What We Say 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!
We always feature great wines, but today’s wine is the very best 2002 Cabernet Sauvignons we have ever tasted! Grab some, Operative, before we run out
Savings Alert!
Shipping Included on 6 bottles or more. Enter this coupon code at checkout (discount will be shown before you complete your order): NAPASPY
Mission Codename: Time Warp: Inauguration
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Travel back in time and reserve a small quantity of Brookdale’s first Cabernet Sauvignon release – so that, today, our Operatives can enjoy some for themselves
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Brookdale Vineyards
Wine Subject: 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker: Michael Seitz
Backgrounder: We Wine Spies are enormous fans of Brookdale. While we can’t really time travel, we like to close our eye and daydream that we can. Even though we lack genuine powers of temporal tansit, we do have the powers of persuasion. For today’s incredible score, we persuaded our friends at Brookdale to allow us to get our hands on a few cases of the incredible wine for our deserving Operatives. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report for a full briefing on this superior Cabernet Sauvignon from today’s small-production winery, Brookdale Vineyards
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Deep burgundy color with a solid, inky heart, a tight and springy surface, concentrated color to the edges of the wine, and super chubby, tightly-spaced legs that take forever to emerge before slowly creeping down the sides of the glass
Smell – Lush, dark, and deeply layered with concentrated aromas of dark mixed berry, black plum, black cherry, rose petals, lightly toasted oak and a hint of vanilla
Feel – Round up front, then it gently coats the mouth, starting with the roof of the mouth, and then the insides of the cheeks
Taste – Delicious, dark, dusky and deeply layered with a rich concentration of blackberries, smoky blueberries, black cherry, dried rose petal and cassis
Finish – Long, rich and intense at first, then tailing of with a really delicious sweetness that lasts and lasts
Conclusion – We fell in love with Brookdale’s 2004 when we first featured it here. At the time, we assumed that the ‘04 was the pinnacle of their been released cabs. When I got the chance to taste today’s wine, I was happy to entertain it. I was blown away! This is a fantastic wine that shows what sort of aging potential all Brookdale Cabs possess. This wine is great, right now. Having the opportunity to buy this 2002 is a rare one. This is the first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon that Brookdale produced, and if you love to drink ‘pre-aged’ wines, now is your chance at a great one!
Mission Report:
Warning: The following was reported by Agent Red to be a retelling of a dream. Wine Spies Central Command is not certain. Further investigation is warranted.
How many times have you wished that you could go back in time, to buy that one wine that turned out to be epic-great? If only you could have gotten a case, before the winery ran out – or before that firestorm of great press caused a run on the wine.
I had dream the other night that I went back in time to reserve a quantity of Brookdale’s amazing 2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for our deserving Operatives.
Just a dream, mind you, but in the dream I had ‘cracked’ the formula for temporal displacement – or time travel. Stephen Hawking had it all wrong with his formulation of the chronology protection conjecture, which suggested that suggested that the fundamental laws of nature prevent time travel. Without revealing my secrets here, I’ll just tell you that Kurt Gödel was on to something with his Gödel metric, precise solution of the Einstein field equations. Those boys were close, but I found the key. That, my friends, is a story for another day.
Once I was reasonably certain that I could avoid a Grandfather Paradox (in which a time traveller might accidentally prevent the meeting of his grandfather and grandmother – thus precluding his own conception), I set off with a singular goal: Travel to Brookdale Vineyards in Napa Valley, and secure a full pallet of their inaugural (2002 vintage) Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes, the wine is that good that I would risk a causality loop that could mean my non-birth.
Long story short, my trip was a success! I paid for the wine and made long-term arrangements for temperature controlled storage. I had to do this within 12 hours, as I was set to be automatically pulled back to my prior present.
It worked, and today, dear Operative, you have the rare and unique chance to pick up a case or two for yourself. If you are fast enough. Its not like time travel is really possible, and they you’d be able to go back and get some for yourself…
Time travel is impossible. I swear. Really!
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the vineyards where the grapes for today’s wine were sourced are TOP SECRET. We regret that we cannot reveal the locations, but please note that the grapes come from some of the finest vineyards in all of Napa Valley.
What the Winery Says
Brookdale Vineyards
Brookdale Vineyards, Member, Napa Valley Vintners
Awards & Accolades:
92 Points – Beverage Tasting Institute, “Exceptional” (Tastings.com)
90 Points – Wine Enthusiast – With its dark purple color, dramatic aroma of ripe black currants and oak, and appealing mouthfeel, this fine Cabernet expresses very good Napa character. The black currant flavors are framed in rich, sweet, smooth tannins.. — S.H. (12/15/2005)
Colorado Wine News – The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, $52, 558 cases, contains 6% merlot, was aged in 60% new French oak, and has aromas of bright raspberry syrup, bright cherry, and smoke before smooth, round, medium-weight, mouth filling flavors of raspberry, cherry, spice, and sweet, smoky oak. Everything carries through the long, broad finish. Well balanced, structured, and integrated.
About Our Wine:
Tasting Notes from Craig MacLean, Winemaker:
“This wine has deep ruby color, with aromas of black cherry, toasty oak, vanilla and rose petals. The ripe fruit and tannins pervade into a smooth, round entry and evolution. The flavors are elegantly knit and well focused to provide a lush, long velvety finish. This wine will age nicely for 8-10 years.”
Our History:
Brookdale Vineyards was founded in 2000, with its first release in the fall of 2002. This limited production wine is made with fruit hand-selected from some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard sites. Annual production is approximately 500 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon.
About Our Winery:
Our journey into the wine industry began in the vineyard. Mike Seitz, originally from New Jersey, was lured to Napa Valley by the ‘romance’ of farming grapes. Being a viticulturalist, he had the distinct pleasure of tending to some of Napa’s finest vineyard sites. He truly loved working in the vineyard. This love turned into a dream come true in 2000 when Mike founded Brookdale Vineyard Management.
For myself, my love for Napa Valley began as a child. It took many years for me to realize the beauty of being “born and raised” in Napa. As a teenager, you can’t wait to leave; as an adult, you can’t wait to return. I realized as a young adult the beauty of Napa Valley and ventured home in 1996. Soon after, I met Mike Seitz and we married in 2000. Together, with our shared ‘love’ for Napa, we turned dreams into reality by finding success in the wine industry.
Our love for Napa Valley, Mike’s love of farming, and the opportunity to purchase premium grapes inspired us to establish our own winery, Brookdale Vineyards. While operating Brookdale Vineyard Management, Mike had the good fortune to farm grapes for several well-known growers in Napa Valley. These relationships immediately turned to opportunity! We were given the privilege to cherry-pick premium fruit from prestigious Napa Valley vineyards for our own winery. We were thrilled and leaped into the world of ‘vintners’ with full-force. Our two newly developed companies enjoyed immediate success. The connections we made in the vineyard management business proved to be prosperous for our own wine brand.
The year 2003, as we enjoyed the success of our two companies, brought both joy and sorrow to our family. In March, we rejoiced in the birth of our son, Charlie. Tragically, six months after our son was born I lost my husband, Mike, in a farming accident. The challenges have been many, and the support from family and friends has been tremendous. Charlie has, and will always be my life-saver! I recall Mike saying, “Someday, my wish is for Charlie to take full control of the winery so we can sit back and relax.” His wish inspires me to guide Charlie to the best of my ability in teaching him the wine industry and hope that he will share his family’s love of Napa Valley. Charlie is my full-time support and the backbone of my driving force to pursue our dream.
In driving the winery forward to greater acclaim and prominence, I have sustained the dream along with Mike’s indomitable spirit for myself and our son Charlie. Please celebrate with me, our dedication and my ultimate commitment to keep the dream alive.
Technical Analysis:
Acidity: 3.75
Brix at Harvest: 25.7 degrees
Finished TA: 0.62 g/100ml
RS: 0.05 g/100ml
Alcohol: 13.5%
Appellation: Napa Valley
Aging & Oak: 100% French Oak (60% new/40% – one year old)
Varietal: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot
Year: 2002
Winemaker: Craig MacLean
Production: 500 cases