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| Rob Williams - Cabernets and Blends | ||
Rob's "Wine of the Week" Archives So here is my wine review for the week of September 23rd... DEL DOTTO CABERNET SAUVIGNON COLBERT FRENCH OAK 2005 Description: I admit that on its’ face, this is a totally unfair and unhelpful review because the particular wine itself is almost impossible to get at this point. Del Dotto is one of my favorite wines and wineries, famous for its cave tours, in which you taste wine directly out of the barrel as it is being made, aged and fermented. When the time comes to make each wine, they combine the different barrels, but a few years ago, they began holding back a little wine from each barrel and selling it by itself. Sadly, there isn’t a lot of it, and it’s very hard to get. However, I justify this review this way; while you probably can’t get this bottle in particular, this is a great look forward to the 2005 Napa cabs, on the heels of a great 2004 vintage How and when I drank it: Friday afternoon September 21, beginning at 4pm How to get it: Directly from the winery if they still have it or any other barrel offerings under the heading “Connoisseurs’ series.” How Much: At the winery, about $85 per bottle. My Thoughts: This was a true young cab test, as I didn’t even bother to decant the wine, I just started drinking. As opposed to most cabs this new, this wine was very approachable, with excellent body and balance and a lack of an overwhelming tannic bite. The wine is big, but not “bitey.” It even stood up next to a spicy artichoke dip that would usually overwhelm a lesser wine. While this bottle needs time to reach its full potential, there are clearly flavors of vanilla, currant and cinnamon lurking under some dark chocolate, all of which should blend nicely into a big, balanced lovely cab. You can certainly enjoy it now, but it will be better in year. Overall Score: This bodes very well for the 2005 Napa cabs. If a bottle can come out of one barrel this approachable and close to balanced, just imagine how great wines blended from the best barrels on the lot will be. 4 vines. DEL DOTTO CABERNET SAUVIGNON COLBERT FRENCH OAK 2005 =
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