2005 Conn Creek Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon

Hello Everyone! As we mention in our profile, when pressed about our favorite wine, California Cabernet rises to the top of the list. Cabernet Sauvignon incorporates so many of the flavors and characteristics of red wine in good balance. It has the right amounts of red and black fruits, good wood and vanilla from the oak, a variety of spices and aromas such as coffee, cedar, leather, or tobacco depending on the region, with a good amount of tannins to hold it all together and leaves a nice finish in your mouth. And it is a wine that evolves and changes over time, as it breathes and slowly opens up.

The 2005 Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon from Conn Creek is no exception. Conn Creek is a small winery on the Silverado Trail, the east side of Napa Valley, and has vineyards scattered across Napa Valley. They are known for making Bordeaux-styled blends and Conn Creek Anthology is their flagship. A Bordeaux-styled blend generally starts with either Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon as the backbone and then incorporates varying amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec to round it out. The 2005 Limited Release utilizes all these grapes in the blend, and is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 4% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot. Each of these grapes adds an additional layer of flavor and complexity to the wine; Cabernet Franc for some added tannins and earthiness, Merlot for some softness, and Malbec and Petit Verdot to add different fruit characteristics.

The 2005 vintage had an extremely long growing and maturing season with good yields, and consistently resulted in good wines across the Napa Valley. The length of the growing season resulted in the wine registering 14.8% alcohol, which would normally be too high for us. The effect of a long growing season (warm and dry weather into the fall) means that the grapes are left on the vine a little longer, get a little riper, and the sugars ferment a little more than they would in a cool season vintage. But in this case we really didn't notice the alcohol level. In the past, we have found Cabernets and Merlots registering alcohol levels over 14.5% to be a little "hot" and alcoholic tasting, but this wine was nicely balanced.

The suggested retail price of this wine is $25 and there is a bit of a range around that price. We would buy a few bottles to hold and enjoy when we want to have a wine with a bit more complexity to match a more special occasion, yet not have to reach for a more expensive $45+ wine, such as our Conn Creek 2004 Hozhoni Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon that we are still holding in the cellar.

So, if you are looking to spend a little more for a good Bordeaux-styled blend from California, give this a try.

Like what you drink, drink what you Like!

Rachel and Bryan Gavini