Regardless of what you think about the significance of 90+ scores from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast or Robert Parker or about wines scored on any rating system at all, you must admit that your interest is piqued when you read about the next wine that has reached the pinnacle of the almighty 100. Amongst the wine blogging community and its periphery, there is often much talk poo-pooing any kind of rating system as many bloggers are trying to de-snob the world of wine. If YOU like a particular wine then it’s a 100 to YOU and that’s all that matters, right? The discussion often goes on with: how does the evaluation of ONE individual taster represent what the rest of us might taste? Well, I am here to say (not that you really needed me to tell you this), that it’s still a reality in the wine world we will need to live with for a while and maybe forever. Scores sell wine. Don’t get me wrong, most of these tasters have street cred, years of experience and have tasted millions of wines, so why not give them the benefit of the doubt, right? The general buying public does.
I’d like to introduce you to the next awesome, most fabulous-tasting Napa wine that most of us will never get to buy, or could afford to buy: The 2006 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a Bordeaux blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot. The fruit is from the mountainous and valley floor AVA’s of Napa Valley including Mt. Veeder, Howell Mountain, Oakville(To Kalon vineyard), Stag’s Leap, Spring Mountain and St. Helena. As you can imagine, the Merlot really softens this wine, giving it a silky mouthfeel and makes it much more approachable early, though this wine could lay down another 8-10 years. It currently retails for $200 according to their website. And, you know what? It’s worth it. Damn skippy. I’ve only tasted thousands of wines, not millions, but this is one of the best wines I have ever tasted. It finally provides a mental image to me of what the best fruit that is picked at the right time from pristine mountain vineyards and then painstakingly blended to create a complete experience from color to nose to mid-palate to finish tastes like. But, how perfect is it really? I tried to go to the source, but Steve Heimoff, the declarant of said 100 points, declined to comment via email on what other Napa Cabs were up against the Cardinale in this particular tasting and what he specifically looks for in a 100-point wine. Where’s the transparency, my blogger brother? All I can tell from an inset buried deep in a Wine Enthusiast magazine is that wines scoring 98-100 are considered Classic: The pinnacle of quality. That helps.
But, a wise man once said: “don’t hate the playa, hate the game” and that’s the road I’m taking with the rest of this post. I had the pleasure, as the exclusive Atlanta blogger, of meeting Chris Carpenter, the winemaker of Cardinale, who not only fashioned this wonderful specimen, but also created 92-99 point wines (Robert Parker) under the Lokoya label too. I’ll talk more about Lokoya in another post. Not to mention, he’s a modern-day look-alike of Magnum P.I.’s Tom Selleck. So, he’s got that going for him, which is nice (hey, it’s Master’s weekend, come on). Yeah, this guy’s got mad skillz when it comes to mountain fruit in the Napa Valley and he attributes these skills to his opportunity to work at Cardinale. He also attributed this opportunity to the fact that mountain fruit was more easily accessible early on while folks like Robert Parker were pimping valley floor fruit.
Chris compares the Cardinale to an Orchestra, where each instrument, in this case each mountain vineyard location, plays its part to create a symphony, while not losing its individual identity. Each mountain location brings something specific from that AVA, yet when combined creates something bigger and better than just the sum of its parts. He and his team can start with as many as 30 different wines when going through the blending process for each vintage. Here’s the breakdown of how each location attributes to, while not overpowering, the final 2006 product – for more details check out the Info sheet here:
- Red Fruit = Stag’s Leap and Spring Mountain fruit
- Floral = Spring Mountain
- Middle Palate = To Kalon
- Structure = Howell Mountain and Mt. Veeder
I asked Chris, where does one who achieves the pinnacle of 100 points go from here? There’s no where to go but down, right? Chris admits that is a challenge he and his team will have to deal with, but he has always had high expectations for his wines. Then, of course, there are the corporate expectations that will follow as well. Regardless, he doesn’t think this will be the source of any additional pressure than they already put on themselves to acheive excellence. It is very important to him, as someone who produces something for others to enjoy and consume, how his product is perceived and judged. The key is going to be consistency.
Chris is a smart and well-educated guy. He has a degree in Biology, originally thinking he’d go into Med school like many in his family before him. He then obtained an MBA before realizing his passion was at the nexus of a love-triangle between biology, cosmopolitan living (while working in the bar scene of Chicago) and the Restaurant/Wine world. Once in the winemaking world, he nailed a M.S. in Horticulture at UC-Davis too. Well, now he can also say he scored an A+ on his latest creation, the 2006 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon… Well done!
Cheers!
Wish I could have made the WE tasting… what a great opportunity to taste a wine like Cardinale. My interest was piqued by Steve Heimoff’s 100 score, glad I got to read a perspective closer to me. I agree with what you say about wine critics- I don’t have a problem with the pros or whatever scoring method they use. These dudes taste a crazy amount of wine and live it everyday- they’re not the final word but it is a good source of info.
Matt, yeah it was cool to get the opportunity to taste the Cardinale and talk with Chris Carpenter. I agree that one taster’s score shouldn’t be the final word for anybody because everyone’s tastes are different. Maybe we’ll catch up next event. Are you going to Cochon555?
Just a small correction: To Kalon is actually a vineyard within the Oakville AVA
Agreed and correction made. Thanks Derek!
Nice write-up, man.
I’m planning on reviewing this wine in the coming weeks, so it’s really cool to see what others are thinking in the lead-up to that. I’m also going to be interviewing Steve Heimoff and Chris about the whole 100 point thing… should get interesting.
Cheers!
Thanks, Joe! That means a lot coming from you. I think you’ll have an awesome time tasting this wine and talking with those guys. I reached out to Steve, but didn’t have any luck. So, please get the skinny on what it “takes” for him to peg a 100 pointer and what those other Napa Cabs were, if he’s giving it up…
Didn’t mean to sound standoffish or diva-ish. As I previously wrote, I tasted this wine in a large (60) blind tasting at the Napa Valley Vintners’ HQs in St. Helena. I spent something like 4-plus hours thinking, comparing and retasting, and the Cardinale for me was the wine of the flight. As you may know, I give very few 100 point scores (something like 4 in all these years), but the Cardinale is clearly a magnificent wine, especially tasted against such august company.
Thanks, Steve, for stopping by. I agree that the wine is quite good and since the perfect score is so rare, it is interesting to understand what it takes to achieve.
trying to catch up on some old posts.
Nice write-up. You definitely deserved this experience. I love when a description of a wine is that of an orchestra, at spice rack, etc. Neat that they know how much to put in to get the desired blend.
And an exceptionally crafted Napa meritage is one of the great pleasures in life, for sure!
Thanks, Joe. Yeah, it was a good conversation and of course the wine was phenomenal.
Sorry, Andy, I’m gonna kill your comment as complete and utter spam.. you are going to have be more creative than that.