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| 2014 BV Cabernet Sauvignon - Rutherford |
So it seems as if the last few weeks yours truly has stepped up his game and has been reviewing wines that I have to admit are outside my normal budget as well as outside the "average wine drinkers" normal budget. Oh sure there are occasions where we all have justified the spending of unusual amounts of money on a wine by saying something like "this is a special occasion" or "I guess this once I'll do it" and of course the old "my spouse won't know", for me it seems as if that justification has come more often than it should the last few weeks and of course that crazy spending on wine will be ending. Okay, okay, so what I am actually saying is that Mrs. Desert Wine Girl has put an end to it:) So with that being said, this review of the 2014 BV Cabernet Sauvignon - Rutherford (https://www.bvwines.com/en-us) (will be the last of the premium wine reviews......for a while that is :) Let's get into this now. Prior to getting into the Heart of this review though I want to say that a lot of times I will have at least tasted the wine prior to sitting down at the Computer to begin my review, this time however, I have not. I can now only tell you my expectations because as I have said, I have not tasted the wine. My expectations are based on the Winery itself as well as the location (Rutherford C.A) so I am anticipating a pretty good wine and a rather abnormally long review as I also anticipate having a lot to say here. My expectations are for a classy, full bodied and juicy wine. Well, with that all being said let me get started on this review and see what the has to say for itself. First however I want to tell you how I came across this wine.
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| BV Wine Tasting |
A local Liquor warehouse was running its "Penny Sale" where they pick selected wines and if you buy one you get the second one for 1 Penny. Most of these wines are small label wines but the BV Coastal (only) wines are included. Now keeping it real with you guys I have never been a big fan of the "Coastal" series of wines that BV puts out but I really have been a big fan of all of their other offerings. Well, I'm walking around the store and I wasn't interested in any of the wines that were included in the "Penny Sale but I did however come across this particular wine. Today I wish to present my review of the 2014 BV Cabernet Sauvignon-Rutherford. Here is just a little information on the wine itself. I paid $45 dollars for the wine which included tax. The wine has an Alcohol content of 14.6 % and was Decanted for 1 hour. The wine is a small blend of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec and was soaked and aged for 15 months in 50% new Oak. The vines for this wine were planted in 1900 folks. So far so good. Okay now, it's time to dig deeper into this wine so let's go ahead and do that.
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| BV Winery Tasting Room |
While doing this review I feel that I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the label of the wine. In my opinion the label on the bottle is......well.....stunning. Take a moment and look at the label yourself. Take a look at the Font used for the lettering. Look for a moment at the utterly classic script and how that script is expertly layed out. In my opinion this is the most classy, inviting, special occasion looking bottle available on the market today. If you brought this bottle out to guests each and everyone would of them would stare at it and think in their minds "man, this guy went all out, he even went into the wine cellar for us". Great job here BV Wines.
So, here I am now, looking into the good crystal glass that I reserve for special wines and I see a wine when I looked down the middle of my glass that is deep red and is consistently wonderful looking at it from the edges of the glass to the middle of the glass, it is also super inviting and irresistible to the eyes. Looking at the wine from the side of the glass the wine gets even darker, either way you choose to observe the wine it shows wonderfully.
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| BV Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes |
Shifting now to the Nose of this wine there is Cassis and Oak that presents itself from a big bold wine, Old School type point of view. On the Nose this Cassis and Oak seem to have been waiting around both content in the bottle and aging rather nicely until it was time to be released. The nose comes across as a wise old men who are content in their wisdom. There is also some really wonderful Dark Chocolate on the initial Nose but unfortunately while it does enrichen the Nose, it also seems to fade rather quickly. There is a light Dark Cherry note that is presented here as well that seems to be rather shy as it must be searched out because it is somewhat on the faint side. Overall readers, I am not totally impressed with the wines Nose but it is rather fading however as it does not seem to be on display long.
On the Palate the wine right from the gate presents both a deep, dark oaked, dark Cherry note. This super nice note of Oak latches onto the dark Cherry note and they both combine together in creating some ultra depth and seriousness in the wine. Have you ever experienced "seriousness" in a wine? This is the point where a red wine gets down to business and begins to impact and impress. This particular wine happened to have that point occur right from the very beginning of the tasting. To me this "seriousness" is not merely a promise of greatness that the wine is attempting to put on but a definitive guarantee. Moving along now I want to discuss the Tannins that are ever present in the wine. In this wine those Tannins begin from the moment I tasted the wine and followed through all the way to the Finish. The Tannins are fairly firm and juicy and in my opinion are just about perfect as I love a red wine with serious Tannins. Here is a word of warning to you folks who are not lovers of Tannins or the mouth feel they present, in your case this might possibly dictate the need for the wine being layed down for another couple of years, that is completely up to you. From what I have already described here this should inform you that the wine is anything but soft & mellow. No folks, I am currently reviewing an extremely up front and in your face red wine. Let's move on now and discover what else I can tell you about the wine and whether or not it continues to live up to my expectations. A serious Blackberry note has come forward almost immediately and is
making itself very evident as and it is meshing super well with the
notes of Oak and dark Cherry and continues this wines path to stardom.
Readers, this is a wine that is to this point is already past the point
of being simply "nice".
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| Welcome To BV Wines |
I have tasted very few wines such as this in the
past and I am seeing this wine fall right into line with those wines
that I have rated as excellent in the past. So we have dark cherry
already but now I want to add a note of Bing Cherry that is showing
itself here s well. This Bing Cherry is just underneath the dark cherry
yet is still worthy of mention. Structure. What level of structure does
this wine present guys? Firm and unflexing
is what I am getting. This wines structure is tight, complex, straight
forward and a superb expression of the varietal. So far, other than the
Nose of this wine there is no softness or lacking in that the wines
presents. If you like some spice in your Cabernet then you are in for a
treat here as well as there is a deep dark spice that starts from the
beginning of the wines impact on the Palette and continues all the way
through to the finish. This deep dark spice appears to latch onto the Cassis
and Tannins that are ever present
throughout the Palette and creates together a force of their own to
steam this wine forward. If you have ever heard the term "black fruit"
but have doubts as to
what the term means, then drink this wine because once you do you will
have discovered what it means and have no more wonders. This wine is
surely on it's way to greatness folks. Aside from the notes I have
already discussed I believe that aside from the dark oak there is a note
of sweet Oak spices that the wine expresses.
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| Classic BV Wines On Display |
Perhaps the sweet oak is
in reality two different notes and they just behave as if they are one
but whatever the reason is this note(s) makes me long for more. Guys,
this is a big wine. One of the notable points concerning this wine is
that although it is a big wine it also offers a unique semi soft note
to it once it is kept in the mouth for a few seconds. No, the wine
doesn't soften or lighten up on the Palate, not at all. What I am
talking about is more of something that you sense that comes in when it
is needed to help the wine avoid being too big or bold. As with any real
big red that I prefer, this wine presents a note of Caramel, oh yeah
folks, Caramel. Not overly sweet and again on the darker side it almost
seems to coat the Tongue and present an ever so slight dark richness in
the wine as well as a creaminess. I did and you will also enjoy this
note as it blends into (but doesn't disappear) the other dark notes. So
here I am readers talking about a wonderful wine that incorporates just a
touch of creaminess to it that truly makes its Mark on the wine and
certainly your Palate. Guys, there is so much more that I want to
discuss about this wine so I am not (can't) be done here. Overall there
is a Toast note that adds to the semi darkness of this
wine and saturates the wine with a black type depth that continues the
wine down
the path it was already going.
Warning to all the fruit forward Cabernet
lovers. This is not a bright, fruit forward wine folks, if that is what
you are after then I suggest you look elsewhere for a wine because this
is not a wine for you. Having said that would you like to know about
any Acidity that this wine may present? Okay, as an old Comedian once
said, can we talk? So, there certainly is an
Acidity to this red. This Acidity that I am speaking about in my opinion
seems to search out from the Cassis
and Tannins and it seems the three have made an
agreement to become one in thought as well as expression. Super
wonderful acidity begins on the Mid-Palette and carries through to the
Finish. In case you haven't noticed there are a lot of notes here in
this wine that beginning on Mid-Palette
and continue to the Finish. I think that is great in my opinion but
don't worry as there is more than enough on the opening to start off the
wine in the mouth and carry
it to mid-Palette point and way beyond as well. With all this you would
think again that I surely must be done now because this wine can't
possibly present any more.......can it? Well.......your wrong. Break
time for a second guys. I am sitting in my Loft right now and I am so
happy that the wine I spent so much money on and from a Winery that I
have so much respect for is turning out to be more then worth the price
and able to keep my respect. I see a couple of bottles headed to the
Cellar in the very near future. Okay so let's talk about a note of Smoke
that shines throughout the wine.
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| Another BV Wine Tasting |
From start to finish the wine has a
smoky presence to it that simply
adds on top of every other note to keep this wine headed to the top of
the chart. This Smoky note is dark (of course) and also integrated so
nicely with the other notes that it will take
you some time to distinguish it from the other dark notes that the wine
presents in its package. If there were ever a wine that you had to sip
and hold in your mouth for a few seconds this would be it. You know, I
mentioned that the wine is integrated in it's notes right?
For a minute I want to talk a little about what that really means. We
all know that a wine has certain notes that dominate certain areas of
it, sometimes a particular note will even dominate the entire wine. When
all the notes work expertly together and none of them fight for
dominance, none of them clash with one another this is when we say the
notes are integrated. There is nothing quite like a wine that presents
this unique quality. A wine with integrated notes is usually considered
to be smooth and everything about the wine itself works well together
without pulling your Palate in different directions. This is precisely
how this wine
is guys. Every aspect of this wine knows precisely where their place is
and when their time is come and done, the notes also know when it is
time to step aside and allow the other notes to pick up where
they left off. I again am about to expand your horizon guys with the
term "silky".
When you discuss a wine and tell people that the wine was
"silky" it is
expressing a characteristic of.....well silkiness, a sort of smoothness
either at a certain point in the wine or perhaps (as in this wine)
throughout the wine. This wine carries that quality of silkiness
throughout the wine and uses it as a sort of baseline that flows from
the opening to the Finish and every other note adds on top of it yet
doesn't overpower one another or destroy that silkiness. I guess you can
say that in actuality that every note that starts at the opening of the
wine is a part of that baseline. Folks, I am not done, nope, I'm not
done. There is an ever so slight yet noticeable note of a smooth Oakey
type note of Leather. This note as with all the others doesn't even
attempt to dominate or lead the wine or the drinker to follow or wander
off into another direction. No, this note simply adds to the darkness
and overall seriousness of the wine in a way that I have never had the
pleasure of experiencing prior to this. This oakey
Leather is not front & center so to speak but rather more of a
feeling that the wine exhibits, it adds a roughness to the wine but
doesn't touch that silkiness. Readers I have just one more note to tell
you about and that note is of dark Plum that begins at around
Mid-Palette but culminates toward the Finish, It also once again assists
in providing a darkish note to the wine. Now, I simply
must move to the finish as it is getting late in the Evening and I must
finish this review so that I can just sit back and enjoy the remainder
of the wine in peace.
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| BV Wines Aging |
Dear readers, here are my
recommendations on what you I found helpful for my full enjoyment of
this wine other than extending the decanting. The first thing that you
simply must do is allow the wine to Decant for at least three hours. I
read prior to reviewing this wine that 1 hour of decanting was enough in
order for this wine to develop however it is not. Next take a small sip
of the wine and when you take that sip please do
it as a small sip and with gentle respect to what you are drinking. Take
the wine in your mouth and allow it to move slowly from side to side
(it's not a Mouthwash) stopping in the middle so that all of your Tongue
gets to taste, feel and appreciate it. Are you feeling, tasting and
appreciating all those notes folks? Is the wine getting bigger as it
encompasses the Tongue? This is what is known as an "expansive mouth
feel" in case you didn't know it. Remember that your Palette is
definitely deserving of this wine because not only did you spent $45 for
it but it is a incredibly awesome wine and you deserve to enjoy it.
Now, call, E-Mail or Text a friend and tell them what you are tasting.
Tell them that you are tasting an absolutely incredible wine and that
they must go buy at least one bottle. Guys, I am in love all over again
(with a wine that is).
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| Winemaker - Jeffrey Stambor |
In my opinion if you love a deep complex Cabernet
Sauvignon
you are simply going to be in Heaven. In closing here I must tell you
that this a very concentrated and juicy
wine yet as I already said, not what I would call or consider to be a
fruit forward wine. Now, this is very important so I feel the need to
repeat it. Please remember to give it the three (3) hours to Decant
prior to enjoying. As an ending note I must give props to
Winemaker
Jeffrey Stambor as he has done an outstanding job in creating this wine. On
The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I give this wine 94 points. So tell
me, if you have already tasted this wine what would you rate it, are we close? If you agree with my rating then you might want to think about following me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy/).
Please remember that I receive no payments nor any form of compensation for my reviews, I do this because I enjoy teaching, educating and sharing wines with the average wine drinker. What you read and the opinions that I post are my
feelings concerning the industry and the wines that I review, I am not beholden to anyone.
The Desert Wine Guy
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