Laura Michael Mixed Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley

Tasting notes & discussion 45

Packages have been upgraded to 2-day transit for increased protection.
Typically $56 - $70/bottle from Laura Michael Wines
Vintage 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Calistoga and Rutherford
Available for AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY
Sold by participating winery or licensee, fulfilled by Wine Country Connect

About Laura Michael Wines: “Laura and Michael Swanton know the many challenges of establishing a boutique winery dedicated to crafting small quantities of fine wine in the Napa Valley. They have experienced them all in their demanding, yet delicious, journey from fledging winery to award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel producers.”

Still a Youngster

TASTING NOTES:
Calistoga - “Cabernet from Barlow Vineyards always exudes dark cherry notes on the nose and on the palate. Aged in 35% new French Oak barrels, the oak frames the beautiful aroma and adds balance to the wine. Still a youngster, this wine really needs to be decanted or saved for several years in your cellar.” (AbV 13.2%, pH 3.65)

Rutherford - “Our Rutherford Cabernet comes from a beautiful site on the western hills of Napa Valley, in the heart of the Rutherford Bench. Dusty characteristics predominate on the palate, with supple tannins framing the bold style of this wine. Red fruit bursts from the glass offering a subtle vanilla note from the French Oak barrels used to age the wine. Decant if you plan to drink in the next few years, or cellar to soften the structure and drink by 2036.” (AbV 14.2%, pH 3.63)

VARIETALS: Cabernet Sauvignon

BARRELS: French oak, 30-40% new.

PAIRS WITH: N/A

THAT REMINDS ME OF: The word youngster. Feels a little dated but still relevant/popular slang. Like it was something that was came about during the early to mid-20th century, right?

Wrong. Do you know how long people have been using the word youngster? Since the 1500’s.

It always felt like something that just sort of spontaneously sprang into existence, but there’s actually a clear etymological origin to it. The suffix -ster existed as a feminine variation of -er, rooted in the Proto-Germanic language preceding Old English. That’s how you ended up with things like spinster, originally meaning a woman who spins threads. (Unmarried women were expected to spin, to the point that spinster became a legally appropriate term to refer to unmarried women around the 1700’s.)

The -ster suffix showed up in increasingly genderless contexts or lost its gendered context as time went on, however, given words like youngster, roadster, and punster. Also, funnily enough, roadster was used before cars existed. People would call horse-drawn carriages roadsters, and even some horses, if they were particularly fun to ride.

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I tend to decant the majority

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What is decanting

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