Burgess Cellars
2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon •Estate Vineyards
California: Napa Valley
Mission Briefing
Keeps getting better
Today’s Burgess Cellars 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon comes to us from our old friends at Burgess Cellars. We’ve had the pleasure of featuring several vintages of their Napa Cab on The Wine Spies, but this one might be the best yet!
Located on the slopes of Howell Mountain, Burgess Cellars is known for producing exceptionally well balanced, Old World style Cabernets. Today’s vintage perfectly embodies these ideals. Rich dark fruit notes of sweet plum and blackberry perform a delicate interplay with more earthy tones of sweet tobacco leaf, aged cedar wood, and hints of espresso bean. On the finish, the acidity has a refreshing and playful ‘pop’ that will leave you quickly reaching for your second sip.
Enjoy this very highly recommended and very food friendly wine now - and cellar some for years to come!
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Deepest, darkest scarlet at the center of the glass, nearly opaque, with a lighter ruby red fringe. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Bold notes of sweet plum and blackberry greet you initially, trailed by hints of sweet earth, tobacco leaf, sandalwood, dark baking spices, rosemary, and a touch of sage. |
| Taste: | A classic Napa Cab flavor profile, with rich dark fruit flavors of plum, boysenberry, and black currant mingling with sweet tobacco leaf, fresh berry bramble, aged cedar wood, clove, anise, espresso bean, and subtle herbal undertones. |
| Finish: | Incredibly smooth, the long and lengthy finish is framed by velvety tannins and bright, zippy acidity. |
| Pairing: | A ribeye steak, marinated in soy sauce and honey, perfectly grilled and served aside a red cabbage coleslaw. |
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.
92 Point Review - Wine Enthusiast The grapes come from the winery’s estate vineyards on Howell Mountain and you can sense the mountain intensity, both of tannins and fruity concentration. The flavors are impressive, suggesting black currant and mocha, with a minerality that grounds the wine. The tannins will help the wine evolve until 2020-2022, but you can drink it now.
- Winemaker
- Bill Sorenson
- Accolades
- 92 Points - Wine Enthusiast
- Appellation
- Napa Valley, California
- Vineyard
- Estate Vineyards
- Vineyard Location
- Western & Eastern slope of Howell Mountain
- Fruit Variety
- 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 2% 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.