2002 Arger-Martucci Cabernet Sauvignon

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  6/19/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (CABERNET Arger-Martucci) Napa Cabernet Dear Friends, This is really good wine at a very fair price...and it's from Napa. This St. Helena winery has remained relatively unknown even thought they possess high-altitude vineyard land that others would give their left arm for. We've offered wine from Arger-Martucci before (the 2003 Pinot Noir) and this is the other wine that stands out. While they are more known for their Odyssey, the Napa Cabernet and Pinot Noir are (for me) far and away the best wines they produce (the Odyssey seems to be a shell of the Cabernet - it's not even close in my opinion but that may be due to the low-level of Cabernet in the Odyssey blend, only 45% versus around 90% for the Napa bottling). I realize the Odyssey is twice as expensive, but (for me) the quality is in the Napa Cabernet. Grown at 1300 ft above the valley floor, this is the style of Cabernet in this region that only comes with altitude - sort of Ridge Monte Bello meets Dunn Howell Mountain (yes, I know the Ridge isn't from Napa but the style is what I'm after). With less tannin than Howell and more obvious fruit than Monte Bello, the Arger-Martucci bridges a wonderful gap between old and new between valley floor and mountain. This is not a creamy, easy-going style but it is not a green-fruit and rough tannin style either (like many of Randy Dunn's earlier Howell's). 2003 Bordeaux will come to mind, specifically St Julian or even more specifically 2003 Ducru Beaucaillou but this can't be as good - right? It was tough for me to decide between the two vintages below so I'm offering both. 2002 is considered to be a better vintage overall in Napa but the 2003 will have many fans (maybe even more than the 2002). Regardless of which you choose, these are well worth the exploration and this winery deserves more credit for exemplary effort and the hard work they put into their wines. These are some of the nicest people in Napa as well and they deserve your support. For more info on the winery and wines, here is a link to the winery tasting notes: http://www.arger-martucci.com/testing_notes.htm Both arrive in a few weeks directly from the winery cellar: 2002 Arger-Martucci Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley STRICT LIMIT 12/person This vintage produced a somewhat old-style 1980s Napa wine with a modern vision (if that makes sense). It is only 13.5-13.9% alcohol) but the elements are all there for a restrained and quasi-Bordelaise Napa experience. Whiffs of strong varietal character are framed by deep fruit and tannin but the whole remains lean in the best sense of the word. This wine has terrific balancing acidity but it is only a player and not at the forefront. The star of the wine is the evolving varietal tone and it rides a flavor profile of cedar, dark berry and spice all the way home. Not for those seeking a creamy, delicious valley floor wine (although this has plenty of mountain fruit and wood). Could age into something very interesting but it is presently not as easy to love as the... 2003 Arger-Martucci Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley STRICT LIMIT 12/person This wine is noticeably richer than the 2002 and it has more fruit weight and flesh. It is slightly higher in alcohol (I believe it is 14.0%) and most of you will prefer it. I'm not sure it is a better wine, it is just different - blind, I pegged this as the 2002 and the 2002 as the 2003. This is really quite delicious but it is not yet as complicated as the 2002 in a true terroir and varietal sense. The 2003 has more obvious impact but it is still a medium weight example from Napa. If you are looking for a wine to decant for a few hours to serve to your dinner guests, this would be the one - it's quite impressive. The 2003 was even better on day two. Has to represent one of the better buys in Napa on a small production Cabernet. Isn't something like Snowden even more than $50-60 these days (the estate wine)? Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA CA9099 CA9098