Tanya's Taste of Oakville Report 

And Pre-Arrival Offer  

Taste of Oakville is one of Napa's most coveted appellation tastings.  Harlan, Bond, Screaming Eagle along with more small production gems like Stanton, Hoopes, and Detert.  Many excellent wines were poured.  Here are the few that truly stood out in my book and are worth the dollars.  The good news is all of these are well under $100.   

A couple of these are not in the shoppe yet but they are all small production and very limited.  Please don't wait if you are interested in any of these.  Simply reply, shoot me an email at tanya@winestreet.com or give me a call at 760-431-8455 or toll free at 877-653-2162 to get your hands on some of these before they're gone!   Cheers,  Tanya

Stanton Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon $75
Full-bodied, richly structured, and well balanced, this was loaded with luscious blackcurrants, black cherries, chocolate,  vanilla and a touch of baking spices with a long rich finish.  This is Stanton ’s best effort since his first release (`00 vintage), and many of my Napa friends from other shops and restaurants agreed.   Doug Stanton along with winemaker Dave Phinney have blended 93% Oakville Cabernet (planted back in the 1970s) with 7% Petit Sirah to make this truly fantastic Cabernet.  This needs no additional cellar time to enjoy but will definitely get even better with cellar time.  Only 625 cases made

  Gemstone 2005 Facets Proprietary Red $90

  Stunning, rich, fullbodied, and well-structured, this Cabernet based blend is plump and rather sexy with luscious blackcherry-currant fruit, chocolate, espresso bean and baking spices.  This is seamless with the richness, elegance and silky texture that is a hallmark of the incredible talent of Philippe Melka.  50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 11%  Petit Verdot from the Gemstone Vineyard in Yountville where rocky slopes yield only a minuscule crop of intensely flavored small berries. This offers beautiful purity, a solid mid palate with a core of ripe black fruit and a long, lingering finish. 

Gemstone has been called “One of the Stars of the Vintage”  by Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate and featured in  Wine Spectator's  “ California ’s Highest Scoring and Hardest-to-get-Cult Wines”. 

 Detert Family 2005 Cabernet Franc $60

This is no ordinary Cab Franc!  Beautifully structured with a floral nose that opens to generous black currant and blueberry fruit followed by notes of baking chocolate, caramel and coconut.  As with the cabernet sauvignon, this benefits from some air and will age effortlessly for 7-10 years. Only 296 cases produced.  Limited.

These wines, don't miss another release.  The Detert family has been growing grapes in Napa for over 50 years, initially selling grapes to Robert Mondavi & Opus One. The fourth generation of the family to own & operate Detert, winemaker Tom Garrett also works under Heidi Peterson Barrett as the assistant winemaker at Revana.  Detert was named in Wine Spectator's "Napa's Impressive Newcomers -- 10 Names You Should Know and Search Out in your Quest for the Best"

 Hoopes Vineyard 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon $65

I hate to show favorites, but seeing Spencer Hoopes was also at the top of my list this year and the new release is stunning.  100% Estate Cabernet from the southernmost part of Oakville where the soil is full of gravelly loam.  This showed gorgeous dark black cherry and raspberry fruit with flavors of allspice and vanilla in the background.  This concentrated Cabernet shows a deep, dense core of black fruit and a long, lingering finish.  Hoopes is a labor of love; you can taste the passion and distinctive quality in this handcrafted, ageworthy Cabernet.  This is an `05 Cabernet that is ready to enjoy now yet will improve with time in the cellar.  Only 520 cases produced.  Limited.

Kelleher Family Vineyard 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon  Brix Vineyard  $70

Big, structured, deep and loaded with black currants and dark cherries.  This is the first release for the Kelleher Family and this small 9 acre vineyard planted exclusively to Clone 7 Cabernet is just behind Brix Restaurant in Oakville . This full-bodied 100% Cabernet Sauvignon offers a powerful structure with firm tannins that opened up beautifully in the class with several minutes of swirling.  This is a mighty first effort!  Only 360 cases produced.

Ghost Block  2005 Cabernet Sauvignon $64

This was one of the newcomers last year that captured much attention.   I jumped on the `05 right after the event but could only get a couple of cases (even me, go figure).  This is concentrated, rich and mouthcoating with dark blackberry fruit, dark chocolate, espresso and toffee notes with a solid mid-palate and a smooth, long finish.  This is drinking great now and is sure to cellar well.  Very limited.

Wine Street, Inc.  6986 El Camino Real Suite D Carlsbad, CA     

 760-431-8455          toll free: 877-653-2162