar box, saddle leather, espresso bean, dried rose petals, and subtle hints of jasmine and sage. |
| Taste: | Well balanced, beautiful, and absolutely delicious, with stewed dark plum, blackberry, and dried cherry delicately laid overtop berry bramble, freshly fallen leaves, sweet leather, fresh cedarwood shavings, dark chocolate, clove, rosemary, and a touch of pomegranate black tea. |
| Finish: | Long and lasting on the finish, with the robust dark fruit flavors lingering through plenty of velvety tannins and woodsy notes of terroir. |
| Pairing: | A wild mushroom and crispy prosciutto risotto. |
What the Winery Says
The Burgess Cellars’ hillside vineyards are on the steep slopes of Howell Mountain. The various exposures result in grapes that complement one another and build a complex, delicious wine. Soils range from volcanic ash to rocky marine sediments, this, combined with mature vines and skilled wine making give us a complex and elegant wine. The wine shows off dense Cabernet Sauvignon character accented with vanilla, balancing spices and toasty oak from traditional barrel aging.
This vintage was reduced because of a frosty spring. Our mountain vineyards are normally void of this problem; however there was some slight damage. The wine shows the concentration caused by frost and the flavors are quite rich with forward aromas. This 2008 Cabernet will complement all meats and like all of our Cabernets will continue to gain complexity with cellar aging.
- Winemaker
- Bill Sorenson
- Appellation
- Napa Valley, California
- Vineyard Location
- Burgess Estate Vineyards, Western & Eastern slopes of Howell Mountain
- Varietal Blend
- 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec
- ABV
- 14.5%
About the Winery
Tom Burgess arrived in the Napa Valley in 1972 when the landscape was vastly different. At that time there were only about two dozen wineries in operation. Napa was by no means the center of California wine it is today. Tom sensed a great potential in the wild and rural land and chose it to pursue his dream of opening a family winery. He was a pioneer because prohibition (1920-1933) had destroyed the Napa wine business and America’s food and wine culture. Tom bought a small mountain-side winery which had been homesteaded in the 1870’s. With many trips to the hardware store and much labor of love the family transformed it into Burgess Cellars. Since 1972 the Burgess Family has worked to realize their vision – to create the very best estate grown grapes and produce unique handcrafted wines that are true complements to the food and wine concept that Tom fell in love with in the 60’s while in Europe.
The French concept of terroir is at the heart of Burgess Cellars’ winemaking process.The Burgess Family follows the belief that in order to produce quality wine, the varietals planted must match the vineyard’s soil composition, sun and wind exposure, and overall micro-climate.
Burgess Cellars produces wines out of three distinct vineyard sites. Our flagship wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon, thrives on the western slopes of Howell Mountain at the winery location. On the valley floor, in the Oak Knoll District, sits Triere® Vineyard, which produces our award-winning Merlot. Our Syrah comes out of the vineyard which is located on the eastern side of Howell Mountain off Ink Grade Road. Currently, we grow eight varieties at our three vineyards with the best site-specific methods. Our consistency and ability to maintain style every year is due to this dedicated concept of only growing our grape varietals where they grow best.