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What We Say 2007 Suisan Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
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Mission Codename: The Rustic Heart
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Return to our friends at Trahan Winery and return with their delicious Suisun Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Trahan Winery
Wine Subject: 2007 Suisun Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker: Chuck Custodio
Backgrounder: Located in Solano County, located between Napa Valley and California’s Central Valley, the rustic Suisun Valley AVA retains its own character and diversity of varietals. The region enjoys a long growing season with cool climate dominated by the cooler marine winds coming off the San Francisco Bay. Its sandy and silty loam soil is very well suited to growing Bordeaux varietals.
Today’s delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from the Suisun Valley is aged for 18 months in American Oak barrels. The 2007 vintage in California for Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best in recent history and this wine is an excellent example of the region’s distinct and rustic Terroir.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Dark and deep garnet with a dark but clear heart. Along the edges and through its core, this wine shows subtle magenta hues and when swirled, evenly spaced fast and thin legs race down to the the wine below.
Smell – Bold and rich in intensity with classic dark and black fruit including ripe plum and blackberry leading the way and framed by a solid but not overbearing backbone of toasted oak. A distinct mocha coffee, bittersweet chocolate and licorice component blends with soft earthy and herbal undertones.
Feel – This dry and full-bodied wine is smooth and rich on its initial attack with soft and well developed tannins, a touch of tangy acidity and earthy minerality that glides through the palate and into the finish.
Taste – Abundant dark and black fruit including blackberry, dark plum and ripe black cherry blend with toasted oak and soft black licorice flavors. The mocha coffee and dark chocolate notes from the nose make their appearance on the palate. Soft cigar box, earthy flavors, classic spice and herbal notes adds a very approachable complexity to this delicious wine.
Finish – This wine finishes long and rich with its ripe dark fruit and mocha coffee and chocolate flavors lingering long in the palate as the other flavors fade leaving behind a soft but mouth drying tannins and tangy acidity that invites another sip.
Conclusion – The 2007 Trahan Winery Suisun Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a delicious wine with plenty of rich and ripe dark fruit that blends with its mocha and dark chocolate aromas and flavors. Toss in earthy, woody and sweet spice notes on both the nose and mouth and a rich well-developed mouthfeel and you have a wine that is both elegant and fun to drink. A great wine to cuddle up in front of the roaring fireplace on a cold autumn night or to pair with grilled game meat. Enjoy this wine now or cellar for the next five years.
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The approximate location of the Trahan Winery can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Trahan Winery
About This Wine:
Aged for 18 months in American oak barrels, this Cabernet Sauvignon has fresh aromas of cassis, plum and mocha with a touch of grape jelly. The palate shows judicious fruit: blackberry, ripe plums, grape jolly rancher and hints of mocha and cedar. Firm acid and moderate plus tannins. Enjoy with steaks, ribs, lamb and game meats.
About The Winery:
Located in the heart of the Napa Valley, Trahan Winery is a small, family winery dedicated to creating incredible wines from only the highest quality grapes. The vineyards we choose to work with are hand farmed by small growers dedicated in their own right to producing exceptional fruit. Our passion is to bring joy into our lives and others through our offering of fine wines.
About The Winemaker:
Chuck Custodio (Winemaker/Owner) left the corporate world to study the art and science of winemaking. For four years, he commuted from San Francisco to the top of the Napa Valley, driving four hours per day to learn the trade. Friends began to comment on his dedication: “you’re crazy!,” and “I’d never do that!” Chuck began his career in the wine industry at a couple of Napa’s finest boutique wineries (Vincent Arroyo and Storybook Mountain). “Learn by doing” is his mantra. Due to his diligence, he was rewarded by the creation of Trahan Winery, and the release of his first vintage – 200 cases of 2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – released at his June 19, 2004 wedding to his wife Janna. Keeping in line with his family’s background of dedication to superior farming (Chuck’s family on his Father’s side were migrant farm workers) and winemaking (Chuck’s family on his Mother’s side, the Trahan’s, were grape growers and winemakers way back when in France ), Chuck continues to strive for excellence in the wines he brings to the oenophile’s world with unparalleled passion.
Technical Analysis:
Varietals:
Alcohol: 14.5%
Production: Only 325 Cases
Barrel Regimen: Aged for 18 months in American oak barrels
