B Side North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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The B Side Cabernet Sauvignon is a deeply concentrated and expressive wine. Aromas of boysenberry, blackberry, currants, Kalamata olive, and dried lavender are pronounced on the nose. This is a full-bodied wine with juicy layers of dark fruit, jam, baked pie, and hints of cinnamon flavor. The brooding fruit is quintessential Napa and Sonoma and with ripe, powdery tannins the wine is soft and easy to enjoy in its youth. The wine is aged for 12 months in predominately French oak barrels (Francois Frere & Radoux) with a small portion seeing time in American Oak. The toasty French oak frames the wine and the addition of a small amount of American oak gives a pleasing, sweet coconut lift. This overall wine is deep, well-structured, and intensely flavored with soft tannins and a lengthy finish.
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petite Sirah, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc.
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Wine Enthusiast
Handsome, smooth and layered, this full-bodied wine marries plenty of delicious ripe black plums and blueberries with well-integrated oak accents of vanilla, cedar and cinnamon. Its texture is velvety, braced by fine-grained tannin's that seamlessly support wonderful fruit and mocha notes.
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2017-
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Wilfred
Wong
The inaugural release of B Side Cabernet Sauvignon features grapes from vineyards on the flip-side of Napa Valley. These vineyards are nestled in rural areas or rolling hills, just a few miles from of the high-priced glamour wineries featured along Highway 29.
The eastern side of Napa Valley includes areas such as Pope Valley, Chiles Valley, Wooden Valley, Stags Leap District and lower Calistoga. Vines in these areas, are grown in thin, volcanic soils, which yield smaller, more concentrated fruit, producing Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignons with classic berry and cassis flavors.
Wooden Valley is a lesser-known area of Napa Valley, but has recently caught the attention of critics. Located east of the town of Napa, this small, round little valley is only about 2 miles wide, but has a history of grape growing since the early 20th century. While Calistoga is know for its pampering spas, before reaching this luxurious little town, there is a stretch of rural, rustic land. A large portion of our grapes, come from this lower area of Calistoga. These vineyards have been farmed by the same family for 60 years.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.