H J Mann

Very unusual wine for a few reasons. For one, the bottle has no year on it. Not that it matters, because its a screw-cap, so you can’t age it anyway. It’s certified organic… which is meaningless to me… if you can make a good Cab by peeing on the vines, I would probably drink it, so I don’t really care if there were no pesticides used. It’s a blend, 55% Cab sauv, 40% merlot, 5% petite sirah, but does not carry the “Meritage” designation, nor the price tag. For those who haven’t Google-mapped it, Ukiah is on the coast north of Sonoma in Mendocino County. Not big or bold or smoky; instead warm, incredibly even fruit. Vanilla, cherry coke, and the slightest hint of cotton candy… know that certain sugar flavor cotton candy has? That, but ever so slightly. And the finish is dry and not sweet. This is an excellent bottle for the price.  $11.

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Willamette Valley Oregon

$30

Strawberry on the nose, reminded me a lot of the J Wilkes Salomon Hills Pinot. Good clean, full bodied without being heavy, even fruit, mineraly, earthy, bright lingering finish. Good wine.

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Flash of bright cherries, but not tart. Gives way to hints of cocoa, and oaky fruit. Strong vanilla finish. For $14, this is pretty darn good.

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Grapes from Mt. Veeder and Mt Howell, two of the more prestigious Napa growing regions. No tannins, which is a surprise for a three year old Cab this big. This also tells me that this vintage maybe has one more year before the fruit becomes muted. Today the fruit is great… the taste does remind me of other big cabs I have had from Howell Mountain grapes. Blueberries, touches of oak, vanilla and cherries. Lingers nice on the palate. Great wine. $75.

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Apparently, Ritz Carlton has house reds and whites made exclusively for them by this winery. Anyway, last week I was at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando, and had a glass.

It was a 2004. Nothing to smell… very non descript. A very light flavored Cab whose qualities reminded me more of Pinot Noir. Fruit was very mild, and it had a very earthy Pinot taste. I thought it might have just sat out too long, so I even asked, and the bottle had been opened in the last 30 minutes.  If you like Pinot or don’t like heavy reds, you might actually like this, but if you like bold heavy cabs, take a pass.

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