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Pick Your Cabernet
Issue: September 2024
A good cabernet is made for the sensual delights that come with the shifting of the seasons.
Some things are hard to argue with, like fall being the perfect time of year to fire up the grill for one last hurrah on Labor Day. That there’s no better way to celebrate the season than to pair a hearty grilled steak with a Napa cabernet.
For it’s true that these labels demand rich fatty meats, simply prepared; that the saltiness and fatty marbling of the beef crave the grippy tannins and forward black fruit notes of the wine.
It was equivalent to the shot heard round the world. In 1976, Napa Valley Cabernets were thrust onto the global stage at a tasting competition in Paris—often referred to as the “Judgment of Paris.” Napa’s 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon notably triumphed over some of France’s top wines, a victory that significantly shifted the wine world’s focus towards California.
Yet though it’s likely that none are likely to become your Tuesday night go-to, you need not empty your bank account to take a trip down Napa Valleys’ legendary Highway 29 or Silverado Trail.
Under $40
Beaulieu Vineyards BV Napa Valley Cabernet 2020 – One of the pioneers of Napa Valley and for just under $30 you can get an incredibly drinkable crowd-pleasing wine with a bouquet of dark red berry fruit and a long savory finish.
Charles Krug Napa Valley Cabernet 2020: Another historic winery established by a Prussian immigrant in 1861, produces a Cabernet that melds cherries and currants with hints of minty herbs and vanilla.
Truchard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 – A Notable value (about $30) in the category of under $40 Napa cabs (now thought of as an endangered species). A gently herbal wine with hints of thyme that blend with black olive and black cherry notes.
Girard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021: Taut and juicy with aromas of cherries and dried herbs plus hints of cedar and vanilla.
For the big splurge: over $50
Stag’s Leap “Artemis” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020: This plush, delicious and fruit-drenched wine pairs wonderful black fruit nuances of crème de cassis and black cherries with subtle, layered oak spices of new leather, tobacco and graphite.
Frog’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon: Congratulations to John Williams, credited with making wines of balance and restraint that are a direct link to Napa’s past. Red cherry/plum fruit, spice, tobacco and mocha lend quite a bit of aromatic nuance to this mid-weight, super-expressive cabernet.
