This week I am going to do a very quick trip through the Golden State. I say quick because I could spend a month touring California and still not dip the surface of what it offers. These are the wines most people will be familiar with so I will try to have a couple of obscure wines as well as some that are readily available. I will also try to hit each of the major growing regions so that a good cross section has representation.
To start I am going to talk about a wine that I am really excited about. It's the 2005 Esca Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Esca is a very small producer that is a pet project of the husband and wife team, Mario and Anna Monticelli. They are both full time winemakers for other Napa properties, Mario for Trinchero and Anna for Pina.
The grapes for the 2005 vintage are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and were sourced from Oakvile and Yountville. It was aged 18 months in French Oak. Production was limited to 760 cases and suggested retail is $28. I found this wine in Ohio a few weeks ago and paid $34. One interesting note is that the wine is produced with a screw top closure.
The color on this wine is a deep opaque purple. The nose is very fruit forward with strong aromas of currant and blackberry. A small amount of oak is also detectable, but it is well integrated. The flavor is classic Napa Valley Cabernet. Great tannin structure, tremendous fruit and well integrated oak. This screams for a well marbled ribeye steak. If I tasted this blind I would think the price point should be higher. I've tasted Napa Cabrnets in the $55-70 range that were not this balanced.
I think this is a home run. If you see it, pick it up and don't be scared by the screw top. This is incredible juice. You can also order from the website if your state has favorable shipping laws. The link to the website is below. They also make a Syrah and a Zinfandel, which I have not tried or seen in my local marketplace.
http://www.escawines.com/index.php
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