Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley (Blind Tasting)

Blind tasting of 4 cabernets, after progressing through 2 learning modules downloaded from wine spectator. Bottles purchased from Costco, Cellars during progressive sale, and Surdyk's. 2 bottles were from Napa Valley mountain AVA's, and 2 from the valley. The goal was to sort the mountain from valley floor wines after carefully considering color, color intensity, aroma complexity, aroma intensity, taste complexity, and length/complexity of finish.

Wines labeled A-D in blind tasting. Wine A - Ehlers... Wine D - Terra Valentine

• 2007 Ehlers Estate One Twenty Over Eighty St. Helena 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Color: Purple / Ruby Red
  Aromas/Flavors: Moderate aromas of cherries, jam, vanilla, and berries -- quite a fruit forward cabernet.
  Low/moderate tannins, with a light body for a cabernet.
  Finish: Moderate with minimal complexity.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2007 Ladera Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  Color: Purple / Ruby Red
  Aromas/Flavors: Faint aromas of plum, prune, and earth. This wine took a couple hours to open up.
  Moderate tannins, with a medium body for a cabernet.
  Finish: Moderately long with moderate complexity.
  Good, but not worth the price point at this time - perhaps in a few years.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Oakville Cross Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Color: Purple
  Aromas/Flavors: Powerful aromas of currant, boysenberry, blackberry, jam, with some mint.
  Moderately high tannins, but completely in balance, with a full body.
  Finish: Quite long with some complexity.
  This was the favorite of most at the tasting, with a finish which didn't seem to end.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2008 Terra Valentine Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

  Color: Hazy Purple
  Aromas/Flavors: Moderately strong aromas of plum, bell pepper, earth, with some black pepper -- not a lot of fruit.
  High tannins, but still in balance, with a full body.
  Finish: Moderately long with some complexity.
  This was the 2nd favorite of most at the tasting, and really set itself apart from the other wines with a taste which really grew on you.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Based on color and color intensity, the Terra Valentine showed its mountain source. The Oakville Cross possessed the strongest aroma intensity and complexity, with the Ladera Howell Mountain surprisingly showing the least. Ehlers Estate 120/80 showed its valley floor source with lots of fruit.
Overall the majority in the group correctly identified mountain vs. valley.