Sorry, The Wine Spies doesn't support Internet Explorer anymore. Please use a newer browser to continue browsing our wine collections.
What We Say 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes even better than that, as is the case with today’s wine from Oakville Ranch Vineyards.
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!: Today’s wine is one of the very best 2004 Cabs we have featured
FREE SHIPPING ALERT!: Use Promotional Code CABSPY for Free Ground Shipping on orders of 6 bottles or more
LIMITED AVAILABILITY ALERT!: This superior 94-point wine is quantity-limited, so please be sure to order early to assure yourself an allocation
Mission Codename: Ultimate “Expressivity”
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Investigate reports that Oakville Ranch has an incredible Cabernet Sauvignon. If accurate, infiltrate the winery and procure bottles for our thirsty Operatives
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Oakville Ranch Vineyards
Wine Subject: 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker: Ashley Heisey
Backgrounder: Napa Valley is revered worldwide as the ultimate area in which to produce Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2004 vintage, in particular, has produced the best examples on record. Top producers include Silver Oak, Phelps, Opus One and Groth, all of whom are close neighbors to Oakville Ranch Vineyards. Today we send Agent Red to investigate reports of an amazing ’04 Cab from Oakville Ranch. Read his tasting notes below – and find out that this wine may be even better than the $100 Cabs from neighboring wineries.
Tasting Notes:
Look – Dark ruby in color with a great clarity through its darker heart and glistening pink-purple edges. The legs on this wine are thick and slow indicative of a fuller-bodied wine
Smell – Large intensity of nose with layers of red fruit, oak and floral and smoky rose petals. As this wine opens up a distinct aroma of raspberry and cherry emerge
Feel – Round and wet at the very tip of the tongue, but as the wine moves across your palate, a velvety dryness appears. Overall, the wine is smooth and full-bodied with solid tannic structure that doesn’t overpower the layered flavors
Taste – Solid and rich (but not overpowering) flavors of cherry, blackberry, raspberry and cassis, with hints of sweet oak and mild black pepper. As this wine opens up, subtlest hints natural cherry cola emerge (there is nothing artificial about this wine)
Finish – A fantastic long and smooth finish with its component flavors slowly fading
Conclusion – This is an amazing and incredible Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that absolutely belongs on your personal wine list. This is an elegant and refined wine with incredible flavor and structure. The layer upon layer of aromas and flavors excite and invite you to sip and swirl and ponder this wine as you enjoy glass after glass… Can you tell that I love this wine? Well, then click that big blue button and get yourself some before we run out.
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Oakville Ranch Vineyard can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Oakville Ranch Vineyards
Check out The Wine Spies on Wine Library TV
Awards & Accolades:
94 Points, Robert Whitley, Wine Review Online, Oct 30, 2007 – “The Oakville Ranch Cabernet style is full-throttle Napa Valley red wine, an approach that combines power and finesse in a way that is unique to the Napa Valley. This richly layered Cabernet offers concentrated red-fruit aromas, a sensuous density and texture in the mouth, voluptuous sweet tannins and an array of subtle nuances such as spicy vanilla, mocha and savory herbs. What’s remarkable is the ‘04 Oakville Ranch Cab doesn’t come off heavy and cloying, though it is most certainly full-bodied and bold. This is a fully extracted, powerhouse Napa Valley Cab that maintains its freshness and balance, and hence its universal appeal. Outstanding! $60”
About This Wine:
The fruit-friendly core of cherry, cassis, and blackberry is encouraged by the integrated but subtle oak nuance. The richness of structure is evident in the palate weight and suppleness that lifts the perfectly-ripe flavors and spice nose. A worthy cellar resident.
About The Winery:
In 1989, when Bob and Mary Miner purchased the 350-acre ranch, 55 acres of vineyards were planted to Chardonnay and Bordeaux varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Located on a sloping plateau that rises to 1,400 feet above the Silverado Trail on the East side of the Napa Valley, Oakville Ranch was one of the appellation’s pioneering vineyards. Since then, several other highly regarded and prestigious wineries have become neighbors, drawn to this hillside for its powerful, signature-red volcanic soils. Through the years, the vineyards have been meticulously tended. Additional small vineyard enclaves have been developed as certain sites have revealed their promise. The shallow and miserly rocky soils slowly release their Spartan nutrients, naturally limiting the grape crop to an intense few bunches per vine. With each vintage, the wines of Oakville Ranch speak clearly of their origin – a richly layered expression of its location, soil, structure, and heritage.
About The Winemaker:
Ashley Heisey, Winemaker – Of the Oakville Ranch wines, Winemaker Ashley Heisey, says, “The ranch is a patchwork of blocks with different aspects and exposures – each having a distinct vinous voice. It is my challenge to coax them to sing in unison. I have always been awed by the distinctive character and power of the fruit from this ranch.”
