• Cabernet Sauvignon
• California

Review Date:	02/29/2008
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Heitz Cellar
Vintage:	2001
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	St. Helena
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Deep bold cabernet
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Aghiorgitiko
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Greece

Review Date:	11/21/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Domaine Skouras
Vintage:	2003
Varieties:	Aghiorgitiko, Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	Greece
Region:	Peloponissos
Appellation:
Rating:	7/10
Notes: Deep red fruit with black berry flavors plenty of smokiness.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• California

Review Date:	11/17/2007
Price Range**:	$
Winery:	Treana Winery
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Central Coast
Rating:	7/10
Notes: Deep purple-black color with plenty of dark fruit and tannins.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• California

Review Date:	10/21/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Sterling
Vintage:	2004
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Central Coast
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Deep ruby red color with nice tannins and some coffee and cocoa flavors.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• California

Review Date:	12/15/2008
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Greg Norman
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Deep red, solid cabernet with lots of dark, black fruit. Medium tannins give nice feel.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Napa Valley

Review Date:	12/29/2007
Price Range**:	$
Winery:	Arnold Palmer
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Napa
Rating:	7/10
Notes: Quality cabernet, nicely balanced with lots more fruit than most cabernets. Reminiscent of rasins, cherries, and lighter red fruit such as strawberries. Only hints of pepper and spicier flavors throughout and at the finish.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Malbec
• Merlot
• Petit Verdot
• Sonoma

Review Date:	12/25/2007
Price Range**:	$$$$
Winery:	Ledson
Vintage:	2002
Varieties:	Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Sonoma
Rating:	9/10
Notes: The fruit is very dark, and you will indeed get the occasional hint of chocolate or even oak and tobacco maybe.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Napa Valley

Review Date:	12/24/2007
Price Range**:	$$$$
Winery:	Silver Oak
Vintage:	1994
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Napa Valley
Rating:	10/10
Notes: Extremely sophisticated and well-balanced. Big ruby red color with nice blend of fruit, smoke, and tobacco. Absolutely brilliant wine to be remembered.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Shiraz
• South Africa

Review Date:	12/10/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Guardian Peak
Vintage:	2004
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz
Country:	South Africa
Region:	Stellenbosch
Appellation:
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Dark red color with a nice blend of berry and floral aromas. Taste is deep red fruit, a bit jammy with a hint of spice.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Canaiolo
• Italy
• Red Wine
• Sangiovese

Review Date:	09/30/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Contini Bonaossi
Vintage:	2007
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese
Country:	Italy
Region:	Tuscany
Appellation:	Capezzana
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Grapes: 70% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet, 10% Canaiolo.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Australia
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• McLaren Vale

Review Date:	09/24/2007
Price Range**:	$
Winery:	Red Knot
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	Australia
Region:	South Australia
Appellation:	McLaren Vale
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Cabernet that drinks like a shiraz. Blueberry and blackberry overtones hint of the shiraz-like pepper yet still sweet and juicy. Dry, but with little tannins. Finish is much more reminiscent of the qualities of other cabernets. Interesting and drinkable like no many Australian wines.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Spain
• Tempranillo

Review Date:	08/28/2007
Price Range**:	$$
Winery:	Abadia Retuerta
Vintage:	2003
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo
Country:	Spain
Region:	Ribera del Duero
Appellation:
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Very balanced with lots of black fruit complemented by vanilla and some cherry.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• California
• Merlot
• Petite Verdot

Review Date:	08/13/2007
Price Range**:	$$$$
Winery:	Cain
Vintage:	2002
Varieties:	Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Napa Valley
Rating:	9/10
Notes: A fine wine with dark fruit and plums mixed with smoke and pepper. Hints of minerals, asparagus, and coffee are detectable. Plenty of tannins and mouthfeel with this wine.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Petite Verdot
• Sangiovese
• Tuscany

Review Date:	06/30/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Marchesi dé Frescobaldi
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese
Country:	Italy
Region:	Tuscany
Appellation:
Rating:	8/10
Notes: Aroma and taste of cherry and darker fruit, blackberry and current, some raisin. Jam-like flavors in a nice package.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Catalonia

Review Date:	06/06/2007
Price Range**:	$
Winery:	Sol de Brugàs
Vintage:	2003
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	Spain
Region:	Catalonia
Appellation:	Alt Penedès
Rating:	5/10
Notes: Dry with plenty of dark fruit and some earthiness. Suffered from sourness.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Catalonia

It's hard to measure the cost of going organic, but with one of our first experiences with a wine that prides itself on little more than being organic, what can we expect?

You can probably find organic wine at the local grocer or wine store.  We went to one of those fancy grocers that cater to yuppies who still think they're hippies, or is it hippies or think they're yuppies? We're not sure.  In any case, yoga magazines line the checkout aisles preaching the religion of green to all who'll listen.  And there're a plenty of products made with things packaged in recycled this or that in order to assuage the suburban guilt of the hippie or yuppie or whatever.  Save the planet by shopping here?  The notion is completely ridiculous.

We have no problem with fancy grocery stores that want to charge higher prices to keep the riff-raff out make more money donate to charitable causes.  These places are always really clean, have those dixie cups for sampling their coffee, and have Yanni playing in the background.  Of course, we're under no delusions that shopping at this particular grocery store will stave off the effects of global warming or whatever the current bete noir of the greenies may be.  This said, we're also not under the assumption that we're necessarily going to get a superior product simply because it claims to be organic or recyclable.

This was exactly the case with the Sol de Brugàs Cabernet Sauvignon that we picked up.

Here's what the winemaker says about itself on its website: 

We cultivate organic vintage wines in Alt Penedès, near Barcelona. Our 14 hectare property is situated at 500 meters above sea level, in the rolling hills and Mediterranean pine woods of this well-known wine region. We make three varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. The soil retains water well from the sparse summer rains, and the temperatures are cool enough to allow slow ripening of the grapes. The bodega is next to the vineyard which allows us to begin fermentation immediately after harvesting. We do all the processing on site, from harvesting the grapes to bottling.

We just weren't really impressed with this wine at all.  We struggled to finish the bottle.  The wine overall was dry with dark fruit, but the taste soured in the mouth.  It wasn't expensive, and that's a good thing since otherwise we'd be pretty upset while writing this article.

We definitely aren't convinced of the superior quality of organics on the "organics" alone, but we won't stop trying to find superior products in this category. 

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Petite Verdot
• Sangiovese

Review Date:	06/01/2007
Price Range**:	$$$
Winery:	Brancaia
Vintage:	2004
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese
Country:	Italy
Region:	Tuscany
Appellation:	Maremma
Rating:	9/10
Notes: Fabulous aromas of licorice, blackberry, chocolate and mineral. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long, long finish. Balanced and complex. Best after 2008. Score: 92. — Wine Spectator
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date:	05/22/2007
Price Range**:
Winery:	Childress Vineyards
Vintage:	2005
Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon
Country:	US
Region:	North Carolina
Appellation:	Yadkin Valley
Rating:	4/10
Notes: Cherry, tobacco, and stale oak on the finish.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Malbec
• Merlot
• Petite Verdot

Review Date:	05/16/2007
Price Range**:	$$$$
Winery:	Ledson
Vintage:	2004
Varieties:	Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Country:	US
Region:	California
Appellation:	Sonoma
Rating:	9/10
Notes: The fruit is very dark, and you will indeed get the occasional hint of chocolate or even oak and tobacco maybe.
** $ - approx $10 or less $$ - approx $25 or less $$$ - approx $50 or less $$$$ - approx $100 or less $$$$$ - more than $100

• Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Malbec
• Merlot
• Petite Verdot

Ledson strikes again with a huge wine blended from a number of different grapes.  We poured the Ti Amo into the giant Riedel Cabernet glasses since we knew the wine was going to be big.  If you put this wine to your nose immediately, you are overwhelmed with alcohol.  The wine does well if it's allowed to breathe for a bit before you start to drink so make sure if you're going to pop the cork on a bottle of this stuff that you aren't planning on drinking it with fish and be sure that you have at least 15 minutes to let the wine open up by exposing it to some air.

Historically, decanting was used to remove sediment from wine processes that are simply ancient in comparison to modern methods.  Typically, decanting now is used to remove particles of a disintegrated cork or let the relatively small amounts of sediment that can accumulate in wine to fall to the bottom.  Most often though modern wines are pretty much ready to drink, and with more modern methods of enclosing bottles the possibility of cork disintegration goes down with each passing year.  For big, bold wines like Cabernets, you may try decanting to your particular tastes.  Try various decanters and time limits, and you may find a formula that works best for you.

We let a bit of this stuff decant for a number of hours and it continued to get better with more exposure to the air.  The characteristics change dramatically from a taste with almost too much dryness and alcohol to one of smooth, complex dark fruit with almost no hint of dryness.  It's quite incredible that such a change can occur in a wine with exposure to air.

Don't forget to swirl in your glass.  You'll look cool like a wine snob and be exercising your eye-hand coordination.

2004 Alexander Valley Ti Amo
Approx. Quantity Produced: 589 cases

Winemaker's Comments:
Tiamo means I love you in Italian, and you will agree this is the proper name for this lovely wine once it touches your lips. It is a careful blending of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot. Each component is aged separately for 22 months in French Oak barrels before blending. This wine offers a mix of ripe, rich concentrated fruit revealing uncommon depth and tiers of flavors of wild berries, black currant, and a slight touch of chocolate. This wine is very drinkable now, but will also age beautifully. You can cellar our Tiamo for 10 – 15 years. This wine would pair beautifully with the gamey flavor of venison.

Once you get past that little wait you can appreciate the complexity of the Ti Amo blend.  The fruit is very dark, and you will indeed get the occasional hint of chocolate or even oak and tobacco maybe.  The tannins will make this wine quite cellarable too.  We've put a couple of bottles away for a rainy day some ten years in the future.  We're looking forward to comparing this blend to the Cabernet Sauvignon varietals from Ledson.  Should be quite an arm-twisting chore.

• Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Petite Verdot

Don't know if it's just bad luck, but it seems as though Valentine's day is a pretty big downer for how "hallmarky" the quasi-holiday is supposed to be.  We've sat in close proximity to more than one couple on the rocks during the Valentine's day dinner deluge.  It brings some sick sort of enjoyment watching people swapping accusations and trying to refrain from throwing the lobster fork while sitting in front of a $300 meal.  It's all fun and games until you realize that the two people sitting an elbow's reach away are lobbing insults while guzzling a $1200 bottle of wine, no less than a 1986 Chateau Lafite Rothschild.

It's amazing how many adults act like teenagers from Orange County when they get into arguments.  Maybe it's that adults always act like angsty pubescents when they're ticked off, but who really knows.  We started to count the number of times that the woman next to us complained to the $1200 wine guy, "you don't know me."  We were waiting for the two snaps in a "z" but were disappointed.  Yeah, it's either Orange County or a ridiculous rap video that you enter whenever you have the pleasure of watching some self-centered adults argue about the most trivial banalities.

Here's some advice.  It's great to love wine.  We certainly do.  It's just that it's more than a little curious that anyone, especially a wine snob like this guy would, blow $1200 on a bottle of legendary wine risking the possibility that the person you're trying to impress is not easily impressed by wine.  If you really must go to dinner with some wine neophyte or just some girl with whom you may not end up with anyway, get a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, or at least tell her to stop whining while you're trying to enjoy the only decent part of your meal.  After all, if you're a guy, chances are your only gift on this kind of night is going to be the check.

On previous Valentine's Days, we've actually seen a few more fireworks, but this one certainly didn't disappoint.  It's hard to say whether or not the relationship was actually headed for the toilet or not, but we certainly hope so.  It's hard to tell who was the bigger wine offender here, the guy who bought the wine thinking he was going to impress this girl or the girl who had the rhetorical savvy of a silver-spoon-fed, Point Break Keanu Reeves.  Ok, ok, any Keanu Reeves.