WTN: Some Napa Cabs
When we had our tasting of grass-fed beef, I decided to also taste some of the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon I've received as samples in the last few months.
2000 Narsai Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Bay Area foodies will recognize Narsai David's name. His distinctive high-pitched voice fills local radio airways from KCBS's In the Kitchen program, and his colorful bow ties garnish his presence at food events around the Bay. The Tony-award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theater named a courtyard after him to recognize his contributions to the community, and one of the Rep's biggest fund-raising events is the Narsai Toast.
His involvement with Berkeley's Potluck restaurant allowed him to launch his upscale restaurant Narsai's nearby in 1971, and after the restaurant closed in the mid-1980's he licensed his name to a variety of specialty products.
Narsai's passion for food spilled into wine. Narsai's was one of the first restaurants to receive a Wine Spectator Grand Award. He helped organize the popular Winesong! auction in Fort Bragg. He owns his own vineyard, and now oversees a winery that uses his grapes and bottles them under his famous name (presumably someone else does the wine making, as David lives in Berkeley).
His Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is a good, well-balanced wine. But it's not anything like a Napa Cab. It wouldn't surprise me if it turned out that this was a mislabeled Pinot Noir. Bright cherry flavors? Low tannins? High acidity? None of those bell pepper qualities I often get from Napa's most expensive grape? It would throw me for a loop if I faced it in a blind tasting. I suppose I prefer friendly Cabernets to the extracted California Pinot Noirs I often taste. Drink if you like friendly red wines, not if you like Napa Cabs.
2003 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
The Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon, on the other hand, tastes exactly like an average Napa Cab. Which means I don't like it. Lots of bell pepper aromas (which is what turns me off from the grape, even in Bordeaux, though I don't mind it in Sauvignon Blanc) mingled with a surprising soft strawberry note. This heavy wine has harsh acidity, high tannins, little flavor, and a a high-alcohol finish. I wouldn't even say it went well with the steak.
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