Closet Wine Snob: Tasting Notes – Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon ’08

Our resident Closet Wine Snob’s been hard at work, tasting all sorts of wines for your benefit. We want to share the love and tell you all about what he’s been throwing down the proverbial hatch. Wine is a subjective experience, so don’t think of these as reviews. Instead, we’re passing on our wine-tasting adventures in the hopes you’ll find something that appeals to you. It’s your booze – drink it your way.

The Fine Print

Bottle: Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Rutherford, California (Napa Valley)
Year: 2008
MSRP: $38.00

The Story

Now here’s a story to impress your friends before the uncorking.

It’d be an understatement to say this cab had a long, hard road to fruition. The Napa Valley offering survived through an unseasonably rough drought immediately followed by an extremely frosty spring. When the Summer fires of 2008 began filling the warm Californian air with smoke it seemed as if a divine force was working against Sequoia Grove.

But head winemaker Michael Trujillo and the growers of Sequoia Grove Winery persevered – digging in their heels and forging ahead at the vineyard that surrounded their 100-year-old farmhouse. To this wine-drinker’s delight, they came away from 2008 with a wine they can be truly proud of.

The Pour

The first thing I always try to get a read on when opening a bottle of wine is aroma. It’s not an indicator of taste but it works to heighten and delight with the possible experiences that await within. In this case the Sequoia Grove walks away a winner. The most pleasing cab aroma of the year, the rich, ripe grape smell was coupled with the smoky maturity of your grandfather’s cigar box. It had me finally believing it was time for a winning ’08 cab.

The pour itself was standard. My ritual is to let the bottle air out for a good twenty minutes and then filter through an aerator. The red fruits of cherry, blackberry and grape provide a darkly red hue that is definitively cabernet.

The Bottoms-Up

Now this is how an ’08 cabernet should drink. Subtle hints of nutmeg and vanilla delight and morph into a silky, smooth finish. The tannins here are strong, leading to a spectacular palate-pleaser that is perfect for special occasions. It has that smoky finish that is becoming synonymous with the cabernet sauvignons of late, but it’s hardly spicy enough to upset the blackberry, cherry and grape balance. Mature and complex without being over-blended, the Sequoia Grove is a true winner.

By no means inexpensive, but a great wine to have on hand for special occasions.