2013 Cabernet…one of California’s great wines

Nittany Epicurean considers the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon:

….Smith-Madrone…part of my ongoing series of discovery of some of the great wines of California was for a white wine from the 2014 vintage. The 2014 Chardonnay grown, produced & bottled by Smith-Madrone demonstrated a deft balance between oak and fruit. Let’s head back to Smith-Madrone now for a red wine from the prior vintage:

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon produced & bottled by Smith-Madrone (St. Helena, California).

This wine is mostly cabernet sauvignon (82%) blended with cabernet franc (12%) and merlot (6%). The fruit was grown in Napa’s Spring Mountain District. Following fermentation, the wine was aged in French oak barrels (75% new) for 18 months. It comes in at 14.2% ABV.

The wine showed a dark ruby color. Blackberry, raspberry, currant, mossy earth and oak all arrived on the nose. Blackberry, raspberry, black cherry, licorice, oak and eucalyptus followed on a palate dominated by dark berry fruit. The wine exhibited good structure and length, along with soft tannins. This wine would do well paired with a marinated and grilled flank steak.

While this wine* is no longer available at the winery, it can still be purchased from retailers for $45-$60/bottle. You can purchase the 2014 vintage of this wine for $52 at the winery or directly from the winery’s website.

http://nittanyepicurean.blogspot.com/2018/02/2013-smith-madrone-cabernet-sauvignon.html

Author: corkingnapa

Julie Ann Kodmur is a second-generation Californian who was born in San Francisco and grew up in La Jolla. As an eighth grader she was the runner-up in the state spelling bee. She’s lived in Italy and New York and now lives in the Napa Valley with her family. She is a marketing and publicity consultant in the wine industry. Her business life can be seen at http://www.julieannkodmur.com. This is the home for the overflow. The ‘title’ is a reference to a sculpture honoring an Argentinean journalist who practiced his craft in the 1930s before literally dying for his words. No such drama here, just hopefully some provocative fun.

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