This Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon has a medium plus dark plum color. Cassis immediately jumps out of the glass which invites more intrigue then subtle grape tannin becomes evident followed by ripe cherry and ultimately baked rhubarb pie notes. The palate entry is super balanced in its acidity and overall weight and its texture is silky in spite of the present burst of sour cherry which folds gently into the soft tannin matrix which will provide the platform for the fruit to display itself as the wine ages. Ripe Bing cherry, subtle mocha and underlying exotic Tahitian vanilla envelop the silky, sexy and elegant finish with a careful balance between acidity and tannins.
Winemaking Notes
The Insider is carefully crafted from grapes grown within 4 sub-districts within the Paso Robles AVA: Adelaida, Templeton Gap, Creston and Santa Margarita Ranch. We vinify each of these vineyards separately and process and ferment each independently to bring the best out of each vineyard. After a 3-4 day cold soak we ferment each Cabernet lot over 3 daily pumpovers prolonging the skin contact until 14 days have elapsed.
We then rack each onto French oak and put the wines through MaloLactic fermentation. The wines are racked and sulfured and laid to rest in 2 year old French oak for a period of 18 months and finished for the final 3 months in new French oak. During its life in the cellar, it is racked 4 times. Once the final blend has been made the final (5th rack) combines our selection of each vineyard which is clearly expressed in the bottle.
Food Pairing
This wine pairs well with Bolognese pastas or stews as well as anything off the grill from seared skirt steak to pan seared Filet Mignon served with truffle mashed potatoes and haricots verts seasoned with sea salt. For a vegetarian option try it with Dal (curried lentils) over basmati rice and serve with yogurt, mint chutney and onion naan. This is a nice Cabernet Sauvignon for sipping anytime and anywhere.
The name “The Insider” comes from the confidentiality agreement we had to sign in order to purchase the grapes from the vines of a well-known winery producing world class wines. With our insider connections and knowledge, we are able to offer you a wine of exceptional quality and pedigree at a price that will amaze.
Vinum Cellars is a small California Winery known for producing wines of the highest quality. The grapes are selected from premium growing areas within California. The wines are made by hand to allow the varietal character to express itself.
Founded in 1997 by first generation, California family winemakers Richard Bruno and Chris Condos in the Napa Valley financing their dream on credit cards. Their focus was then, and remains searching California’s coastal vineyards and special microclimates in search of the best vineyards grown by the state’s best growers. The long-term partners consider their humble roots in the development of products and mandate that each wine offer considerable high quality-to-price ratio. What this means is each wine is literally hand crafted from single vineyards and made with a small lot philosophy. From Coastal Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Vinum makes varietal wines from single vineyards and appellations throughout California.
Our basic winemaking philosophy is to work with great grape growers to develop the best fruit in the vineyard. We pick the grapes at optimal ripeness and gently process the fruit. We are very experimental with yeast strains and use different cultures for each variety. Our whites are barrel fermented slowly and aged Sur Lies in small French Oak barrels. With our reds, skin contact is optimized by the use of small open top fermentors, hand punch downs and extended maceration before pressing. Our belief in the use of older French Oak barrels allows the varietal fruit of our wines to be expressed. We are committed to experimenting and learning new winemaking methods while preserving an old world approach.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Vinum Cellars The Insider, Cabernet Sauvignon
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $119.99 $10/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Vinum Cellars The Insider, Cabernet Sauvignon - $45 = 27.26%
Every party has a wallflower who is more interested in quiet private conversations. Usually there are a few who tend to look around a bit tentatively and then warm up to the music and the energy of the room. And then there is the guy who enters with quiet confidence, the mysterious one who is bold and assured yet complex and dark, becoming the center of attention just by being there.
This wine is that guy.
The 2017 Vinum Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, named “The Insider”, is a rich and deep wine that is everything forward. On first pour, it gives off a bit of antiseptic heat, almost the sensation one has when one licks one’s fingers after using hand sanitizer. Mixed with the heat is a mixture of black and red berries – some cherry, some black berry. In the glass, the wine is a dark ruby, only letting light through on the edges. Its legs are small, but definitely clingy. The heat wore off within 15-20 minutes of pouring.
The wine is very fruit forward, and it tasted strongly of the same blackberry and cherry flavors we smelled. It is dark and jammy, but it isn’t a typical fruit bomb; there is a complexity about it that is intriguing. The wine has a tartness about it that made me feel like it could open up some more, or at least benefit from a year or two of aging. It is also fairly dry, and the aftertaste is a little sharp and cloying. Later in the first glass and more in the second pour, I noted hints of vanilla and my wife noted an earthiness. It wasn’t overtly oaky, but it has a good structure to the wine that gave it character. It isn’t subtle or flirty, but it has a lot that is worth contemplating and savoring.
All in all, we really liked this wine. It is bold enough to be a great accompaniment to a rich, meaty meal, but it was very enjoyable as a back-porch sipper while watching the sun set.
@ejrunion a year ago I would have been clueless about how it feels/tastes to lick your fingers after using hand sanitizer…now I bet most of us know what that tastes like!
@collegebob@losthighwayz True. Though this isn’t a store, it’s a one-off sale… It is pretty eye catching. But, again - it’s subjective.
I buy most of my wine at Costco or a local wine shop. At the former, I look at the notes and choose accordingly. At the latter, I tell them what I’m looking for and take their recommendation, or browse their notes and buy that.
We should encourage that in wine buyers - that what’s on the inside is what counts.
That being said, I ordered some. Sounds like a good value.
@collegebob@losthighwayz@michaelvella It’s hard to make a fair judgement on labels – is the label that way because it’s the product of fancy marketing people trying to get meh wine onto grocery store shelves (ideally a middle or higher shelf location), or is it a genuine careful winemaker trying to compete with the marketing bastards (sorry, I once reluctantly accepted a job with “marketing” in the title, and it was a mistake.)
Equally bad is the text sometimes – maybe less is better, or if there is text, it should describe the vineyard, the microclimates, how the harvest was that year, etc. If it says “wine is a timeless tradition that has been enjoyed by friends together in times of great happiness for all” or some other drivel, I always put the bottle back down (not in my cart.)
@losthighwayz@michaelvella@pmarin I don’t disagree with what has been said, but most of you are fairly wine knowledgeable. I spent some 20 yrs in the wine business, back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, including working for a winery in sales and marketing. Shelf appeal is always something that most wineries are looking at. The average wine buyer shopping in a liquor store or drugstore, or supermarket is looking at price,maybe a description. and the label.
Even the descriptive text used by some of the wineries featured on casemates is also written from the marketing standpoint. If you look at how the “Rats” describe the wine and/or tasting notes from wine writers/magazines you will see a big difference.
90 Points. Dense aromas of black currant, earthy herbs, tobacco and pencil shavings show on the nose of this bottling. Brighter touches of plum and mulberry power the palate, where chopped herbs and graphite flavors add complexity. MK 12/1/2019
I notice it was just offered at reverse wine snob for $64.99 per 4 pack, flat $10 ship fee on any amount of bottles. Guess we need to check there more often to see what’s coming up over here
[What] Pre-espresso error?
I was fortunate enough to get the ticket on this one, and it arrived a couple days in advance, so I was able to try it over the course of a couple days.
Day one - Dark fruit for sure, VERY jammy. Some character, but mostly overwhelmed by fruit. Not a lot of alcohol for me here.
Day 2 - Still a little too jammy for me, but improving. Some of the underlying structure starting to present. On a lark, since we are getting warm weather here, I cooled it down a few degrees, and the wine showed better slightly cooler. Some tannins, still fruit on the finish which was not, to my tasting, particularly long or complex. Something on the nose that I’m not quite sophisticated to identify. Graphite, maybe?
All in all, a decent wine for 10 bucks, and probably very interesting if you’re tastes go more toward the fruit bomb end of the spectrum, but that isn’t really my style. Definitely not a typical Cab.
Given the improvement on the second day, I’m curious how this one would age, and if it would balance out a little more, though there’s not a ton of acid present now.
Hi peeps. I made this wine and can say the first vintage (2012) is a baby. The producer we buy the grapes from has been making their Cab for well north of 20 years and these wines always age very well. But don’t take my word for it, look at the 90 point wine review from Matt Kettmann of the Wine Enthusiast.
@Bruno_Winemaker Welcome, glad you could make it.
Slim chance, but where do the grapes come from and where else are they used?
A bit more history could easily push me, and likely others, over the edge.
What kind of a cellar life are you expecting here…?
2017 The Insider, Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes
90 points
Wine Enthusiast Magazine, October 2019
Winemaking Notes
Food Pairing
Specs
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$318.75 at Vinum Cellars for 12x 2017 The Insider, Cabernet Sauvignon
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, August 17th - Tuesday, August 18th
Vinum Cellars The Insider, Cabernet Sauvignon
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $119.99 $10/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Vinum Cellars The Insider, Cabernet Sauvignon
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Vinum Cellars The Insider, Cabernet Sauvignon - $45 = 27.26%
Every party has a wallflower who is more interested in quiet private conversations. Usually there are a few who tend to look around a bit tentatively and then warm up to the music and the energy of the room. And then there is the guy who enters with quiet confidence, the mysterious one who is bold and assured yet complex and dark, becoming the center of attention just by being there.
This wine is that guy.
The 2017 Vinum Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, named “The Insider”, is a rich and deep wine that is everything forward. On first pour, it gives off a bit of antiseptic heat, almost the sensation one has when one licks one’s fingers after using hand sanitizer. Mixed with the heat is a mixture of black and red berries – some cherry, some black berry. In the glass, the wine is a dark ruby, only letting light through on the edges. Its legs are small, but definitely clingy. The heat wore off within 15-20 minutes of pouring.
The wine is very fruit forward, and it tasted strongly of the same blackberry and cherry flavors we smelled. It is dark and jammy, but it isn’t a typical fruit bomb; there is a complexity about it that is intriguing. The wine has a tartness about it that made me feel like it could open up some more, or at least benefit from a year or two of aging. It is also fairly dry, and the aftertaste is a little sharp and cloying. Later in the first glass and more in the second pour, I noted hints of vanilla and my wife noted an earthiness. It wasn’t overtly oaky, but it has a good structure to the wine that gave it character. It isn’t subtle or flirty, but it has a lot that is worth contemplating and savoring.
All in all, we really liked this wine. It is bold enough to be a great accompaniment to a rich, meaty meal, but it was very enjoyable as a back-porch sipper while watching the sun set.
@ejrunion a year ago I would have been clueless about how it feels/tastes to lick your fingers after using hand sanitizer…now I bet most of us know what that tastes like!
@ejrunion Damn, that intro is oscar worthy. Thanks for the intriguing report
That label though…
@losthighwayz lots of great wine With bad labels! Not saying anything about this one though.
@losthighwayz What’s wrong with the label? Then again, not sure why people care much about them in the first place… So long as the wine is good.
@losthighwayz Reminds me of the Las Vegas sign
@losthighwayz @pete0744
You got a problem with the Las Vegas sign?
@michaelvella it’s ugly!
@losthighwayz I guess that’s subjective. Not sure why anyone would care, tho…
@losthighwayz @michaelvella Marketing. So often it is a label that sells a wine when one is looking in a store.
@CorTot @losthighwayz Yeah, pretty sure this qualifies for most fonts used per square inch!
@collegebob @losthighwayz True. Though this isn’t a store, it’s a one-off sale… It is pretty eye catching. But, again - it’s subjective.
I buy most of my wine at Costco or a local wine shop. At the former, I look at the notes and choose accordingly. At the latter, I tell them what I’m looking for and take their recommendation, or browse their notes and buy that.
We should encourage that in wine buyers - that what’s on the inside is what counts.
That being said, I ordered some. Sounds like a good value.
@collegebob @losthighwayz @michaelvella It’s hard to make a fair judgement on labels – is the label that way because it’s the product of fancy marketing people trying to get meh wine onto grocery store shelves (ideally a middle or higher shelf location), or is it a genuine careful winemaker trying to compete with the marketing bastards (sorry, I once reluctantly accepted a job with “marketing” in the title, and it was a mistake.)
Equally bad is the text sometimes – maybe less is better, or if there is text, it should describe the vineyard, the microclimates, how the harvest was that year, etc. If it says “wine is a timeless tradition that has been enjoyed by friends together in times of great happiness for all” or some other drivel, I always put the bottle back down (not in my cart.)
@losthighwayz @michaelvella @pmarin I don’t disagree with what has been said, but most of you are fairly wine knowledgeable. I spent some 20 yrs in the wine business, back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, including working for a winery in sales and marketing. Shelf appeal is always something that most wineries are looking at. The average wine buyer shopping in a liquor store or drugstore, or supermarket is looking at price,maybe a description. and the label.
Even the descriptive text used by some of the wineries featured on casemates is also written from the marketing standpoint. If you look at how the “Rats” describe the wine and/or tasting notes from wine writers/magazines you will see a big difference.
and that Wine Enthusiast review:
90 Points. Dense aromas of black currant, earthy herbs, tobacco and pencil shavings show on the nose of this bottling. Brighter touches of plum and mulberry power the palate, where chopped herbs and graphite flavors add complexity. MK 12/1/2019
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/the-insider-2017-cabernet-sauvignon-paso-robles/
I notice it was just offered at reverse wine snob for $64.99 per 4 pack, flat $10 ship fee on any amount of bottles. Guess we need to check there more often to see what’s coming up over here
[What] Pre-espresso error?
fwiw
@kaolis Reverse Wine Snob has the Vinum Cellars Pinot Noir, 6 pack for 69.99. You are prophetic!
/giphy absurd-jiggly-barley
I’m in - and I could not resist absurd jiggles
@browncj7 Nic Cage FTW
@browncj7 @KitMarlot Nic Cage LOL
/giphy moral-moist-wrist
Why not, at this price I’ll give it away for xmas if we hate
it!
/giphy hulking-destroyed-salsa
I was fortunate enough to get the ticket on this one, and it arrived a couple days in advance, so I was able to try it over the course of a couple days.
Day one - Dark fruit for sure, VERY jammy. Some character, but mostly overwhelmed by fruit. Not a lot of alcohol for me here.
Day 2 - Still a little too jammy for me, but improving. Some of the underlying structure starting to present. On a lark, since we are getting warm weather here, I cooled it down a few degrees, and the wine showed better slightly cooler. Some tannins, still fruit on the finish which was not, to my tasting, particularly long or complex. Something on the nose that I’m not quite sophisticated to identify. Graphite, maybe?
All in all, a decent wine for 10 bucks, and probably very interesting if you’re tastes go more toward the fruit bomb end of the spectrum, but that isn’t really my style. Definitely not a typical Cab.
Given the improvement on the second day, I’m curious how this one would age, and if it would balance out a little more, though there’s not a ton of acid present now.
@cbrehman This is right up my alley
Hi peeps. I made this wine and can say the first vintage (2012) is a baby. The producer we buy the grapes from has been making their Cab for well north of 20 years and these wines always age very well. But don’t take my word for it, look at the 90 point wine review from Matt Kettmann of the Wine Enthusiast.
@Bruno_Winemaker Welcome, glad you could make it.
Slim chance, but where do the grapes come from and where else are they used?
A bit more history could easily push me, and likely others, over the edge.
What kind of a cellar life are you expecting here…?
We signed an NDA about the grape source so I can’t divulge that info. The wine tastes great now, but will age well for 12+ years.
@Bruno_Winemaker
NDA? Too bad that wasn’t in the write-up. Oh wait, it was.
Anyone in the Tampa area looking to split a case?