2008 Balboa Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Mirage Vineyard

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  10/8/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (MIRAGE VINEYARD Balboa Cabernet) UPDATE: Editorial A wonderful editorial in today's New York Times from America's Test Kitchen (PBS) and Cook's Illustrated guru Christopher Kimball: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/opinion/08kimball.html?emc=eta1 No further comment required. - Jon Rimmerman ******************************** Cabernet Dear Friends, Ok, I've been saving this one and it's a doozy. Washington State has been waiting for a wine like this for a long time - one that delivers on so many fronts at a price that is not the norm for premium single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. There's nothing like a well-priced (cheap) Cabernet to bring the complacent out of the woodwork. For some reason, the varietal still rings the biggest bell with our audience - terroir enthusiast or not - and today's offer represents a new direction for domestic wine: deliver premium single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at a bargain-basement price. No blends from entrails, Bronco Wine Co, close-outs, shenanigans or other - the fruit is outstanding but the price is low from the get-go. Normally I may choose words to soften the "cheap" ethos, words like "inexpensive" or "affordable" but why do so here? Let's call a spade a spade - the retail price is cheap but the juice inside is not. Tom Glase (the owner of Balboa) had to make some tough decisions - his winery was doing just fine but they never quite made it over the hump - the hump to Woodward Canyon, Leonetti or Quilceda Creek territory. Instead of beating his head against the wall trying to compete with the "A" list, he decided instead to focus on a new concept: become the Quilceda Creek of the $15 market. If this first release is any indication, he's on to something very interesting indeed. New packaging, a new direction, new winemaking practices (natural/sustainable/eco - see their philosophy here: http://www.balboawinery.com/balboawinery/page/story.jsp) and a premium stance at a bargain price will get the modern-day consumer to perk up quickly. It will also elevate Balboa to a rung they've never encountered. Call them the new high-end green winery for "The People" - affordable, high quality, conscious and conscientious of your wallet (not theirs). It should be pointed out that we've carried Balboa in the past and the wines have always been good (even very good on occasion) but they were never exceptional for the category. You can toss out every previous vintage of Balboa - they bear no relation to this wine or their other entrants in 2008 - it's like a completely new winery with the same name. Those that have tasted the new 2008 Mirage Vineyard Cabernet have been about as impressed as it gets from our fair state. Experienced palates have been going ga-ga (not for the Lady, just the wine) and you can include this taster among them. Where do I begin? In relation to something like the lean/European styled Substance Cabernet (another new mover and shaker in the bargain world) the Balboa Mirage Vineyard is the opposite. This is a refined take on tooth-staining Cabernet Sauvignon (in a northern climate way), with layers of palate coating flavor and spice nuance. It is about big varietal fruit first and foremost and not about caramel notes, carnival rides or freak shows. What sets the new Balboa apart for me is the definition Tom gets with a crowd-pleasing, Texas-style personality in the wine - the 2008 Mirage Vineyard has real presence, it is not garish or over-done - it tastes like Cabernet. If anything, it is refined for a style like this - the alcohol is in check (I believe 13.7-14.2% which is moderate for a mouthful of domestic Cabernet) and it is delicious to drink. The secret to this wine is a sneaky proprietary method of vinification: 100% neutral wood is used so no oak flavors are imparted but it allows the rich fruit to soften somewhat and gain a serious framework typically absent from this price level. In the end, if you give the consumer something of this quality they will respond. This is the same material that would have gone into Tom's $35 wine during the old program but the new Mirage Cabernet is not slathered with new oak or pumped up to impress. He's gone back to basics - allowed the big fruit to speak for itself with the wood used as a vessel not a flavor enhancer. I swore off MSG in my Asian cuisine a long time ago and over-done oak is MSG for the winemaker. If you deliver the "food" without enhancers (just the raw materials), your audience will not only support you but they will cheer. In my opinion, this wine should be poured at every Northwest-centric restaurant in Seattle to show tourists and travelers (not to mention locals) what can be done in Washington State when purity is the goal. The new Balboa shows us you can have big fruit (it's not a sin) but still deliver it in a real and uncomplicated way. We have a distinct climate and terroir in Washington State and Tom Glase has captured it like the Chamber of Commerce in his 2008 Mirage Vineyard Cabernet. Bravo. Now the reality check: I'm not the only one that has discovered this wine or realized its potential - 500 cases were produced and all of them are allocated (there are no re-orders - if you see a bottle at retail, from us or other, grab it because it is unlikely they will be able to replenish stock). If we run out, the winery retained 100 cases for their own mailing list but I believe their price is around $20. If you are a retailer or distributor around the US, you better get on Balboa's distribution list without delay... VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all the right reasons NO SALES TO RETAELRS OR WHOLESALERS 2008 Balboa Cabernet Sauvignon "Mirage Vineyard" (Columbia Valley) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA WA7598