Napa Valley Cabernet Battle Royal And The BOOK Is Now OUT!

Napa Valley Cabernet Battle Royal And The BOOK Is Now OUT! - Episode #464

May 13, 2008

Gary Vaynerchuk goes BLIND on this HUGE day for him and his Family and the Vayniacs. Napa Valley Cabernet is the epic and most sought after wines of America and this tasting will be a battle Royal!

Note: the wine listing is in tasting order.

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Comments on this episode(371) Leave a comment ›

“QOTD: Silver Oak Cabernet…” by WIne on Mac
“Love the format. Great show!!
QOTD: Off the top of my head, proba…” by Michael H.
View all 371 ›

Wines tasted in this episode:

2005 Neyers Ame Propreitary RedNapa Cabernet
2005 Tor Kenward Cimarossa Cabernet SauvignonNapa Cabernet
2005 Paul Hobbs Napa Cabernet SauvignonNapa Cabernet
2004 Rocca Cabernet SauvignonNapa Cabernet
2004 Bennett Lane Cabernet SauvignonNapa Cabernet
2004 Altamura Cabernet SauvignonNapa Cabernet

Links mentioned in todays episode.

371 Responses

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about a week ago

WIne on Mac
QOTD: Silver Oak Cabernet
about a week ago

Michael H.
Love the format. Great show!!

QOTD: Off the top of my head, probably a Caymus SS or Phelps Backus Vineyard…
about 2 weeks ago

Sleak
Great show. I’m a bit behind in my viewing.
Favorite Napa cab is probably Miner. Frankly they are my favorite CA producer period. They don’t make a bad wine and are consistently good year after year.
The best Napa cab I’ve ever had was the ‘97 Heitz martha’s vineyard, ‘96 Bryant Family a very close second.
about 3 weeks ago

Rob L
Yes I too fell in love with the Rocca Cabernet when I first tasted it in my local San Diego Wine Bar and loaded up on every bottle I could locate. I’ve still got 14 left out of the 15 that I located. Glad to know that you think it will cellar for a long time as this is definitely a special occasion wine.
about a month ago

Ben F
I love the format of the blind tasting GV…
about a month ago

JTS_Brown
Pride, Phelps or Flora Springs Trilogy (ok that’s a meritage but it’s still a fave). For value, we like Sequoia Grove and Turnbull.

Great and fun show. Please do more blind tastings in the future.
about a month ago

Brian V
Great episode, I love the head-to-head format. Keep them coming!
about a month ago

Collin
QOTD - Favorite Napa Cab, Pride Mountain and Miner Family, tie
about a month ago

singlespeedr
QOTD: 2003 Pine Ridge Rutherford Cab
about a month ago

John from Allentown
Gary, my favorite Napa Cab has been for years Chateau Montelena, but they have gotten a little expensive the last few years (still have a few 2001s); the cab that has just blown me away the past 2 years is Darioush, I love this wine.
about a month ago

Dan-o
GV - I like th blind format. Although you shouldn’t have the “Tags” because some people, like me, couldn’t resist a peek.
QOTD - I can remember a few favorites - Lakoya, Corison, and Staglin Family. Last night I uncorked a 2003 Ladera that was pretty good as well.
about a month ago

Louis
Excellent episode, I would like to see more blind taste tests.

My favorite Napa Cab is Clos du Val.
about a month ago

wayno da wino
This was such a Grrrrrreaaaaaat Episode i had to watch it AGAIN!!!!
Moooore Blind Tastings, PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZ !!!
about a month ago

chito
Gary, my favorite Napa Cab. continues to change. For years I loved Silverado, then Franciscan,then Turnbull, yada yada yada. I continue to taste wines that excite me and I think that is what wine is all about. I will certainly look for the Rocca Cab. and will start with WineLibrary. Keep up the GREAT work!!
Al
about a month ago

Phil M'Glassup
Your Ian Dorin is going to kill me for saying this but my favorite has been by far and away the 2003 La Sirena cab. Subtle, floral, whisper-soft, far from the power house so typical of the Napa cab. So lyrical were its flavours that I almost wept with delight as I drank it (I’m not kidding). This is the Art of Winemaking. Unfortunately, art appreciation like this comes at quite a high price. I ordered it from Calif for about $120 all told. Fortunately, I was able to replace it from you for about a $100. The winery sells the latest vintage for $150. I asked Ian if he’d consider ordering it and he said no way. He claimed the eine sold poorly. Still when I went to order an extra bottle of the 03 from you it was sold out. Glad others got to enjoy it.
about a month ago

T6
Gary,
Sorry for the late reply but have been away from the CPU and I’m catching up on shows…
QOTD for this show…favorite Napa Valley Cab- 1987 Joseph Phelps Reserve or 1982 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard…unbelievable both. Congrats on the book, I’ve two on order.
about a month ago

Mike Gigante
Yeah, I’m late on this too.

I’m not a fan of most Napa wines - too much oak, extraction and alcohol. However there are a few good ones. I like Charles Krug’s Cabernets - ‘04 Vintage Selection was good value for money and I really enjoyed the ‘04 X (ten) clones’ but that was more pricey.

I really the Ridge Cabs from Santa Cruz but that isn’t Napa.

Where I come from, I don’t drink a lot of any California wines (except when I am on business travel). I do drink lots of Aussie Cabs mostly from Yarra Valley, Coonawarra and to a lesser degree Margaret River.

cheers, Mike
about a month ago

JonE
Sorry G-Man, very late on this one. Killer line-up wish I was there.

QOTD: 1974 Sterling Cabernet, and 2000 Delectus Beckstoffer Georges de Latour III. Both changed my thinking on the grape.
about a month ago

Luis Felipe
Wow, these wines are definitely not inexpensive
about a month ago

NV Wino
I live up here in the Napa Valley and am married to an amazing winemaker and have a small winery of our own..that being said, we drink alot of great wine (and even more not so great wine)..most of our friends are winemakers with pretty good reps, and I can tell you that Rutherford Cabs are in a class all their own.There is something about that Rutherford Dust that calls out to you. It is the absolute definition of Terroir!

Must Try these:

Martin Estate Reserve or Estate Cab..Fruit forward, extremely well balanced, jammy with a hint of good tobacco..My favorite nectar of the Gods. Hard to find but well worth the effort.( BTW- they are Caymus’ neighbor )$75-$125

Rubicon Captains Reserve..this is the good Rubicon stuff, not the tasting room crap. Big, jammy, plummy.Yum! $75

BV Georges de Latour :-GDL is Rutherford and is consistantly good.

Caymus- Anything prior to 2003 is outstanding(I know many will say anything Caymus does is outstanding, but they have been over oaking for sometime now). Caymus put Rutherford on the map!
about a month ago

Jayhitek
QOTD: Neal
about a month ago

LogansRunRx
QOTD: (1) 2003 Reynolds Faimly Stags Leap Reserve -OR- (2) 2004 Revana
about a month ago

Dan P
04 mondavi oakville or 03 plumpjack
about a month ago

Iron Man
GV, what are you doing? what are you doing bro????

I said, review the cabs everyone knows!! What’s this telling America all about Rocca!!! What’s next? are you going to tell everyone about the next stock secret GV??? Are you going to make everyone millionaires??? That’s it GV, I can’t take it anymore!!!
about a month ago

Oregon Jim
Heitz Martha’s ‘83 was the wine that started me down this road. Just kept opening and changing and getting more profound. Drank it in 2000. Ready to try a Colgin, Bond or Harlan when I get rich and connected! I bought an ‘05 Showkett a while back that was the height of my resource capability. I will let you know in a few years how that measures up.