SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!

Today’s wine reminds us very much of another stellar Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that we ran recently. That cab cost nearly twice as much, making this wine even better, from a QPR perspective. Take advantage early, as we may run out before midnight…

SECRET SAVINGS ALERT!

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Mission Codename: The Sensorium Emporium

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Sensorium Wines and be the first to capture their 2005 Napa Cab

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Sensorium Wines

Wine Subject: 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemakers: Jeff Ritchey

Backgrounder: in 2006, Jeff Ritchey became a Wine Spies favorite. Seemingly prolific, Jeff makes his own great wines – while also managing to act as consulting winemaker for many prominent wineries throughout California. Jeff’s Sensorium wines are the embodiment of his years of experience, delivering balance, sophistication and – most of all – wines that enliven the senses. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below for more detail

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark garnet, with deep color concentration out to the very edges of the glass. When swirled, this wine appears tight and bouncy and it settles fast. When it settles, it leaves behind thin, evenly-spaced legs that run down the glass at speed.

Smell – Deeply layered with smoky dark fruit of plum, raspberry and black cherry, with cola, nutty spices, vanilla, cocoa and soft oak

Feel – Bright, light and medium round up front, slightly grippy on the mid-palate, and then soft tannins grip the edges of the tongue and pucker the lips. This wine has a lightness and freshness that one might not expect from a bomber Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Taste – A delicious mix of balanced light and dark flavors, this wine delivers tart cherry and raspberry, with pomegranate and soft chocolate – that is followed by a mid-palate sweetness and bigger and more densely extracted flavors of black cherry, cola, burnt blackberry tart and a slight herbaceous quality

Finish – The bright flavors are replaced by smokey and more dark flavors that linger for a long time, with a slight dryness that makes your mouth water.

Conclusion – Once again, our good friend Jeff Ritchey delivers a wine to fall in love with. Brighter and more balanced than some of the big Cabs that Napa is well-known for, this wine won’t overpower your palate. You’ll appreciate this when you pair the wine with fine foods. Although youthful, this wine is ready to enjoy now. That said, we can’t help but think of how great this wine will be after laying down for a couple of years! We’re stocking up for the Holiday’s and we hope that you enjoy this wine as much as we do. Kudos to Jeff for consistently knocking our spy socks off with his great wines!

Mission Report:

Jeff is a busy winemaker. Tried as we might to nail him down for an interview, Jeff proved too elusive – even for us! With harvest and crush behind him soon, we hope to catch up with Jeff in a month or two. Here for your benefit, is a prior mission recap:

Winemaker Jeff Ritchey makes great wines and has been winemaker from prestigious wineries such as Gundlach Bundschu in Sonoma County, Clos LaChance in Saratoga, Clos LaChance in San Martin to name a few.

Today, Jeff continues as consulting winemaker for a handful of California wineries, like San Saba Vineyards, Picchetti Winery, the Los Gatos Wine Company and Fleming-Jenkins, where is experience and skill help these wineries to turn out consistently great wines. He is also a partner in another winery that he helped start, Blue Cellars.

In 2002 he started Sensorium Wines where he was able to experiment and make the wines that he wanted to make. We have loved Jeff’s efforts at San Saba and elsewhere and unrestrained by outside influences Jeff is now turning out wines of his own. And, my dear spies, his wines are great.

As busy as Jeff is, I managed to connect with him after a prolonged surveillance. At a recent tasting, Jeff introduced me to his wines and to his partners in wine production. Great wines and a great group of folks.

Between sips, Jeff explained that, “Sensorium specializes in small lot, handcrafted Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from select vineyards in Napa Valley, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the Central Coast. Our wine exhibits a balance of richness and complexity that rewards the discerning taster, yet allows for the simple pleasure of drinking it Our focus is on making elegant wines that engage the senses and reveal themselves in evolving, ever-deepening, and surprising ways. In other words, wines you can feel.”

Jeff’s wines have a cult following and are only available in a limited number of venues. We are fortunate to be able to bring you a small quantity of his special wine – at a very special price. Jeff hopes that you enjoy his wines and assures you that when you become a fan, he’ll have more wine for you. Just come back to The Wine Spies and we’ll provide you with the Top Secret hook-up!