2003 Fielding Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

This wine is from a small, highly regarded producer in Washington State. It was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast.

It is another one of those wines that you will never see in a store. Their production is tiny (less than 300 cases).

I decanted the wine for about 2 hours and then poured it back in the bottle for serving. We served it with a main course of beef roast prepared in a recipe that only Caren could whip up.

Black currant and earthy blueberry/blackberry nose; sweet tannins balancing tasty fruit on the palate. This wine is a price/performer. Compares very favorably with Cabs from Napa that are 2x-4x the price.

2004 Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard Selection

Served this wine with BBQ steak and a big salad. Had a couple over for dinner and an HBO movie.

Decanted this wine for about two hours. Nose of tobacco and some berries. Nice fruit and a coating on the palate that created a long finish.

From Neil Ellis Wines in Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, South Africa. I have two more bottles of this wine in the cellar. Will give them another 1-2 years of aging and try one again.

IWC wine critic's notes: Bright ruby-red. Sappy aromas of currant, minerals and licorice. Densely packed, vibrant and fine-grained, but quite youthfully backward. Brisk acidity gives this pure, classic cabernet a penetrating character. Finishes with broad, fine tannins and a distinct spice character. Wonderfully balanced, structured cabernet, but give this plenty of air if you plan to open it anytime soon. Ten percent of shiraz from the 2005 vintage was blended in after the wine had spent 18 months in oak.

2000 Deerfield Ranch - Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

We had some friends from Washington, DC over for dinner. They are in town to meet the Queen Mary 2 and take a 56 day cruise going WEST to Southampton, England.

We served a chilled seafood platter as a starter, followed by grilled steaks prepared in an Italian style, roasted asparagus, and a pureed celery root, apple, and potato mixture.

This Cabernet was a very nice accompaniment to the main course. Nice nose of soft green peppers, oak and darker fruits. Mouthfeel was soft and had a nice covering of the palette. Solid cabernet. Made with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Chiles Valley subappellation of Napa Valley, and 15% Merlot from a vineyard on Mt. Veeder.

I have another bottle of this wine we will have to try again soon.

Two Cities NV Cabernet Sauvignon

Our friends the Dorrs arrived from NoCal today, so we decided to open this bottle of wine made right down the street in San Pedro by a group of Croatian businessmen. Making a boutique wine is one of their hobbies, not unlike what Barry and I are doing at Crushpad in San Francisco.

We served the wine with snacks and a light meal.

The wine is actually quite good - not a lot of complexity to it, but easy to drink right now. Attractive nose, good fruit, and long finish.

Our first Crushpad wine should be available for shipment in a week or two.

2004 Bleasdale Cabernet Sauvignon Mulberry Tree

Bleasdale’s vineyards were founded in 1850 by Frank Potts, making Bleasdale one of Australia's oldest family-owned wineries. Bleasdale today is owned and operated by fourth and fifth generation members of the family. Situated 80 km southeast of Adelaide in South Australia, the vineyards are along Langhorne Creek in the Barossa Valley.

Winery notes: The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits fragrant dark berry characters balanced with mint aromas and hints of eucalyptus. The palate is full flavoured, rich and round, yet displays elegance with fine tannins and a lingering finish. The wine also shows subtle oak from the 15 months maturation in French and American barrels. Although drinking delightfully now, this wine will reward careful cellaring until the year 2010.

This Cab consistently rated in the 89-91 point range by most wine critics. It is a great bargain for a good Aussie cabernet. I picked up this bottle for US$13.98. It taste like a $40 Cabernet, once again proving that great bargains in wine are coming from countries in the southern hemisphere due to lower costs of land and labor.

Served this with barbequed flank steak in teriyaki marinade, snap pea salad, jasmine rice, and mixed berry crumble for dessert.