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EP 983 Head to Head Tasting of 2007 Napa Cabernets

Gary Vaynerchuk mixes it up and tastes 2 Napa Cabs head to head from the acclaimed 2007 vintage.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2007 Fuse Cabernet SauvignonNapa Cabernet
2007 Louis Martini Napa Cabernet SauvignonNapa Cabernet


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luca bercelli

88/100

Line of the day – ‘There is some serious tree being cut in here’

Solid show – bit too short though

Tags: cabernet, california, napa, red, review, wine, wines

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  • Anonymous

    guess I forgot how much I like the head to head. This one was tight and dense. Nice work Vaynerchuk. Carry on!

  • Alright so I have to ask Lisa. You have any local places that have a good wine list?

  • Napa Cab is boring.

  • Head to head makes it less boring.

  • Gary makes it even less boring.

  • Not a bad episode.

  • Good question! I’ve been disappointed w/local wine lists at low to moderately-priced restaurants. I think my favorite is Los Altos Grill (downtown Los Altos)..great wine list, fair markup, and no corkage (it’s packed every night). If $$ is no object, then I’d pick Village Pub in Woodside. Evvia in Palo Alto is great, too. Let me know if you have a favorite. Thx

  • Anonymous

    Actually, I drink more European wine than New World. I have just gotten back
    to buying Cali Cabs in the last few years. I prefer to drink them when they
    have 7 to 15 years of age on them but they only represent about 5% of my
    wine. For years I refused to buy them because I thought that they were
    ridiculously overpriced. I still hold that view in general but will, at
    least, expend the effort to ferret out the relative bargains. I would
    probably admit to liking Washington State cabernet based wines better than
    California ones. The 2005 Pomum Shya Red is probably the best I’ve had and I
    have Gary to thank for that. Overall I drink more Rhone style blends and
    pinots than anything else but enjoy some of the fruit bomb shiraz from
    Australia occasionally and love a good barolo. As you can tell I have
    multi-personallity disorder when it comes to wine. As far as a less
    over-the-top inexpensive ($17-30 depending on where you buy it) Ca. cabernet
    that I have really liked if you can find a 2005 Conn Creek Limited Release
    you might want to try it particularly if you can find it under $20.
    Unfortunately, the 2006 (current release) was not as good and I wouldn’t
    bother with it. In the $30 range one of today’s WLTV posters said that the
    2007 Turnbull was drinking well now. I just drank my first bottle of the
    2004 last Sunday and liked it quite a bit.

  • Anonymous

    Honestly nappa to me has become like the housing bubble, what you get just ain’t what you paid for….
    I have quit drinking them unless it’s atba tasting or something, I would say how ever I tried something from the staggs leap district recently and was impressed, I don’t remember who made it but it was in the high 20’s also
    I had a mid level mondavi that was surprising and it was like 19$ so they are out there.

  • Anonymous

    hey Gary cusps on mentioning the wine laws a lot of consumers are in the dark about that kind of stuff and that it can vary state to state, and that beer lobiests are affecting how they buy wine….. The list goes on, would be a good idea for a show.

  • Anonymous

    For some reason auto correct changed cudos to cusps?

  • Anonymous

    Man, I cant remember the last Napa Cab I dranked and liked. Too me, they are overpriced. I would rather just try to find a baby Bordeaux or California meritage.

  • I can’t wait to try the Ramey Claret. Glad to hear the 07 is great.

  • I always seem to find the over $30 Napa Cabs. I don’t recall any that blew me away under $30

  • QOTD: I’m a big fan of what Banshee is doing with wine and so I’d have to say the 2008 Banshee Cabernet Sauvignon which just barely makes it under the $30 price limit. Gary, you should taste some Banshee wines on the show. As an aside, the best cab over $30 I’ve had recently was the outstanding 2007 Hall “Kathryn Hall” Cabernet coming in at $80. Beautiful stuff!

  • Anonymous

    Hey thanks AndresN but I have already seen them. Even though they are great show I was just wanting a new updated one from the master himself. Thanks for bring them all out they were fun to watch again.

  • Anonymous

    NICE tight head-to-head, GV. And thank you for reviewing the L.M. 2007 Cab, because I’ve heard WAY too much hype about it and I was actually contemplating purchasing a bottle just for the [halibut], but I will continue to PAZZ on this solid-yet-not-intriguing-enough-for-the-price Napa Cab.

    QOTD: Since there are so many good Napa Cabs under $30 with the 2007 vintage in the market, I’ll do you one better: How about under $20:

    2005 Truchard Cabernet Sauvignon “East Block Vineyard,” Carneros, Napa CA ($19.95)

  • Anonymous

    Its 3:00 A.M. and I m stuck working the night shift tonight now tell me is there anything better then making money and watching old Wine Library episodes I don’t think so. Well sleeping and a nice glass of wine but this is a close 2nd.

  • Anonymous

    Is it possible you’re allergic to the sulphur? Does all wine affect you this way, or just Cabernet? Watta bummer…

  • Anonymous

    Damn, Dave – you own stock or something???

  • Anonymous

    Or start yer own.

  • Anonymous

    Hey Dave, you wanna sell any of that ‘Neil Ellis’ stock? ;-]

  • Anonymous

    Hi Gary,

    QOTD: I do not have one!
    Here in Germany it´s hard to get them at this price point. THere are the really cheap ones and the crazy ones, but not a lot arround 30-ish or so…
    Anyway, I travell the USA a lot and I am a bit disappointed with Californian wines (especially Chard and Cab). They tend to be superficial in my point of view (OK I am not talking about the high-end stuff like Martha´s Vineyard, screaming eagle or such things but about reasonable wines). Nevertheless I like Cali Zins a lot.

    BTW: What happened to the oak-monster???

    Take care
    Steven

  • Anonymous

    Continuing my Wine Library SHIPMENTS TO BRAZIL campaign!!

  • Anonymous

    SHIPMENTS TO BRAZIL!!
    SHIPMENTS TO BRAZIL!!
    SHIPMENTS TO BRAZIL!!

  • Anonymous

    Say Castello…..you shouldn’t by any chance be an american citizen?

  • Anonymous

    I’ve been tryin to find some chinon (or other cabernet franc based wine from Loire) in copenhagen for the last two days, and this is all I could come up with….

    http://shop.kogs.dk/product/1018011/bourgueil-domaine-du-petit-clos-2007.aspx

    It’s a tragedy really….I’ll have to start ordering from the Internets soon. I feel like I am missing out on a lot of stuff.

  • Anonymous

    QOTD: I’d put Anderson’s Conn Valley Prologue ($20-$23) up against anything in the under $30 category. Near perfect balance and one of the best wines I’ve had in the last two years.

  • Anonymous

    Yeah. Chile and Napa for sure!

    Sent from my current frame of reference in space time.

  • Anonymous

    : )

    Sent from my current frame of reference in space time.

  • Anonymous

    I loved that part as well. And Gary’s energy when starts screaming about the fans calling him up “because they love the rant”. Rarely ever does he get THAT pumped anymore. The day before yesterday was good energy-wise, though.

  • Anonymous

    Nice, short episode. I like this format, not always but from time to time.

    QOTD. That’s a heavy one. I don’t know a cal cab under 30 bones.
    I’ll try the Martini. If I can find it.

  • Anonymous

    AND TO BELGIUM
    AND TO BELGIUM
    AND TO BELGIUM

  • Anonymous

    That’s right, the oak monster was absent. What a shame.

  • Anonymous

    Oh great! I will check that out… Thanks!

  • Anonymous

    QOTD:Right now my favorite Cabernet is the 2004 Chalk Hill Napa Cabernet selling for $19.99 at a store in NYC. I love this wine for the price! Funky wet earth and raspberry nose and a long finish with fairly balanced tannins. I don’t know how they are selling at this price. Is this cheating Gary? Was it list under $30 or what we can get under $30?

    For a real under $30 deal I like the 2007 Trig Point Cabernet. Alexander Valley and for around $15 a great deal. Again a longer finish than I have aright to expect in a wine at this price.

  • Anonymous

    And I love the format. The head to head battle with smelling both and then tasting both. Even a 2nd taste to really compare.

  • Anonymous

    Good solid show. Direct, to the point and quick. I like the head2head format.

  • Anonymous

    BTW Why is vanilla a hallmark of Napa cabs?

  • Anonymous

    2007 Hansom Cabernet I think made by Cathy Corison is another good one that made need another year or two but very drinkable now at $22

  • Anonymous

    Good compact show. QOTD Chappellet Moutain Cuvee right at $30 always seems to bring it.

  • Anonymous

    Slim pickings here as well when it comes to Chinon, but most wine shops have a bottle or two. Shame really, as I can’t remember ever being disappointed by a Chinon from a price/quality perspective.

  • I know that obviously legally it’s allowed to call that wine a “Napa Cab”, but a full 25% syrah is really stretching things. If it were 75% cab plus 25% other Bdx grapes I wouldn’t mind!

  • Don’t you mean Europe?

  • and 50 the new 25?

  • I see myself more like a Yeats than Spinoza, but yes, life is a philosophy in itself

  • Should be kudos, don’t know why auto picked cusps though.

  • Adam Obregon

    Gary V…You going to be at SOBE fest?

  • Go Mauricio!!!!!!

  • Michael C in MKE

    Great QOTD! Beuhler! Feildstone, Martin Ray.

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