This featured wine is no longer available for purchase on HotCosts.Join our mailing list to be notified when a new featured wine is offered.2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Rollie Heitz' Midsummer Cellars. About The Featured WineWine Enthusiast says "This is so delicious and classic, its totally enjoyable now, but it has the structural balance to age for quite a while. It impresses for the complex blackberry, currant and cedar flavors and for the quality of the tannins, which are dramatically rich and ripe. Best now and for at least 10 years." 92 Points.Beverage Testing Institute says "Deep garnet violet color. Vibrant baked berries, grilled yellow pepper, and melted chocolate. A rich, supple entry leads to a fruity full body with buttered praline, honey drizzled dark berries and sweet baking spice flavors. Finishes with a long, tantalizing fade with juicy acidity and polished tannins. Delicious." 92 Points - Exceptional. About the 2005 Cab, Rollie says "Well, I must say, this is the best wine that we have released to date. The season began late, but the summer was without any heat spikes, prolonged winds, or rains ideal for the production of fully ripe fruit. Fully ripe to us means that the vine has pushed the grapes to complete the cycle of ripening, which certainly includes sugar production but also means full tannin development and deep color all necessary for any truly cellar-worthy wine." If a picture says a thousand words, then check out this photo of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes about to be harvested for our featured wine.
About Midsummer CellarsMidsummer Cellars is a very small winery specializing in small lot, vineyard designated Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.Summary of Tasting EventThe 2005 Vintage Cab was tasted on May 3, 2008 by a panel of 8 tasters in a blind tasting format and paired with Short Ribs with Tagliatelle.What a stunning Cab. This wine lives up to the famous Heitz name. The outstanding fruit comes through the nose with dark berries, some cherry aromas and a bit of earth/dusty cedar. The palate has lots of layers with focused fruit and a luxurious, mid-palate feel. Great tannin and acid balance really shined with the food. Enjoyable now, but will mature nicely for up to 10 years.
Tasting NotesOur mission is to provide unbiased opinions of the wine being offered. These notes come from up to 10 guests who tasted this wine in a blind tasting format (wine is concealed so their identity is unknown). Why this format? Tasting blind completely throws out any hype associated with a certain winery, style, price point, etc; it forces the taster to accept what is in the glass without any predetermined notions. Our guests utilize Robert Parker's Glossary of Wine Terms for their comments for consistency purposes. In addition, we utilize the wine aroma wheel to enhance ones ability to describe the complexity of wine flavor. Notes are posted on this wine during the tasting to ensure they accurately reflect the impressions.Selected Wine Tasting Notes of the 2005 Vintage
Cris: Lots of fruit layers in the mouth. It keeps on going but this is no fruit bomb.
RLA: This wine goes great with the food. A very big Cab with smooth tannins.
PS: Lots of black fruit and currants. Really opened up after some air time.
SP: Nice nose but love the taste of dark and red cherry. I noted a bit of pepper in the long finish.
BP: Smoooth! Love this wine. I get a hint of red cherries with the fruit.
MA: Smooth, from nose to finish. Some earthy cedar nose but gives way to dark berries. Very long and smooth finish. This wine was built for red meats. Definitely a celler wine but drinking very well now. Good luck holding on to this one.
Technical Data
Winemaker's Tasting NotesThe deep color suggests the richness to come. Concentrated aromas of dark fruit, briar, and sweet cherries are buoyed by a hint of sweet oak. Full-bodied, forward fruit carries the rich mouth feel. Polished, ripe tannins add to the long, lingering finish.Recipe: Short Ribs with TagliatelleINGREDIENTS:
Place the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook the pancetta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, parsley and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely minced. Then add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse. Once the short ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the food processor to the pot. Return the pancetta to the pot and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Remove the meat and bones from the pot. Discard the bones. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta and 2 to 3 minutes for fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pot and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta liquid 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, to moisten the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls. Serve immediately. This recipe was found on the Food Network's website. Visit the Food Network's web site The Food Network. Serves 4-8 |
Featured Wine
2005 Napa Valley Cabernet SauvignonRollie Heitz's Midsummer Cellars$48/Bottle inclusive of shipping! HotCosts Mailing List
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