Wine Last Sold on: November 23, 2012
Christopher Creek Winery
Featured Wine:
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
| Varietal: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vineyard: | Finlay's Vineyard |
| Region: | California: Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma) |
| Avg. Price: | $45.00 |
| Wine Spies: | $21.99 |
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BLACK FRIDAY ALERT:
We got our hands on every last case of today’s extraordinary wine. At today’s extraordinary price, it will not last long. Act quickly, dear Operative… before we run out!
SUPER QPR ALERT:
At today’s special Wine Spies price, this wine delivers tremendous value - and a drinking experience that exceeds expectations, easily earning it this special QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) Alert.
Mission Codename: Mister Big
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- Send Agent Red to Dry Creek Valley in search of a fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon and offer it to our dear operatives at a top secret Black Friday price!
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Winemaker
- Todd Crowell
Final Assessment
One delicious powerhouse of a wine, today’s fantastic 2009 Christopher Creek Cabernet Sauvignon handily won over our entire tasting panel. With its bold and delicious flavors, elegant mouthfeel and brilliant nose, we give this wine our heartiest recommendation. Especially given today’s extraordinary Black Friday price.
Rich, full and bold on the palate, this wine also shows a softer and more elegant side. Especially after some hearty swirling or decanting, in order to let it breathe. The wine springs to life after just a few minutes, and our entire panel marveled at how continuously it improved as it stretched out.
Pair this lovely wine with something hearty, like a spice-rubbed pork tenderloin or a black pepper crusted New York steak. This is a very flexible wine and we paired ours with a lovely three cheese wood-fired pizza. The dark fruits of the wine juxtapose beautifully against the high acidity of the tomato sauce.
Drinking just beautifully, now, this is one wine that you’ll want to stock up on as we predict that it will continue to evolve for the next decade or more.
Please note: This Black Friday offer is expected to sell out. Please decide, quickly, before this very special offer - on this very special wine - ends.
Tasting Profile
Dark and inky burgundy with a slightly opaque heart. Spin the wine and watch as skinny pinkish legs moved slowly down the glass. After the wine has had a chance to breathe for a while, these legs become far more skinny and more tightly spaced. At the edge of the glass, a fine pink bring encircles the wine.
Very fruit-driven indeed, with cherry, dark raspberry and a bit of ‘forest after the rain’ leading the vibrant, aromatic quality of the wine. As it opens, it reveals sweet tobacco, sweet baking spice, blackberry compote, grilled plum and rich forest hummus.
Soft at the tip of the tongue, at first. Then, the wine shows off a lovely, elegant crushed velvet feel. Plush, integrated tannins and a medium acidity frame the fruit beautifully. Eventually, with some hearty swirling or extended decanting, the wine becomes softly chewy, adding intrigue and complexity.
Very concentrated and very dark on the palate, with bold blackberry, black cherry, cassis and braised plum out in the lead. Then, as the wine opens up, it reveals great complexity by delivering the additional flavors of sweet tobacco leaf, soft spice, dried fall leaves, dark violets, loamy earth and darkly toasted oak.
A very long and very plush. A persistent finish, with bold black fruits gradually yielding to more earthy elements of dried leaves, woods and minerals.
What the Winery Says
Our 2008 Finlay’s Vineyard Cabernet is produced from grapes grown in red soils (terrior*) on the Eastern slopes of Bradford Mountain overlooking Dry Creek Valley and shows the characteristics of a “serious Cab”. Finlay is the Ridgeback who guarded the vineyard. The vines are over 30 years old and the grapes produce wine with intense garnet color, aromas and tastes of dark chocolate, black cherry, cassis and bing cherry with toasty oak and cedar overtones. A blend of 90% Cabernet and 10% Merlot, the wine was aged for 18 months in French Oak Barrels. The concentration and ample tannic structure should allow for 8 to 10 years of bottle aging. Red meat dishes are the pairing of choice for the 2008 Cabernet. Try it with steak, prime rib or a barbecued tri-tip.
Wine Specs
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley
pH: 3.51 at bottling
Aging Aged 18 months in French oak barrels
Cases produced: 462
Awards
Silver Medal—Tasters Guild
About the Winery
Christopher Creek Winery is a small, boutique winery owned by the Wasserman family producing Best of Class, Double Gold and Sweepstake-winning hand-crafted wines from the Russian River and Dry Creek appellations. Christopher Creek produces estate bottled and vineyard designated Chardonnay, Viognier, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Port.
Our Growing History
The Wasserman Family, in addition to growing grapes, has been farming oranges and olives in the Central Valley of California for the past 35 years and lives on a Cabernet vineyard (“Finlay’s Vineyard) in Dry Creek Valley.
Our winemaker, Mike Brunson, is a third generation Sonoma County resident. Brunson brings over 20 years vineyard and winery experience to the position. Prior to joining Christopher Creek, Brunson was the Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at Michel-Schlumberger for 16 years producing award winning wines from Pinot Blanc to Cabernet Sauvignon. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz, and the school of hard knocks, Brunson brings passion, experience and a workingman’s knowledge to the position.
