2005 OAKVILLE APPELLATION CABERNET SAUVIGNON VINTAGE

             The Oakville Appellation of Napa Valley produces some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in the world and consistently produces the finest red wines of Napa Valley. It includes such stellar producers as Dalla Valle, Far Niente, Groth, Harlan Estate, Heitz Martha’s Vineyard, Miner Family, Nickel & Nickel, Oakville Ranch, Opus One, Paradigm, and Screaming Eagle. A complete list of Oakville Winegrowers can be found at www.oakvillewinegrowers.com.  

             The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon vintage is excellent to outstanding with the best wines exhibiting big, concentrated fruit, moderately soft tannins that will soften further with bottle age, and, generally, excellent overall balance and  structure. These wines will age well for 15-20 years or more with proper storage. The 2005 wines are bigger, richer, and better structured than 2004, which is a very good vintage in its own right. The tannin to fruit ratio, and the quality of the tannins, is such that these wines will develop harmoniously over the wine’s lifetime.

             The following 2005 Oakville Appellation Cabernet Sauvignon wines were tasted in April 2008 and are listed below with “outstanding, excellent or good” potential. Many of these wines have not been released, and some producers, such as Dalla Valle, Harlan Estate and Paradigm, did not provide their 2005 for tasting in April.

 Outstanding Potential

Groth Vineyards & Winery

Hoopes Vineyard & Winery

Screaming Eagle

Excellent Potential

 Detert Family Vineyards

Ghost Block

Nickel & Nickel (Sullenger)

Nickel & Nickel (Rock Cairn)

Nickel & Nickel (Martin Stelling)

Oakville East Exposure (Oakville East Wine Company)

Oakville Ranch

 Good Potential

 Far Niente Winery

Miner

Robert Mondavi (Oakville)

Robert Mondavi (Reserve)

Rudd

Showket

Stanton Vineyards

Swanson (“Alexis” Cabernet Sauvignon)

Tierra Roja

 

 

 

 

               

 

6/2008           

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