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Oberon Napa Valley 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Oberon Napa Valley 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

What We Say 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:

Today’s wine is, in a word, gorgeous! Today’s wine is another stellar example of how wonderful Napa Cabernet Sauvignon can be.

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Mission Codename: Over the Moon

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Infiltrate Oberon and ascertain Rob Mondavi’s winemaking prowess. If he passes the Wine Spies vetting process, retrieve Oberon’s best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Oberon

Wine Subject: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley – Oso Vineyard

Winemakers: Rob Mondavi and Tony Coltrin

Backgrounder: The name Mondavi is instantly known to nearly all who enjoy finer wines. The Mondavi family, and Robert Mondavi winery, have been Napa Valley legend since 1966. When we were offered the opportunity to taste today’s wine – made by Robert Mondavi, Jr., – we were honored. Today’s wine is a delicious and rich Napa Cab that lives up to the Mondavi quest for fine wine perfection. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below for a complete profile of today’s wine

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep garnet with perfect clarity, concentrated color to the rim of the glass, and a speedy yet weighty-looking surface that settles quickly after swirling, leaving behind skinny, widely-spaced legs that move slowly down the glass

Smell – Lush layers of dark and smoky fruits, with a rush of soft spice with blueberry, blackberry, mocha and heavy minerals with soft cigar box and dark mushroom

Feel – Soft, light and plush on entry, then lush tannins take hold with a rich texture that coats your mouth as flavors expand and become even larger in your mouth

Taste – Deeply delicious with tender layers of lush fruit with dark mixed berries, smoky plum, chalky mineral, black cherry, tobacco, chocolate toffee, toasted vanilla (soft oak) and cassis

Finish – Extra long finish with richly layered medium tannins that dry slightly – but then leave behind big flavors that quickly increase in intensity and proportion before they gradually taper off

Conclusion – I was deeply impressed by this wine! To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. I have deep respect for the talents and accomplishments of the Mondavi family and I approached this wine with an open mind. I was so blown away on first sip, and the wine became even better as it was allowed to breath. I do recommend at least 30 minutes of decanting on this elegant yet robust wine. I found greater depth and more dimensionality to the wine after jst 15 minues, but the wine really settles in and becomes even better with more time. Not your typical Napa Cab, this wine has enough restraint to make it very complimentary to most meals. I paired mine with a rather difficult black bean nachos with chees and medium salsa. The wine held up beautifully against the big flavors and spices present in the nachos and, in fact, offered a somewhat cleansing effect – all while maintaining its own flavor profile on my palate. If you are looking for a very balanced Napa Cab, look no further!

Mission Report:

Certainly you know that the Mondavi family is the stuff of legend in the wine industry. For purposes of this mission report, I won’t delve into the history of the family that has been called “America’s First Family of wine”.

Rather, I will tell you that today’s wine, this Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from Oberon, is a superb representation of generations of fine winemaking experience.

Robert Mondavi, Jr., the grandson of family patriarch Robert Mondavi, is certainly influenced by his family’s roots, but he is also very much his own man when it comes to making fine wines.

As President of Winemaking and Partner at Folio Fine Wine Partners, a company he founded in 2004 with his father Michael, and sister Dina, Rob oversees all wine production for the company. His Oberon wines, made in collaboration with winemaking partner, Tony Coltrin, himself a wine lifer, are made from Napa Valley grapes from vineyards in the Oakville, Rutherford and Stags Leap appellations – and from Napa’s emerging sub-appellations.

The team’s combined experience, when brought to bare on the finest fruit in the Napa Valley, produces wines of great refinement, style and even fun. Oberon’s wines are made to be enjoyed. They are also made to convey a real sense of place, by giving you a taste of the very best that the Napa Valley has to offer.

Oberon’s wines are also exceptionally food friendly, with the perfect balance of dark flavors against bright acidity and fun fruit that shines through in every sip. Even lighter meals will not be muscled by this wine. Instead, meals of all sorts will be complimented.

Today’s wine is delicious and robust, with great balance and a great feel.

Our spy hats are off to you, Rob Mondavi, you and Tony have crafted a really great wine with this 2005 Oberon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

We can’t wait to taste through your other creations!

Wine Spies Winery Check:

The location of the Folio Winemaker’s Studio, where Agent Red first tasted today’s Cabernet Sauvignon, can be seen in this satellite photo.

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What the Winery Says Oberon Napa Valley

Oberon Napa Valley
Oberon Napa Valley

About This Wine:

Vintage: The 2005 harvest in Napa Valley culminated a long, cool growing season that ripened the flavors and tannins of our Oso Vineyard grapes to perfection, enabling winemakers Rob Mondavi, Jr. and Tony Coltrin to create a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon of great richness, elegance and balance. Rob and Tony consider 2005 an exceptional year for Napa Valley red wines, similar in character to the celebrated 1997 vintage.

Vineyards: The grapes for this exceptional, single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon come from the beautiful stone-lined terraces of the Michael Mondavi family’s Oso Vineyard on the northeastern slopes of Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. The cooling afternoon breezes that waft over this breathtaking site temper the heat from the valley floor, keeping the Oso fruit fresh and vibrant throughout the growing season.

Winemaking: After gently de-stemming and crushing the fruit, Rob Mondavi Jr. and Tony Coltrin fermented the pristine juice in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, stretching the post-fermentation maceration period to 28 days. This extended juice-skin contact time beautifully married the flavors and tannins in our Oso Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, giving the wine a wonderfully round, seamless texture. Malolactic fermentation in barrel, combined with 18 months aging in French oak barrels, 66% new, further concentrated the wine’s intense, dark fruit flavors, adding nuances of toffee and toasted vanilla.

Enjoy this superb Cabernet Sauvignon with grilled steak, rib roasts, lamb shanks and venison.

About The Winery:

As a third-generation winemaker and Napa Valley native, Rob Mondavi, Jr. has always understood that the region is uniquely suited for growing classic Bordeaux varieties. With the Oberon label – originally named for the eponymous king in Shakespeare’s winsome comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream – he has created high-quality Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc to be enjoyed every day.

Rob and fellow winemaker, Tony Coltrin, select Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc grapes from some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards in Oakville, Rutherford, Stags Leap and other emerging sub-appellations. The climate of these regions – warm days and cool evenings – yields grapes with the perfect balance of ripe fruit flavors and natural acidity.

Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, with deep, rich color and concentrated black fruit character. Oberon Merlot is wonderfully complex, with notes of blueberry and chocolate – perfect for enjoying around the hearth on cozy winter evenings. Oberon Sauvignon Blanc, with its balance of fruit and acidity, is a crisp complement to creamy cheeses and fresh fruit – we hope you will join us and Experience Napa Valley In Every Bottle©.

Oberon Wines are represented by Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa Valley. For more information about Folio wines go to www.foliowine.com

Technical Analysis:

Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon 100%

Appellation: Oso Vineyard, Napa Valley

Barrel Aging: 18 months in French oak (66% new French oak)

Alcohol: 14.3%

pH: 3.68 g/l

TA: .62 g/100mL

Oberon Napa Valley 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml Wine Bottle
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Oberon Napa Valley 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Feb 20, 2009 at 11:59 pm
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