Mumm Napa Brut Prestige, Napa Valley

I had previously selected the wines to taste for the second week of the California Wine Appellation Specialist program at the San Francisco Wine School when my instructor threw a curve. One of the wines had to be similar to one of the wines I wrote about the previous week from Mendocino County. Since the two wines from Mendocino included a Gewürztraminer and a sparkling wine, I visited several wine shops looking for matches. There is Gewürztraminer made in the Napa Valley; however, none were found in any wine shops where I checked. I had better fortune with a sparkling wine and settled on the Mumm Napa Brut Prestige, Napa Valley.

Mumm Napa Brut Prestige

The Mumm Napa Brut Prestige was a non-vintage sparkling wine made of Pinot Noir 51%, Chardonnay 46%, Pinot Meunier 2% and Pinot Gris 1%. The 12.5% alcohol wine offered a peach color with aromas and tastes reminding me of floral blossoms, peaches and freshly baked bread. There was a small column of tiny persistent bubbles on this wine that sold for $26 at a local wine shop. The sparkling wine had a light to medium body, was dry, had no tannins and offered medium acid. A year ago, Kathy and I visited G.H. Mumm in Reims, France. It was nice to try the Mumm Napa.

2012 Caymus 40th Anniversary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2012 Caymus 40th Anniversary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

I had an opportunity to taste the 2012 Caymus 40th Anniversary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon of Caymus Vineyards during a webcast for its release. Chuck Wagner introduced the wine while writers throughout the country tasted and tweeted.The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were sourced from Caymus vineyards throughout Napa Valley AVA. The 14.6% alcohol wine sells for $54.99 at Total Wine in Laurel, MD. The Caymus Vineyards website has a tribute the Chuck Wagner’s mother that passed away last year.

The wine was a dark garnet color that was opaque. There was no sediment in the bottle or wine glass. The aroma and taste offered blackberries, plums, cassis, spices, licorice and leather. The full bodied wine was dry; however, there was a perceived sweetness from the fruit. The acid was medium as were the tannins. I would rate the wine 4.5 mostly because the wine had a profile of a wine I like. It did not receive a 5.0 because I like more aggressive tannins. I would love to try this Cabernet Sauvignon in 10 years.

My wine a 2009 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

My Wine

My first introduction to the Atlas Peak AVA was in 2009. I was asked to join a group making a barrel of wine with grapes sourced from Stagecoach Vineyards. The wine was to be a co-fermented blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 90% and Merlot 10%. The grapes arrived at Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Clarksville, Maryland in pristine condition. The grapes were packed in lugs and shipped on a refrigerated truck. The group selected a yeast and then made wine. After a week of fermentation, we pressed the must and transferred the wine to an American Oak barrel. It was bottled in August of 2010 after nine months of aging. The wine has now been bottle aging for almost four years.

The 2009 Tin Lizzie Wineworks Atlas Peak AVA Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot was a blend of  Cabernet Sauvignon 90% and Merlot 10%. The 14.2% alcohol wine is not for sale. Technical data about the wine can be found on the website. The wine was a dark opaque ruby with no sediment in the glass or bottle. The aroma and taste reminded me of blackberry, blueberry, cassis, cherry, leather and cloves. The full bodied wine was dry with medium acid and medium-high tannins. I do not feel comfortable rating the wine since I made it. It is a treat to drink it now that it has had some bottle aging. When I first made this wine, I vowed to never put Napa Valley Cabernet in American oak. My current 2012 Atlas Peak AVA Cabernet Sauvignon is in a Taransaud French oak barrel.

Cheers,
Terry