Before I get into the wine that is up for review today, I thought it would be a good idea to
talk a bit about the AVA the wine grapes came from. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for this wine come from the Coombsville AVA which is located in the Napa
Valley. The AVA was officially designated as such on December 14, 2011 and was named after Nathan Coombs who founded the
city of Napa. While originally thought to be best suited for the grape
varietals of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay due to the cooler climate, this particular AVA eventually came to be known for the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal which comes in as the number one planted grape with the Chardonnay and Merlot varietals coming in at two & three respectively. The soil in the AVA mostly consists of rock, gravel and volcanic
ash, and are well drained. Okay so now that we know a little about the
Coombsville AVA, let's get a little closer to tasting the wine.
As I previously said, todays wine cost me $69.99 ($70). The wine comes in at 14.8% alcohol and of course the bottle is cork sealed. As I have also already said, the grapes
for the wine come from the Coombsville AVA of the Napa Valley. The wine sat for 18 months in French Oak and then sat in the bottle for 12 months prior to release.
Let's go ahead now and take a look at the label here on this $70 bottle of wine. Guys, you know just how important I think a wine label is in selling that wine. I actually have a wine here right now that I spent $17 on and when it arrived at my home I noticed that the label was tilted a bit. The wine ended up being amazing but if I had not received the wine by mail, that label would have thrown me off at the store. For many people that tilt on the label might not be a big deal but for people who pay attention to details, this displayed in my mind at least, a possible lack of care or attention to detail when it came to the wine in general. Presenting a product to a consumer that brings this initial thought to mind is not a good thing. Getting back to the label on todays wine though, I think it totally rocks. Winemaker Matt Parish never lets me down when it comes to the labels on the bottles of the wines he produces. The Matt Parish crest leads the label off here and it is perfectly placed as is the lettering is perfectly placed against the all black label. I especially like what I assume is the actual logistical coordinates of the Coombsville AVA and with those coordinates being the same gold color as the writing on the label, this label has the wine inside offering up a pretty exotic impression in my mind.
Now for the nose on this $70 Cabernet. Starting off here I am picking up a big time sense of earthiness and let me tell you, it is roaring out of the glass guys, I am definitely excited. A nose of intense black fruit is wonderfully intermixed but refuses to take a back seat to that earthiness. A sense of dustiness is here as well which amazingly very much reminds me of Rutherford Dust for all you Rutherford AVA Cab lovers (hello:). Black Plum specifically is intermixed here as well as well as well as some of that beautiful French Oak that the wine sat in. As a last note, I am getting a bell pepper (Pyrazine) note as well. Just based here on the nose of the wine, the first word that comes to mind is "luxury".
Now for the palate presentation. Ahh... yeah, this wine is a powerhouse folks! Let me go ahead and back up a good bit now. The wine when placed onto the palate just attacks it with everything it has which is a lot. On the first sip I got everything that the nose put forward which I find amazing. Pyrazines in the form of a bell pepper note is really making its presence known here on the palate and it is pretty darn nice and while I do find it to be just a hair bit over the top, it certainly doesn't really hurt anything. That earthiness is here big time and I don't believe that I have ever tasted a wine with this sense of urgency to offer the note up. So... Rutherford Dust guys. No, the grapes are not from the Rutherford AVA so what is going on here? 
Well guys, I don't know but the wine is showing the note and I for one will not complain or question why it is doing so. To me, a Rutherford Dust type note is one of the greatest things an awesome Cab can bring along and this wine does bring it along. Acidity is pretty high here guys and really gives that bell pepper a run for the money for sure. Black cherry is on the vibrant side here and it is juicy & fresh tasting as well. It is also darkly presented and not willing to have anything stand in the way of offering itself up and in a vibrant way. Vibrancy... yeah, that is the perfect word here as this wine just keeps screaming forward on the palate. Fruit wise, there is that black cherry and black plum but not much else which is a bit weird yet somehow this wine manages to pull it off though and rather nicely I might add. As a last couple of note, I want to talk about blackberry. This particular note seems to manage to mesh perfectly with that black cherry and at times you will have a very hard time distinguishing between the two actually. At other times however, you will pick up both and really enjoy them together. However you taste them, you will enjoy them along with the rest of the wine. Cassis is definitely here also and it really puts the wine over the top and into the luxury arena. Tannin's wine there is a bit but nothing to write home about. What is presented is nice and goes along for the ride so to speak. Having said all of this, it is time to end this review and get to the last paragraph where I will wrap all of this up. I will see you there.
Here we go guys, my final thoughts on the wine. If you love an old school Cabernet Sauvignon... buy two or three bottles of the wine because after you love the first one, you will want to cellar the other two bottles for a few years so it calms down that acidity a bit. I think this wine will jump a point or two in a few years as that high acidity backs off just a bit. I also think that bell pepper will have a chance to tone down the bit it needs. 
Everything this wine puts out is needed in order to have it come together as it did. Yeah, there was a note or two that was every so slightly over the top for now that is but these I feel will tone down in time and you will have yourself possibly a 96 or 97 point Cabernet Sauvignon. The one drawback to the wine is that it is rather limited on fruit. Having said this though, the wine still manages to pull its way to a solid 95 points on The Desert Wine Guy rating scale. This is a serious Cabernet guys so for those of you who are weak at heart or, looking for a Cupcake or Barefoot style Cab please do not waste your money here as this wine is not meant for you. If on the other hand, you are looking for a powerful, vibrant, impressive Cab, this is your wine. It will also make an amazing gift or to impress someone who appreciates an old school type Cab.
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