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TN Iron Horse 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon

Today Katie brought home some tuna. I had already cooked some of that multi-grain rice I rave about, and she made some spinach to go with it. Tuna has to be grilled really rare, and I just about did it (alas, I let it go about thirty seconds too long). But in any case, the choice of wine was either the Gewurtz in the fridge, a Zin in the fridge, or a trip to the basement. Of course I descended the staircase and pulled out a Cab.

I'd done Cab Franc with tuna before, and this time decided on a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon from Iron Horse. On opening, it had a wonderful nose, and that nose continued throughout the entire meal, which is unusual for the wines I drink (or the way I drink them!). It was very soft, and a perfect balance to the tuna and the rice; it also went well with the spinach. The tannins were soft and well balanced; the wine was full bodied without being overwhelming, and since I'm not too good at identifying flavors I won't waste your time with my attempt (that's why Katie recreates the dishes we like, and not me!).

The Iron Horse Vineyards is at the far end of a long dirt road in Sebastopol; we went with a cousin one day in May wine tasting and this was one of our picks. The road got longer and longer, and eventually we did find it, only to be faced with a ten dollar tasting fee (justified by the wine steward pointing out how much wine you get to drink). Well, I didn't go there to get drunk, and was only really interested in half or less of their offerings, but there was no arguing. We'd've left then and there, except that we'd come a long way. (I'd already written off a few of our favorite wineries in the Sonoma valley for this sin). So, we ponied up and ended up taking home a few bottles. This was one.

Looking at the bottle, it's 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc,

10% Merlot, and 1% Petit Vertot (which I've never heard of - what is it used for??) Normally I'm a purist, but I'm gaining a new respect for blends.

I'm pretty much the only one that drinks in our household, and when I open a bottle I pour half into a split, and half of what's left into a half split (I only have one of them), giving me four glasses per bottle. I have one with my meal. Sometimes I have two. That's how I can tell what wines I like. Interestingly, I'm not a Gewurtz fan, but I often have two glasses of gewurtz when I have it. (We favor Navarro - others are too sweet)

I had two of this wine. 96.0182 on the modified Parker scale, and

97.3291 for the pairing. No more ageing needed, this is ready now. Go for it!

Jose

Reply to
Jose
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they make a lot of sparkling, right?

Petit verdot is one of the five blending grapes of Bdx (with CS, CF, Merlot, and Malbec- let's asave the Carmenere arguments for another thread). Typically added for tannin and darker color. In Bordeaux seldom used as more than maybe 3% of blend,though Pichon-Lalande sometimes uses more (some claim the weird green notes one sometimes get from young PL are due to the Petit verdot)

Just for clarity, many (most?) CalCabs include other grapes

thanks for notes, sounds worth searching for

Reply to
DaleW

Yes, they do. I'm not interested in sparkling, because since I'm the only sot in the family, (and not much of a sot at that), when I open a bottle of sparkling, I can't make "full use" of the contents. :)

Thanks. I wonder why they wanted to add tannins and color - the other grapes should have plenty of it (I suppose the 2002 vintage might have been light in this area).

I've seen that, but it doesn't seem to be prevalent, and the trend seems to be for more purity (or for not disclosing!). Next time I'm out there, I'll have to make a point of noticing.

Glad the notes are helpful, amateur though they are. If you find it, let me know what you think of it. :)

Jose

Reply to
Jose

Jose, I think you'll find that it is prevalent, just not neccessarily noted on label. I checked what California wines labeled as Cabernet Sauvignon I had. Only 1 seems to be 100% CS (BV GdlT): Barnett Spring Mountain: CF & Merlot Montelena Calistoga: CF & Merlot Pine Ridge Stagsd Leap: Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec St Clement: CF St Jean: 10% Cab Franc Sebastiani: CF,Merlot, and Zin! Worthy (Axios): CF, Merlot, PV

I can't find reference one way or the other re Karl Lawrence, anyone know? Someone more knowledgable about CA might correct me, but my impression is that most wines labeled CS and Merlot probably have a bit of other grapes mixed in. Pinot Noir is usually 100%, and varietally labeled Zins and Syrahs vary. There's nothing wrong with blending, almost all of the greatest Bordeaux are blends

Reply to
DaleW

Where did you check? I looked on my bottles, it wasn't indicated, and I went to a few of the winery web sites, where it was also not indicated. Of course, I may still be under the influence of those two glasses from last night. :)

Of course, blending is all part of vinting, and that's where the art is. :)

Jose

Reply to
Jose

Jose,

I got mostly from winery websites (in most cases under Wines there are links for individual bottlings, and most mention cepage or have links to pdf tech sheets that do). I was quickly googling, and admit I didn't neccesarily check for back vintages, so not neccessarily *exactly* what's in my bottles. With that disclaimer, I just went and checked most bottles I could easily reach, in most cases it's not mentioned on the bottle (it is on the Barnett). While in cellar I also saw the Franciscan Oakville and J. Phelps CS, neither mention other varietals on the bottle but the Franciscan has Merlot and PV, and the Phelps Merlot, PV, and CF. I also saw the BV Rutherford, which also has (small) amounts of other grapes but doesn't mention on label.

Reply to
DaleW

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