Monday, April 05, 2010

Finding Value in Napa Valley Cabernet

"Napa Valley," "value," and "Cabernet Sauvignon" are not often found in the same blog post title, nor are they often found in the same sentence. Now, the same people who are bringing you good, affordable Pinot Noir are bringing you classy, wallet-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon, too.

If you are looking for a great value in a Napa Valley Cab, look no further than the excellent QPR 2007 Hayman & Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Selection (suggested retail $14.99; available for $9-$16) When you uncork it, expect to detect blackberry and fresh ground coffee aromas. Your first sips will yield a nice currant and blackberry fruit core, accompanied by elegant, well-integrated tannins. The aftertaste is smooth and lingers in the mouth, turning spicy. Though this wine is perfectly lovely know, it should continue to improve over the next few years, so you may want to put some aside not only for this summer's barbeques but next winter's stews and roasts, too.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed with the amount of value wine in Napa. My friends there seem to know where and when to find it by following up and coming winemakers with good background experience.

See my experience: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=1516 "What People in Napa Valley Really Drink? Why and How?"

Regards,

Russ Kane

Mark's Wine Clubs said...

Russ makes a heck of a point. If you know a few good young winemakers then it's not the most difficult task to find affordable Napa Cab. As an example in a different price range, Keith Emerson at Vineyard 29 makes his own label (Emerson Brown) which sells for $50....but would sell for well over $100 if made under V29's logo, or Round Pond where the fruit comes from.

gih said...

That's a perfect taste for me. But maybe in other people they don't like it.

Mark said...

Absolutely agree Deb. This is a terrific affordable Napa Cab that most people will find very enjoyable.