WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE ALERT:

Today’s stellar Cabernet Sauvignon can only be purchased here – and only today!

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:

Hands down, this is the best Cabernet Sauvignon we have ever tasted from Hans Fahden! Having fallen in love with the previous two vintages, that’s really saying something. Because it is only available here, don’t miss out.

SECRET SAVINGS ALERT:

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Mission Codename: Shout it from the mountain top

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Respond immediately to reports that Wine Spies Operative favorite, Hans Fahden, has relased its next vintage of its delicious Mountain Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon!

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Hans Fahden Winery

Wine Subject: 2006 Mountain Cuvée 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker: Israel Montanez

Backgrounder: The 2003 Hans Fahden Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the most popular Cabs we featured in 2007. Today, we are honored to be the only source for their superior 2006 which is, for the first time, made from 100 % Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep dark garnet with dark purple hues and deep garnet edges showing the wines concentration out to the edges with the glass. The wine has a slightly inky core and super-skinny legs that ring the glass after the wine is swirled

Smell – Bold and lush, with juicy black cherry, dark chocolate, ripe blackberry and cassis, layered atop cedar shavings, plum, herbal pepper and anise, with wisps of spice, earth and eucalyptus

Feel – Soft and light-weight on entry, then slightly dry, fine and firm tannins show this wine’s solid structure, and hints of slate round out the wine with a soft minerality that is felt at the edges and back of the palate

Taste – Bold and rich, intense and delicious, this wine begins with flavors of black plum, black cherry, smoky blackberry and other red fruits. These classic Cabernet flavors are well integrated with additional flavors of softest cedar, dark chocolate, salt licorice and eucalyptus

Finish – Long and mouth coating, clean with lingering black fruit, minerality, structure and soft spice

Conclusion – The 2006 Hans Fahden Mountain Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon is a truly exceptional wine. We went crazy for the 2003 and 2004, and this vintage shows that Hans Fahden has learned from their experience and has perfected their winemaking prowess. More lush and integrated than previous vintages, this wine is more delicious and has a more opulent feel. We still feel that the wine is under-priced, making it an exceptional value, and we give the wine our heartiest recommendation

Mission Report:

What follows is our original mission report, in which Agent Red first discovers Hans Fahden’s exquisite wine:

: : San Francisco, California : : Fort Mason : : Family Winemakers of California Tasting event : :

With more than 400 wineries and only two days to taste, I needed to employ my best strategic planning skills. There was simply no way I would be able to taste everything available to me.

Central Command had compiled a list of High Priority Target wineries, and I was tasting wines of all varietals and in all price ranges. Most of them good to great, and only a few real stinkers.

During the latter half of my second day, I initiated the final phase of my tasting which had me tasting only the highest end wines available. This was a phase I was looking forward to and after giving my palate a much needed rest, I reentered the pavilion like a man on a mission. Oh, yeah, I really was on a mission!

After tasting 2 or 3 really superb wines (you’ll enjoy learning of these in a future report), I spotted on of my newest assets, Codename “Shank”, chatting at one of the winery tasting tables.

Shank, so named for his passion for golf, is a wine industry insider. He works for a leading wine industry technology provider and hails from a winemaking family.

I walked over to the table and Shank introduced me to Karen Fahden of Hans Fahden Vineyards. Karen immediately poured me a glass and I took it for a swirl. I was instantly wowed and I explained that I had been seeking out $50+ wines. I thought that this one would fit right in and I asked Karen if the was $50 – or more. I was shocked by her answer. Karen explained that she gets that reaction a lot.

Right there at the table, I negotiated a nice quantity of bottles for our Agents. Any wine that drinks like a $50 bottle but costs less than half that deserves our best attention.

Winery Backgrounder:

The Fahden vineyards and winery consists of 100 acres. It is located at 1200 feet, in a range of the Mayacamus Mountains, on a ridge above Calistoga, California. The property features panoramic views of Mt. St. Helena.

Hans and Marie Fahden, natives of Hamburg, Germany, purchased the property in 1912. They farmed the land growing grapes until the Prohibition was enacted in 1920. After destroying the vines that they had worked so hard to plant and tender, the family planted prunes.

Sixty years and two generations later, Antone and Lyall Fahden decided they liked Cabernet Sauvignon better than prunes and a new journey began to restore the land and make it productive. From 1982 to 1984, the family went to work, planting three vineyard areas. Separated by volcanic outcroppings and forests of Douglas Fir, these vineyards are now interspersed by picturesque ponds and a beautiful wine cave, which was tunneled into a formation of four million year old volcanic ash.

The Hans Fahden Winery became bonded in 1986. The first bottle of wine, which was produced from the 1987 vintage, was sold in 1992. The Hans Fahden Winery became licensed to conduct public tastings in 1996. Today, the Winery produces incredible award-winning wines that please the pallet and the pocketbook.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Dry Creek Valley can be seen in this satellite photo