Cabernet Sauvignon Wine

Opus One Wine

Opus one winery is a partnership between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe De Rothschild. The first vintage made from this partnership was 1979 and was made jointly with Mouton Rothschilds wine maker Lucienne Sionneau and Timothy Mondavi at the Mondavi winery. In 1981, a single case of the joint venture wine sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley wine auction, the highest price ever paid for California wine.

In 1983, a 50 acre parcel was purchased for the joint venture winery, this parcel is located in Oakville Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe De Rothschild agreed to choose a name of Latin origin for their joint venture, so that the name of the winery could be easily recognized in both English and French. Baron Philippe did quite a bit of research before he came up with the name Opus, which is a musical analogy denoting the first masterwork of the composer. And so Opus One was born. It was more years before the Opus One winery was built and opened for business and unfortunately, Baron Philippe did not live long enough to see through the construction of the Opus One winery. Baroness Philippine de Rothschild took over for her father in the family wine business.

In 1980,the 1979 and 1980 vintages were simultaneously released as Opus One's first wine release. With this release, Opus one became known as America's first ultra premium wine, the first wine to be sold in the category of $50 per bottle. Prior to this, only European wines commanded prices that high for a bottle of wine. Current prices for a bottle of opus one wine ranges from $80 end up.

Opus One Winery

Opus one winery is open for tours and tastings all year long. They are closed on major holidays, but other days are open between 10 and 4:30 PM. You should always call ahead to make sure that they will be open. They do daily tours at a cost of $40 per person, by appointment only. The tour will last approximately an hour and at the end includes a complimentary tasting of the current vintage of Opus One wines. If you're not interested in a tour of the winery, you can purchase a tasting of the current vintage of opus one at $30 per taste.

At Opus One they believe that great winemaking begins in the vineyard. They use a blend of traditional and modern approaches when it comes to vineyard management, using whichever technique they believe will produce the best wines. At harvest time, the grapes are hand sorted, debris and imperfect grapes are thrown out. Once the grapes get to the destemmer, they are gravity moved to the fermenting tanks, creating a gentler process in the winemaking.

Fermenting tanks at Opus One are made from stainless steel, which is the perfect material for making wine because stainless steel can easily be cleaned and sterilized. It is also easier to apply temperature control techniques to stainless steel tanks. At Opus One they only make one wine and so each stainless steel tank can be dedicated to a single lot of grapes, and each tank is only used once during harvest. In this way fermentation and maceration are never rushed, and the Long maceration in temperature controlled tanks is able to draw out the rich flavors and colors from the skins and pulp. The tanks are raised, so the wine can free flow into the new French oak barrels that are used, continuing the theory of gentle winemaking.

Once the free run wine has run off, the remaining skins and pulp go into a wooden basket presses. From there, the skins, seeds and pulp are gently pressed, and that is also put into barrels to be aged. This pressed wine is used to blend with the free run wine to make the final blend.

Fining is a process that most people do not know about in winemaking. It is the process of using egg whites to remove the very small particles from the wine. This process is done about halfway through the barrel aging, to clarify and polish the wine. Also during the barrel aging, is the topping and racking processes. During the first year of barrel aging, the winemaker is continually evaluating each barrel. The wine will age in a French oak barrel from 17 to 20 months before being bottled.

Although Opus One wines is considered the best from the Napa Valley in California, it is not the only producer of fine red wines. Several other wineries, both from the Napa Valley and from other parts of the state, produce some premium wines. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you concentrated on only one wine.

Mail Order Wine

Wine Club Memberships are a great way to experience new wines. If you do not have the time to go from winery to winery to find the best, let someone else take on that task for you and make recommendations.

Here is a selection of red wines from the California Wine Club – Premier Club Gift

The California Wine Club 3-Month International Red Wine Gift Membership
Price: 186.00

For the wine adventurer with international spirit, our 3-Month International Selections Membership is the ideal gift! Every other month for six months, members receive two bottles of our hand-selected, limited production red wines from around the world. E

The California Wine Club 6-Month International Red Wine Gift Membership
Price: 348.00

For the wine adventurer with international spirit, our 6-Month International Selections Membership is the ideal gift! Every other month for twelve months, members receive two bottles of our hand-selected, limited production red wines from around the world

The California Wine Club 3-Month Premier Red Wine Gift Membership
Price: 99.99

A memorable gift for friends and family! Each month members receive two bottles of award-winning red wine hand-selected from California's best artisan winemakers. Our 3-month membership introduces members to 3 different wineries and 6 different, limited

The California Wine Club 6-Month Premier Red Wine Gift Membership
Price: 198.00

Whether for yourself, friends or clients, a 6-Month California Wine Club membership is a real California Wine Adventure!. Each month members receive two bottles of award-winning red wine hand-selected from California's best artisan winemakers. Our 6-Mont

The California Wine Club 9-Month Premier Red Wine Gift Membership
Price: 291.96

A great treat for yourself or a generous gift for clients and friends. Each month members receive two bottles of award-winning red wine hand-selected from California's best artisan winemakers. Our 9-month membership introduces members to 9 different winer

The California Wine Club 12-Month Premier Red Wine Gift Membership
Price: 385.00

Reward yourself or someone special with a gift of incredible wine that lasts the whole year! Each month members receive two bottles of award-winning red wine hand-selected from California's best boutique wineries. Our 12-month membership introduces member

Pellegrini Family Vineyards 2005 Milestone "Sonoma County" Red Wine
Price: 39.00

Milestone was conceived by selecting special lots of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc to form a mosaic that would be defined by its depth of color, richness, complexity, and supple texture. The Milestone wine commemora

Bargetto Family Estates 2002 LA VITA Red Table Wine "Santa Cruz Mountains, Regan Vineyards"
Price: 47.00

Ruby red, this LA VITA wine has a rich bouquet of ripe plum, exotic spice and cedar. On the palate, fruit flavors are lush and the feel is velvety. There is just a kiss of oak on the finish.

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Cabernet Sauvignon is the name of the grape and the wine that it produces. Cabernet is known as one of the worlds finest red wines; in France it is used to make the famous French Bordeaux. Cabernet is grown all over the world including South America, Australia, Lebanon, New York, Northern California, Washington, Chile and France. The red Bordeaux wines are created with Cabernet Sauvignon often blended with Cabernet Franc and Merlo. In America, the same set of grapes is used to create Meritage, the America equivalent of Bordeaux.

Cabernet wines can be heavy and hardy or they can be mellow and mild, but always it will have a deep red color and the primary taste that you will find in Cabernet Sauvignon is black currant. Most often a Cab is aged in oak, which will add an oakey mellow flavor to the wine as it ages. Since Cabernet Sauvignon is a heavier wine, it will go well with dishes made of beef, and lamb, especially when those foods are cooked with herbs. It is also a great match for brie, cheddar cheese, and chocolate.

What a lot of people do not know is that Cabernet Sauvignon is actually a cross of two parent grapes, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. This happened so long ago that nobody really knows how it happened, but genetic testing has proven that it is so. Cabernet Sauvignon is considered the king of red grapes, partly because it can be blended so well with other wines, as well as being a great vairetal wine. Another reason it is so popular is because it is easy to grow in a variety of conditions and the grapes have thick skins and the vines are hearty and resistant to rot and frost. Some of the typical descriptors given to the taste of Cabernet Sauvignon wines are Cassis, Cedar, currant, tobacco, and earth.

Some of the wine regions from California are Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Santa Maria Valley, Central Coast, Rutherford, and Paso Robles. Cabernet grapes can be grown in so many different localities, because it is so adaptable to different soils and climates. Although Cabernet Sauvignon grows well in various locations, the soil and the length of the growing season can have an impact on the type of wine that is produced. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are typically one of the last grapes to bud, usually one to two weeks after Merlot and Cabernet Franc. In many regions in California there is an abundance of sunshine, which allows the grapes to ripen fully before harvesting. In other regions were Cabernet Sauvignon is grown, due to threats of incremental weather the grapes must be harvested sooner, and the wine produced here will not have the fruitiness of wines with longer growing seasons.

Cabernet Sauvignon can be used to make a varietal wine or it can be used as a blending wine. The typical blending of France is to blend Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc to produce Bordeaux, or Meritage, as it is called in the US. But that is not the only blending that Cabernet Sauvignon is used for, it can also be blended with a variety of grapes such as shiraz, tempranillo, and sangiovese. In addition to the types of blend, the final product will be decided by other factors such as maceration period, if it is aged in oak, and how long it is aged. All of these factors will have an impact on the final product of the Cabernet Sauvignon wine . As with every other wine that is made, Cabernet Sauvignon will vary from winery to winery. Each vineyard will supply its own taste to the fruit. Different soils will pick up different flavors, and the warmth of the sun or the lack of it will have an effect on the fruitiness of the wine. Aging in oak barrels will add the flavors of vanilla and spice to the wine which is a compliment for the natural grape flavors of black currant and tobacco. The most popular choice for aging wine is French oak barrels, however oak barrels from other regions can also have an impact on the final flavor of the wine. Likewise, using a new barrel, as opposed to a used barrel, will impart a different flavor to the wine.

With all of the variations possible, it is no wonder that there are so many wine enthusiasts all over the world. It is fascinating to see how the finished Cabernet Sauvignon wine will pick up the not only the flavors of the vineyard where the grapes were grown, but also the preferences for blending and aging that each individual winemaker will impart to every batch of wine he or she produces.

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Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

Caymus Vineyards was founded in 1972 on the family's property in the Rutherford area. Their first special selection from the 1975 vintage was an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon that was given lots of extended barrel aging. Caymus Vineyards have made Cabernet Sauvignon every year since its founding, and the production has remained at the same level since 1989

The town of Rutherford, where Caymus Vineyards is located, used to be part of the Mexican land-grant known as Rancho Caymus, which was given to George Yount in 1836. There were also a group of Indians called came us, whose village was north of the town of Yountville.

Caymus Vineyards has over 60 acres of estate Cabernet Sauvignon in the Napa Valley's Rutherford district, and it continues to be the foundation of Cabernet. The Wagner's, the owners of Caymus Vineyards, also farm several other Vineyards in the Napa Valley with the Vineyards, ranging in location from the valley floor to the mountain slopes. Caymus also purchases grapes from other Napa Valley growers.

In addition to the Special Selection Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, the Caymus wineries alsoproduces Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Zinfandel and Napa Valley. The winemaker/owner, Chuck Wagner, is in charge of all the viticulture and winemaking at Caymus. Wine tastings are by appointment only, and they can only accommodate 10 guests at a time.

The Cabernet vineyards that supply grapes for Caymus come from old vines that were originally planted in 1960. In 1975 Caymus introduced their Special Selection, a Cabernet Sauvignon that is made from the best of the fruit from the vineyards and in addition is given aging in the barrel. In 1989 the 1984 Caymus Special Selection Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was named wine of the year by wine spectator magazine, and again in 1994 for their 1990 vintage. This made Caymus Special Selection Cabernet the only wine to be selected twice for this honor, and they still hold that distinction today. The Caymus winery does not produce a Special Selection every year, it is only made in vintages that Chuck Wagner feels will make the grade.

In 1997 Caymus is named the best winery for Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet blend in California by wine spectator's readers choice awards. Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon also has earned a spot in wine spectator's top 10 list six times in nine years. In 2001 Charlie and Chuck Wagner are named by wine spectator to its Hall of Fame.

The Rutherford area of the Napa Valley has long been known for producing high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon. Like most of the Napa Valley, the area has the right growing conditions necessary to produce a superior crop of Cabernet.

The goal of winemaking for Caymus winery is to produce a wine that is delicious when bottled but one that also get better with age. Since Caymus Vineyards has more than one Cabernet Vineyards to choose its grapes from, Chuck Wagner is able to add complexity and layering of flavors to his wines by choosing fruit sources from several sites. The Vineyards are managed during the growing season by multiple thinnings to help produce concentrated wines with a dark color, fabulous flavor and wonderful texture. Caymus also does not have to rely solely on its own Vineyards for fruit to produce wines, as they have long-standing relationships with other Napa Valley growers. The result of being able to blend Cabernets from several vineyards is a blending of flavors that makes Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon a special wine.

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Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon

Robert Mondavi was a pioneer of the wine making industry in the Napa Valley of California. At the age of 52, after a family quarrel, Robert Mondavi set himself a mission to produce wines that could stand next to the greatest wines of the world. He started his own winery in 1966 and worked tirelessly to make that mission come true. The Napa Valley is famous for its Cabernet Vineyards and the Cabernet wines that it produces. While the Mondavi vineyards produce many more wines than just Cabernet Sauvignon, you could say that Cab is a staple.

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Reserve Cabernet

The term Reserve is applied to wines that winemakers have held back for longer aging or in some other way made special. The term is applied to the best of the best.

When you see reserve printed on a wine label, you know that you are looking at a bottle of the best of the best. The most common place you will see a bottle of reserve, is in the red wine category. Most white wines do not benefit from aging as red wines do, and that is why you will see the reserve designation less on white wines than you will on red.

Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

So what would it take to have a bottle of wine designated as a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon? For the most part, this is actually a legal designation, and there are certain guidelines that a winemaker must follow to be able to print reserve on his or her label. Just as there are legal guidelines that must be met in order to print the varietal on the wine label(at least 75%), the vintage(year the wine was bottled), or the area where the grapes were grown(legal designation, such as Ruthorford, or Chianti), there are also guidelines that need to be met before reserve goes on the label.

From the finest Cabernet Vineyards

In order for reserve to go on the label the wine inside the bottle must be in some way special. It could be that the Vineyard has a area that produces finer grapes than the rest of the vineyard for whatever reason. Perhaps the drainage is better, or perhaps they get afternoon sun instead of morning sun. If the grapes used in making the wine are the best of the best then reserve can go on the label.

Fine Red Wine

Another reason that reserve could go on the label, is because the Vineyard had an exceptional growing year. If the winemaker believes that the vintage is going to be exceptional,he or she can set that wine aside as a reserve. It could be that when the winemaker brought the crop in, he hand-picked the finest of the grapes and set them aside for his reserve wine. Or perhaps the winemaker will age his reserve wine for a longer period of time than his normal wine. Or perhaps he ages it longer in the oak. Again, most of these situations only apply to fine red wines, not the fine white wines, simply because white wines do not age as well as red wines do. That is not to say the white wines will never be aged, it is just not as common.

So what does a reserve wine mean for you? For you it means that you will have a higher quality of wine. By choosing a higher quality of grape, or by choosing a longer aging time, a winemaker creates an extra special bottling. A Cabernet Sauvignon ages well and if the winemaker know his business, a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will be a finer tasting bottle of wine than a normal vintage wine.

Cabernet Experience Monthly Membership
Price: 49.95

Coastal Vineyards Cabernet Experience: The world’s finest, premium quality Cabernet club membership. Connoisseur Choice Cabernets, direct delivered exactly where and when you want, with no membership fees.

Cabernet Experience Sampler
Price: 49.95

Cabernet 3 Month Membership
Price: 138.95

Cabernet 6 Month Membership
Price: 274.95

Cabernet 12 Month Membership
Price: 499.95

United States Reserve Wines

While the term "Reserve" appearing on the label of any vintage dated, varietal label wine produced in the United States should indicate that it is a wine made from the best of the best, unfortunately it is sometimes used unscrupulously by winemakers who use the term loosely, including putting it on the label of the cheapest winds churned out in mass quantities. I think most winemakers in the United States do not fall into this category, but it is something you should be on the lookout for.

Legally speaking, for the term "Reserve" to be on a label it needs to be a wine that is produced from the grapes grown in the best vineyards, that has aged longer in the best oak cask, or has some other special attributes. Bottom line, if you're going to spend extra money on a reserve wine, you should probably know your vineyard.

Greece Reserve Wines

In Greece the terms "Reserve" on AOC wines carry a legal responsibility to age wines longer. White wines are aged for a minimum of two years for reserve, three years for grand reserve, and the reds must be aged for an extra year for those designations. So a red reserve would be aged for a minimum of three years and a red grand reserve would be aged for a minimum of four years.

Chile Reserve Wines

While in Chile the terms are a little bit different, with Especial instead of Reserve, you know the wine has been aged for a minimum of two years, and Reserva meaning that it has been aged for at least four years. For something really special, on Chilean wines, you might try to find the term Gran Vino, meaning the wine has been aged for a minimum of six years. If you're looking into buying Chilean wines, make sure you do not fall for the term Reserva Especial, that is only a marketing phrase with no legal meaning.

Spain Reserve Wines

In Spain some terms that would indicate the reserve specialty of the wine, might include Crianza, indicating the wine has aged for a minimum of two years, including at least six months in a small oak cask, with the regions of Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and Navarro wines having a minimum of a year in oak.

Reserva are red wines that have been aged at least three years, including one year in the barrel. Producers of the finest red wine from Spain will always exceed the minimum age requirements. White reserva wines aged at least two years are very rare.

Gran Reserva is a term that you will most likely not see very often. They are made only from exceptional vintages, and they are red wines that have been aged at least five years, with two of those years being in the barrel. Some of the finest red wines in this category may not even appear on the market for 8 to 10 years. White Gran reserva wines are rare and must be aged a minimum of four years.

So the short and the long of a wine designated as reserve, is that it has some type a special quality. It could be that the grapes are picked from the choicest vineyards, or perhaps the vineyard had an exceptional growing year. It could even be that from the normal Vineyard, the choicest grapes were held back for a special batch of reserve wine. Whatever the reason, reserve wines are the cream of the crop.

Rodney Strong Reserve Cabernet 2006
Price: 31.97

FREE shipping & save 44% on Rodney Strong Reserve Cabernet

Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet 2006
Price: 52.97

95 point Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet

Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet 2004
Price: 71.97

FREE shipping and 35% of Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet

Dominus Cabernet Meritage 2007
Price: 117.97

Geyser Peak Alexander Valley Cabernet 2006
Price: 14.97

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Hall Napa Valley Cabernet 2006
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94 rated Hall Napa Valley Cabnernet 2006

Jackson Hills Cabernet 2007
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93 rated Sonoma Cabernet. Free Shipping.

Charles Krug Napa Valley Cabernet 2006
Price: 21.97

"Best Buy", 91 point Napa Valley Cabernet. Free shipping.

Grgich Hills Napa Cabernet 2005
Price: 38.97

92pt Napa Valley Cabernet

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2003 Cabernet

A vintage of 2003 wine at the point of this writing has aged for seven years. It most likely was not released until 2005 at the earliest, if it was a reserve wine, it most likely was not released until about 2007. That means it has aged another three to five years beyond the release date. If the wine has been stored properly, meaning it has not sat in a wine shop's sunny window or other place unhealthy to a wine, it is probably aging along quite nicely. How much would a 2003 Cabernet go for in a wine shop? That will depend on a lot of factors, but being a 2003 vintage does not automatically make it a $50.00 bottle of wine. With a little help you can learn to shop for wine.and find ways to cut the cost of your wine list.

Niner 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles

Jordan Winery

Tom Jordan believes that nature makes wine, he just helps it along. That is how he created the soft 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. Jordan Vineyard has a tradition of producing superior Bordeaux style Cabernet Sauvignon from their vineyards in the northern California's Alexander Valley.

For the 2003 Cabernet vintage there was a blending of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot with the Cabernet Sauvignon, which made a wine of integrated flavors with a deep color and and excellent texture.

Kiona Vineyards 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon,

This vintage of Cabernet from Washington State offered earthy flavors plus dry cherry, black licorice, black tea and a subtle coffee taste, rose petals, cinnamon and leather. A wine that has aged perfectly and was well worth the wait.

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