Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

This week we’re featurning the Noble Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Why “Noble”? Just because I think it is, or just. . .why not? It’s used in the most prestegious Bordeaux, and the most highly-sought-after wines everywhere in the world (Also see: Expensive). Perhaps it’s noble, considering the hefty price tags on most of the ones with the higher reputations. The first-growths of Bordeaux, with names like Petrus and Margaux and Rothschild (Oh, My!) and have their own private auctions and markets. Most of the reputable houses of California like Silver Oak and other Napa cabs are mostly available on auction sites. Perhaps they’re noble, because you must be one of nobility to afford them.

But, really. . .would most of us really notice the difference if tasted blindly between any of these $100-$1000 wines and the more-modestly priced wines I’m pouring tomorrow? The answer is a resounding, definate “Maybe.” In actuality, I’ve heard of many wine tasting “Professionals” getting stumped in picking out 3 white wines in a lineup of 20, (the rest being reds) out of a darkened glass tasting. Okay, so that test might have just been a wine-tasting anomaly, but to those of us who are non wine-tasting “Professionals,” it indicates that a price tag might just affect the flavor as well.

So now for a little bit about the wines I’m tasting. Worldwide, every region has its own laws about what information can be on a label, and what grapes can go into a certain wine. In France, the laws have classified that what goes into a wine is determined by the region, therefore a red Bordeaux will usually be blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Spain, Italy and Portugal have similar laws, but in most other places, the varietal name is printed on the bottle (I.E. – Cabernet Sauvignon). For the most part, the wine laws of particular regions determine what percentage of that grape (printed on the label) is in the wine. Some bottles that read “Cabernet Sauvignon” on the label actually have as little as 70% Cabernet in it. With that in mind, I took a few liberties with some of the wines in the tasting because they were WAY tasty, but they are all “Mostly Cab.. .Mostly.”

So Friday, September 24th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

The Noble (Mostly) Cabernet Sauvignon!
The Magnificent Wine Company 2002 House Red (85% Cab), Columbia Valley, Washington
Kaiken 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina
Chateau Thebot 2001 Bordeaux, France
Nepenthe 2002 Tryst (70% Cab), Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Liberty School 2002 Paso Robles, California

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Son Bordils 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Mollorca, Spain
Five Star 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla, Washington

(Five Star just got a 90-Point score in the Spectator this week! That’s gotta be worth something!)

Next week is Grenache!
M