Balanced by the various appellations that make up this blend, our Napa Cabernet is classic in style and defined by the diversity among the vineyards we source from. Deep notes of chocolate-covered cherry, dense cassis, and touches of cacao nib. Fresh blueberry throughout, with allspice, green peppercorn, and supple integrated tannins.
The Vineyards
Sourced heavily from Coombsville and Rutherford, and blended with carefully selected pieces from some of our most revered premium Napa Valley vineyard sites, this wine exemplifies the varied and complementary styles that define each sub-appellation. The diversity among the vineyards ultimately gives us the advantage of being able to blend a wine that displays the intense aromas and flavors that are characteristic to each unique region.
Vintage Notes
Record-setting rain and cooler temperatures lengthened dormancy, with first signs of budbreak mid-march. Hotter than average days in June and July brought harvest mid-August with lower than average yields across all varieties.
Winemaking Notes
Our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted using classic, labor-intensive, small-lot winemaking techniques that produce in the enhanced flavors and textures that consistently characterize our wines. The contributing vineyards were cold-soaked for 4 days, then spent two weeks in open-top fermenters, where they were gently punched down by hand.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Varietal Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Coombsville, Rutherford, Stags Leap District
Barrel Regime: Aged for 16 months in 50% new French oak barrels
Brix at Harvest: 25.2˚
pH: 3.76 g/L
Total Acidity: 5.4
Alcohol: 14.1%
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
4x 2017 Martin Ray Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Case:
12x 2017 Martin Ray Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The name Martin Ray resonates deeply in the history of California Winemaking. Martin Ray was a pioneer, dedicated to crafting single varietal, region-specific wine from 1943 through 1972 in Saratoga, in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mentored by Paul Masson, he took a Burgundian approach to his winemaking and developed what is now one of the most historic properties in California, known as Mount Eden.
Nearly twenty years later, Courtney Benham stumbled upon 1500 cases of Martin Ray wine in a San Jose warehouse. Recognizing his good fortune, and his intent and drive to produce terroir-driven wines, Ray’s historical significance and philosophy resonated with him. Courtney purchased the brand, and since 1990 has been committed to the production of artisanal wines worthy of the Martin Ray name.
In 2003, Martin Ray Vineyards & Winery made its home in the Russian River Valley, on the edge of Green Valley at one of the oldest continually working wineries in California. Today, Courtney and his winemaking team devote themselves to Ray’s ideology of making “wines of place”, by sourcing from hillside and valley floor fruit, they are relentless at telling the story of each exceptional appellation and vineyard.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Martin Ray Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
4 bottles for $79.99 $20/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
@Winedavid49 Yeah, I know. And we’re lucky in SoCal. but it does have a twist off… and that ~$17 is tough to match. You have us spoiled.
We expect rats?
I recently bought a case of the 2017 Santa Cruz that was offered here. If anyone in IL buys a case, would be willing to swap some of mine for some of yours
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 - Martin Ray Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - $40 = 16.66%
Ok, I can’t remember how to insert the LabRat banner and I can’t find it on the site! It’s 2:10 in the morning, so here’s my report:
The doorbell rang unexpectedly on Thursday. There was our UPS man holding a single bottle box of wine. Before I opened the box, I checked both email accounts to see if this was going to be a Golden Ticket. No emails from Casemates so I sent a quick email to Ariana. Since I’m high risk for the COVID19, I then opened the box in the garage to find a 2017 Napa Valley Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon. The bottle temperature was 64 F so I wasn’t going to open it until it got a chance to come up to room temp. A short time later both Ariana and Alice confirmed that the wine was the Monday-Tuesday offer. That was great news because it gave the bottle time to settle down. Thank you Casemates for selecting me. It’s been some crazy months for me dating back to December 2019.
Ok, I opened the screw top bottle on Saturday afternoon at 2:45 pm and smelled the contents of the just opened bottle…sweet leather on the nose. I then poured a tiny amount into my every day wine glass. The wine looks like a medium body wine. Swirling showed very long legs. On the nose I now got a candied dark cherry fruit and a small amount of alcohol. The initial taste was of smooth candied dark cherry and cranberry and the same into the mid-palate with slight acidity, chalky tannins, and light alcohol into the lingering finish. My first impression at this point was that it was a well-balanced medium body Cabernet Sauvignon. No peaks, no valleys!
After an hour, I made another pour. On the nose this time some spice came through with dark cherry and light alcohol. On the 2nd tasting, this is definitely a medium body wine. The spice that the nose picked up was there along with a slightly tart dark cherry profile, again with light acidity and tannins on the finish. Again, the wine was well balanced.
I next wanted to see how it held up to food. We had corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and baby carrots made in our InstaPot. With the food, the wine seemed to fade and I mainly got the spice, light tartness, and acidity on the finish. Not sure where the dark cherry went! I was kind of disappointed how it held up to the food.
At 5:30 pm, I poured more wine which was very easy on the nose with dark cherry spice. The tasting brought back the candied dark cherry spice followed by a little acidity and alcohol on the finish.
My Saturday synopsis was that this was definitely a medium body, everyday well balanced Cab. It’s not the heavy full bodied Cab that I’d cellar for 10 to 15 years. I think I’d classify it as a nice party wine for a couple of years! Price wise based on Casemates Cab offerings of wine with these characteristics, I think it will fall in the $10 to $15/btl range. West Coast prices, maybe $25 to $35/btl range.
I always love to see how wine holds up on the 2nd day. Sunday was a very busy day outside since it stopped raining. Catch up yardwork for two yards! Ok, I thought the wine faded some. Less fruit, more acidity and tartness. We had scalloped potatoes and ham tonight and the wine profile didn’t change with food. Later in the evening, I tried it with dark chocolate, some of the Wine Lover’s 72% Cacao and some dark chocolate the wife and daughter had stashed from me! I was very disappointed with the outcome. It wasn’t a good pairing with this wine! That’s it folks, Time to put this tired body to bed!
@MarkDaSpark@rjquillin Thanks for the info that I can use in the future! In my situation I had to pair it with something that we had on hand due to my situation! I know I was pushing it with the CB&C, but if the wine excelled, it would be a kick azz outcome! The chocolate result really stumped me!! Thanks guys for the input!!
@Boatman72@rjquillin Not sure I understand your confusion, Ron. It’s well known that lower temperatures obscure certain aromatic compounds and accentuate the perception of acidity. Certain things (e.g. alcohol) blow off more efficiently at higher temps as well. Most people, even though I disagree, think room temp is like 24-25 degrees. For me, 21 is ideal.
@Boatman72@klezman
Ok. I generally agree, but 64F ~17.8C and only 2C below your optimal. I’m just asking what was considered “room temp”? 25C = 77F and well above what I consider optimal for a red.
The text to Mr. Suckling’s review referenced above:
93 points
“Rich and dense red with ripe berries and currants, as well as spices and hints of vanilla. Medium-to full-bodied with soft and round tannins. Juicy fruit. Outstanding. Serious at this price. Drink or hold.” (2/2020)
As mentioned too this is all over for around $20 plus the ship of course so around $280 case price
What happens when two guilty pleasures meet? A fantastic evening. It so happens that after a mysterious UPS package notification, I received a mystery bottle of wine. Huzzah! Upon further inspection, the bottle turns out to be a beautifully labeled bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. What wonderful timing for Sunday date night! With three kids, at home all the freaking time, what could be better than a bit of Red Wine and When Calls the Heart?! So, putting the kids down early, we sat down to enjoy our show. And boy, did the Cabernet make known it was winning the Emmy last night. On my nose, I gathered hints of cinnamon and chocolate. Beautiful in it’s color, a majestic red close to #A40000 (Dark Candy Apple Red). Nicely dry, the feel was smooth, and yet supple. There is no way any bottle of this will make it more than a month in the house, it is much too good. We did not taste it with food, alas, we were to exhausted to get up from the couch. Fantastic wine, and I’ll be in for a few.
With shipping and tax…yes you have to add that to the casemates price too… probably about five bucks a bottle cheaper here on a case…not exactly screaming but a good deal if the wine is worth the tariff in the first place. And it may be, no idea. Note that @boatman72 put it in the $10-$15 bucket.
@losthighwayz@MarkDaSpark also K&L offers shipping to very few states, about 15 or so if I recall. Although they used to have some workarounds if you called them. Don’t know if that is still true or not.
@Boatman72@kaolis I agree a good deal but in no way screaming. I suppose it depends how one subjectively defines screaming. IH unoaked, Noceto 24 pack of 375s, and Scott Harvey mixed reds for around $12/piece are screaming. Current offer not so much. I guess WD touting it as such because of two lab rats. (One pegging wine in the $10-$15 range) got me going lol
It’s 2.5 weeks after I bought a case and I just opened a bottle (after I let the case sit in my decontamination chamber for a few days). I’m coming here to say (probably where no one will ever see) that this is a truly delightful wine. It goes beyond great QPR; it’s just a really good glass of wine. I just wish I were eating something more worthy of it than Elio’s pizza.
No, I have been here since wine woot. I received an email about the most recent offering but it went to an old offering where it was closed. Then I went back to the offering and it worked, I have not even been on the site I simply went to buy the wine on the email that hit my inbox a few minutes before. Even my login had issues so clearly a bug. Do people really troll wine sites? Links? No links in my post.
@finewiner Yeah, trollers do show up periodically, their links seem to want to sell us term papers. This crew probably is not the best audience for that.
I think @karenhynes’s “they” was a reference to trollers in general, and not a use of the “they” in lieu of “he” or “she” to refer to you. (IOW, don’t take it personally.)
@finewiner
Apologies if I offended you. I thought your user name sounded familiar but you’ve not posted lately.
Sounds like you got caught up in internet weirdness and accidentally woke up an old thread.
Yes, people troll wine sites pretty frequently. They tend to post on really old threads and usually drop in weird/suspicious links. rjquillin had a magic wand and makes them disappear.
Again, apologies…I didn’t mean to imply you were a troll.
Cheers
KH
@finewiner@karenhynes
and sometimes a light touch is the right touch.
It dawned on me, hours after sunrise, you were referenced the email that goes out 24 hours after launch, except for Friday offers, when it’s, hopefully, immediate.
@finewiner Word to the wise…if you want to get in on all offers early, then find and follow chipgreen’s “How much are you saving” thread. The emails for the Sat/Mon/Wed offers goes out 24 hours after the offer goes live and so on hot offers you could miss it.
@finewiner@klezman Or…just check Casemates every Mon., Wed., Fri., and Sat. mornings. My browser seems to go there automatically. Rarely miss a deal…no FOMO for me…
Tasting Notes
93 Points, James Suckling
The Vineyards
Sourced heavily from Coombsville and Rutherford, and blended with carefully selected pieces from some of our most revered premium Napa Valley vineyard sites, this wine exemplifies the varied and complementary styles that define each sub-appellation. The diversity among the vineyards ultimately gives us the advantage of being able to blend a wine that displays the intense aromas and flavors that are characteristic to each unique region.
Vintage Notes
Record-setting rain and cooler temperatures lengthened dormancy, with first signs of budbreak mid-march. Hotter than average days in June and July brought harvest mid-August with lower than average yields across all varieties.
Winemaking Notes
Our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted using classic, labor-intensive, small-lot winemaking techniques that produce in the enhanced flavors and textures that consistently characterize our wines. The contributing vineyards were cold-soaked for 4 days, then spent two weeks in open-top fermenters, where they were gently punched down by hand.
Specs
Barrel Regime: Aged for 16 months in 50% new French oak barrels
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$382.50 a Case at Martin Ray Vineyards & Winery
About The Winery
Winery:Martin Ray Vineyards & Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, May 14th - Monday, May 18th
Martin Ray Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
4 bottles for $79.99 $20/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Martin Ray Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
EZ to pick up a $20 bottle to sample in SoCal;
not so easy to match that case price.
@rjquillin Napa cab for $16-$17.00 per bottle.
i mean, man…
@Winedavid49 Yeah, I know. And we’re lucky in SoCal. but it does have a twist off… and that ~$17 is tough to match. You have us spoiled.
We expect rats?
@rjquillin @Winedavid49 I am hoping for some rats.
@rjquillin @Winedavid49 Love the twist Off cap!
I recently bought a case of the 2017 Santa Cruz that was offered here. If anyone in IL buys a case, would be willing to swap some of mine for some of yours
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 - Martin Ray Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - $40 = 16.66%
Ok, I can’t remember how to insert the LabRat banner and I can’t find it on the site! It’s 2:10 in the morning, so here’s my report:
The doorbell rang unexpectedly on Thursday. There was our UPS man holding a single bottle box of wine. Before I opened the box, I checked both email accounts to see if this was going to be a Golden Ticket. No emails from Casemates so I sent a quick email to Ariana. Since I’m high risk for the COVID19, I then opened the box in the garage to find a 2017 Napa Valley Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon. The bottle temperature was 64 F so I wasn’t going to open it until it got a chance to come up to room temp. A short time later both Ariana and Alice confirmed that the wine was the Monday-Tuesday offer. That was great news because it gave the bottle time to settle down. Thank you Casemates for selecting me. It’s been some crazy months for me dating back to December 2019.
Ok, I opened the screw top bottle on Saturday afternoon at 2:45 pm and smelled the contents of the just opened bottle…sweet leather on the nose. I then poured a tiny amount into my every day wine glass. The wine looks like a medium body wine. Swirling showed very long legs. On the nose I now got a candied dark cherry fruit and a small amount of alcohol. The initial taste was of smooth candied dark cherry and cranberry and the same into the mid-palate with slight acidity, chalky tannins, and light alcohol into the lingering finish. My first impression at this point was that it was a well-balanced medium body Cabernet Sauvignon. No peaks, no valleys!
After an hour, I made another pour. On the nose this time some spice came through with dark cherry and light alcohol. On the 2nd tasting, this is definitely a medium body wine. The spice that the nose picked up was there along with a slightly tart dark cherry profile, again with light acidity and tannins on the finish. Again, the wine was well balanced.
I next wanted to see how it held up to food. We had corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and baby carrots made in our InstaPot. With the food, the wine seemed to fade and I mainly got the spice, light tartness, and acidity on the finish. Not sure where the dark cherry went! I was kind of disappointed how it held up to the food.
At 5:30 pm, I poured more wine which was very easy on the nose with dark cherry spice. The tasting brought back the candied dark cherry spice followed by a little acidity and alcohol on the finish.
My Saturday synopsis was that this was definitely a medium body, everyday well balanced Cab. It’s not the heavy full bodied Cab that I’d cellar for 10 to 15 years. I think I’d classify it as a nice party wine for a couple of years! Price wise based on Casemates Cab offerings of wine with these characteristics, I think it will fall in the $10 to $15/btl range. West Coast prices, maybe $25 to $35/btl range.
I always love to see how wine holds up on the 2nd day. Sunday was a very busy day outside since it stopped raining. Catch up yardwork for two yards! Ok, I thought the wine faded some. Less fruit, more acidity and tartness. We had scalloped potatoes and ham tonight and the wine profile didn’t change with food. Later in the evening, I tried it with dark chocolate, some of the Wine Lover’s 72% Cacao and some dark chocolate the wife and daughter had stashed from me! I was very disappointed with the outcome. It wasn’t a good pairing with this wine! That’s it folks, Time to put this tired body to bed!
@Boatman72. Nice report. But correct on the pairings! Cab needs more hearty meats: steak, lamb, beef dishes, etc.
@Boatman72 @MarkDaSpark
Tough to pair anything with CB&C.
@rjquillin Murphy’s Irish Stout?
@Boatman72 Really appreciate you taking the time to give such an extensive report. I always learn something.
@MarkDaSpark @rjquillin Thanks for the info that I can use in the future! In my situation I had to pair it with something that we had on hand due to my situation! I know I was pushing it with the CB&C, but if the wine excelled, it would be a kick azz outcome! The chocolate result really stumped me!! Thanks guys for the input!!
@KitMarlot That, or Guinness for the go-to beverage would work just fine.
@Boatman72
I’m rather curious about this comment
What’s wrong with 64, when a ‘normal’ cellar is closer to 55? What is your “room temp”? Why?
@Boatman72 @rjquillin Not sure I understand your confusion, Ron. It’s well known that lower temperatures obscure certain aromatic compounds and accentuate the perception of acidity. Certain things (e.g. alcohol) blow off more efficiently at higher temps as well. Most people, even though I disagree, think room temp is like 24-25 degrees. For me, 21 is ideal.
@Boatman72 @klezman
Ok. I generally agree, but 64F ~17.8C and only 2C below your optimal. I’m just asking what was considered “room temp”? 25C = 77F and well above what I consider optimal for a red.
The text to Mr. Suckling’s review referenced above:
93 points
“Rich and dense red with ripe berries and currants, as well as spices and hints of vanilla. Medium-to full-bodied with soft and round tannins. Juicy fruit. Outstanding. Serious at this price. Drink or hold.” (2/2020)
As mentioned too this is all over for around $20 plus the ship of course so around $280 case price
When Calls the Cabernet
What happens when two guilty pleasures meet? A fantastic evening. It so happens that after a mysterious UPS package notification, I received a mystery bottle of wine. Huzzah! Upon further inspection, the bottle turns out to be a beautifully labeled bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. What wonderful timing for Sunday date night! With three kids, at home all the freaking time, what could be better than a bit of Red Wine and When Calls the Heart?! So, putting the kids down early, we sat down to enjoy our show. And boy, did the Cabernet make known it was winning the Emmy last night. On my nose, I gathered hints of cinnamon and chocolate. Beautiful in it’s color, a majestic red close to #A40000 (Dark Candy Apple Red). Nicely dry, the feel was smooth, and yet supple. There is no way any bottle of this will make it more than a month in the house, it is much too good. We did not taste it with food, alas, we were to exhausted to get up from the couch. Fantastic wine, and I’ll be in for a few.
@alacercogitatus What a great way to start the week with a “date night” and a Napa Cab. Love the color # you assigned. Thanks for the report
yea, this is a screaming deal. great labrat reports!
/giphy red-tricky-substance
/giphy difficult-drifting-learning
Well not sure it’s a screaming deal since $20 per seems to be the avg price! Good deal seems more fitting
@losthighwayz $199.99 per case = $16.66 /btl
Can’t seem to find a price anywhere on Searchers this good
With shipping and tax…yes you have to add that to the casemates price too… probably about five bucks a bottle cheaper here on a case…not exactly screaming but a good deal if the wine is worth the tariff in the first place. And it may be, no idea. Note that @boatman72 put it in the $10-$15 bucket.
@Boatman72 @kaolis IKR? I’m teetering on the fence!
@losthighwayz. Case price is good, K&L has it $19.95 per bottle. But no Will Call, so shipping adds up.
@losthighwayz @MarkDaSpark also K&L offers shipping to very few states, about 15 or so if I recall. Although they used to have some workarounds if you called them. Don’t know if that is still true or not.
@Boatman72 @kaolis I agree a good deal but in no way screaming. I suppose it depends how one subjectively defines screaming. IH unoaked, Noceto 24 pack of 375s, and Scott Harvey mixed reds for around $12/piece are screaming. Current offer not so much. I guess WD touting it as such because of two lab rats. (One pegging wine in the $10-$15 range) got me going lol
@jrbw3 @kasandrae anyone thinking about a split?
@ttboy23 passing on this one Tom
Oh what the hell. I’m in for a case. From the stats and rats, it looks like a solid cab for the price.
It’s 2.5 weeks after I bought a case and I just opened a bottle (after I let the case sit in my decontamination chamber for a few days). I’m coming here to say (probably where no one will ever see) that this is a truly delightful wine. It goes beyond great QPR; it’s just a really good glass of wine. I just wish I were eating something more worthy of it than Elio’s pizza.
@trapuh yay! Thanks.
@trapuh Totally with you! Great QPR and the anti screw cap crowd be damned. This is not Winesmith or Peter W,but an exceptional offer.
@foxrunner Perhaps I’m just a Philistine, but I am actually enjoying this a lot more than any of the Winesmith bottles I have.
Just got the Email read one comment and it’s gone;(
@finewiner @rjquillin I smell something afoot…
@bunnymasseuse @finewiner
email from…?
@bunnymasseuse @finewiner @rjquillin The Caseemates email from when this sale ran, two months ago?
@bunnymasseuse @finewiner @InFrom @rjquillin i don’t understand.
@bunnymasseuse @finewiner @InFrom @rjquillin @Winedavid49
I think bunny was alerting RJQ that finewiner might be troll…though they usually drop suspicious looking links when they post on an offer from 15 months ago.
No, I have been here since wine woot. I received an email about the most recent offering but it went to an old offering where it was closed. Then I went back to the offering and it worked, I have not even been on the site I simply went to buy the wine on the email that hit my inbox a few minutes before. Even my login had issues so clearly a bug. Do people really troll wine sites? Links? No links in my post.
@finewiner Yeah, trollers do show up periodically, their links seem to want to sell us term papers. This crew probably is not the best audience for that.
I think @karenhynes’s “they” was a reference to trollers in general, and not a use of the “they” in lieu of “he” or “she” to refer to you. (IOW, don’t take it personally.)
@finewiner
Apologies if I offended you. I thought your user name sounded familiar but you’ve not posted lately.
Sounds like you got caught up in internet weirdness and accidentally woke up an old thread.
Yes, people troll wine sites pretty frequently. They tend to post on really old threads and usually drop in weird/suspicious links. rjquillin had a magic wand and makes them disappear.
Again, apologies…I didn’t mean to imply you were a troll.
Cheers
KH
@finewiner @karenhynes
and sometimes a light touch is the right touch.
It dawned on me, hours after sunrise, you were referenced the email that goes out 24 hours after launch, except for Friday offers, when it’s, hopefully, immediate.
No worries. No idea how my email from yesterday took me to another wine but all that matters is a got the case
@finewiner Word to the wise…if you want to get in on all offers early, then find and follow chipgreen’s “How much are you saving” thread. The emails for the Sat/Mon/Wed offers goes out 24 hours after the offer goes live and so on hot offers you could miss it.
@finewiner @klezman Or…just check Casemates every Mon., Wed., Fri., and Sat. mornings. My browser seems to go there automatically. Rarely miss a deal…no FOMO for me…