Saddleback delivers another masterpiece wine, with the release of their Saddleback Cellars 2011 Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is everything that you would expect from an elite-level Napa Cabernet - bold aromatics, dense, layer upon layer of concentrated flavors, and a big mouthfeel.

This Napa Cab looks like a big wine from sight alone, with a deep auburn core spreading to a brick edge. A big nose comes wafting off the surface of this wine with notes of hickory, clove, hay, silver needle white tea leaves, dusty bramble, and raspberry. The earthen influences continue on the palate with dry grass and red clay with rhubarb, black currant, and dark chocolate flavors. It drinks like a Napa Valley Cab, with tannin that grabs and holds your attention while it gets to work slowly revealing layer after layer of flavor nuance. A hearty yet nuanced wine such as this deserves a complimentary dish. A proper beef bourguignon with red wine beef stock base and garden herbs will do the trick.

This wine was crafted by America’s first 100 point winemaker, Nils Venge, whose wines we first featured in 2009 - back when we were just fledgling spies. Nils Venge is one of America’s best contemporary winemakers, and we are very proud to have featured nearly 30 of his wonderful wines over these last several years. With each successive vintage, Nils’ wines seem to get better and better.

Saddleback Cellars is located in Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA (American Viticultural Area). The Oakville AVA, centrally located and adjacent to Napa Valley’s famous Rutherford AVA, was established in July 1993. Oakville is considered one of the most diverse AVA’s in the Napa area and grows some of the best Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon in California.