Autumn Winds Call for Deep Red Wines, Part 2

One can never have too many high quality red wines in the cellar, especially as the temperatures begin to chill. Here is the second half of our fall red wine roundup. Clearly, our cup runneth over.

It’s always a blessing to uncover a fine French Bordeaux at a reasonable price, and we were pleased when the 2016 Chateau Malescassee AOC Haut-Medoc ($23) crossed our threshold. Built on a blend of Merlot (53%), Cabernet Sauvignon (38%) and Petite Verdot (9%), the wine pours a rich garnet, with a variety of dark fruits and spice on the nose. The structure is firm, the flavors rich, and the mouthfeel soft and languorous. It’s an excellent wine for holiday festivities.

The name Robert Mondavi has always been the hallmark of quality, and two recent wines continue the tradition. The 2017 Napa Valley Pinot Noir ($28), cultivated from the winery’s Carneros vineyards, delivers flavors of cherry, plum and various herbs with a mouthfeel that is soft and a structure that is elegant. Although a completely different wine, the 2016 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($36) builds on a similar flavor profile. Comprised of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petite Verdot, 5% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, intense blackberry and clove flavors lead to fully satisfying, well-structured wine with a long, satisfying finish.

We received a similar pairing from Long Meadow Ranch Winery, another Napa Valley grower, who produces wines through an integrated, organic farming system.  In the winery’s 2015 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($40), winemaker Stéphane Vivier is able to draw out a nose full of earth tones and dark fruit, with a mineral firmness that supports the palate’s full flavors and long-lasting finish. Winemaker Ashley Heisey’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($52) uses similar farming methods for an even bolder delivery. Notes and flavors of blackberry, plum and cocoa give wine good depth, fine complexity and mouth-filling texture that thankfully lingers after the wine is gone.

Let’s finish with a trio of Cabernet Sauvignons, at least two of which represent names that have helped build California’s wine industry.

The 2016 Oak Farm Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon ($25), already a multiple gold medal wine, is created from grapes grown in three separate vineyards. Dark and dusky with aromas of black tea and spice, the wine offers a chocolate-raspberry palate with good mouthfeel and a well-structured finish.

The 2016 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon, ($39), from a vintner that advertises itself as “Napa Valley’s oldest winery,” offers a blend of  Cabernet Sauvignon (88%), Merlot (6%), Petite Verdot (5%) and Malbec (1%). Aged in French oak, the resulting wine is rich and fulsome, with blackberry, black current and cocoa flavors on the nose and palate.

Louis M. Martini has been producing wines since the end of Prohibition, and its 2016 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) benefits from those decades of experience. Expect notes of dark fruit, cedar and spice on the nose and palate of their well-balanced,  delightful wine.