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
When Tom purchased the 1870’s era winery in 1972 he established himself as a pioneer of mountainside wineries. At the time, there were only approximately 2 dozen wineries in operation in the whole of Napa Valley and he saw the potential of mountain vineyards to produce wines that evoke the French concept of terroir: that the grapes, and thus wines, should reflect the vineyard’s soil, exposure, and overall micro-climate.
Currently we grow eight varieties at our three vineyards with the best site-specific methods, which allows us to produce consistency in the style of wines we produce.
Winemaker Kelly Woods
Brought up in the pastoral community of Santa Maria on California’s Central Coast, Kelly Woods chose to build upon her agricultural roots and follow a career in viticulture through the world famous UC Davis School of Viticulture and Enology.
Kelly’s winemaking career has seen her at Seavey, Bryant Family, and Sequoia Grove wineries in the Napa Valley as well as further afield in New Zealand. She manages all aspects of winemaking - be it in the cellar, lab, or out in the field. Kelly’s strong sensory skills and broad knowledge of wine styles have brought Burgess an enhanced focus on objective and precision in our wine-making.