Does price make a difference? High End Cabs Does price make a difference? September 18, 2016

All our volunteers who helped with today’s meeting. Thank You All All our volunteers who helped with today’s meeting. Set-up and Breakdown Janet & Rex Buckley Gail & Harry Vanderknokke Jeanne Dooley Food Pairing Janet Buckley Rosemary Carosi Tess Purple Feet Volunteers

Future AWS/Chapter Events Oct 14th Blind Pinot Noir Tasting (Southport) Oct 23rd Wines From Umbria Nov. No Meeting Nov. 3-5 AWS National Conference Nov. 18th Producer Family Wines (Southport) Nov. 25th Beer & Brats Dec 12th Wine Dinner at Angelo’s Jan 22nd Your Favorite Wine Under $??

AWS and Chapter News Think about renewing your membership. All AWS memberships expire on December 31, 2016. The 2017 National Conference will be held Nov. 2-4 at the Pocono Manor in Pa. Celebrate our 50th Anniversary. Members should have received the Fall issue of the AWS Wine Journal. We have our scheduled dates for 2017. Need your help on input as to the types of tastings you’d like to have.

October Tasting - Umbria Recently an awful earthquake struck in Umbria, Italy killing nearly 300 people. By all accounts, the majority of the wineries in that region were not seriously affected. But that said, vineyards and wineries comprise a large portion of the employment base in the region. So by seeking out and buying more Umbrian wines over the next several months and going forward, we can all help indirectly, by preserving winery related jobs.

Amatrice

Smelling Lots Of Wine Makes Your Brain Alzheimer’s Resistant Go ahead and take a deep whiff of the next glass of wine you see (and the next one, and the next one). Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas found in a preliminary study that master sommeliers — people who arguably rely on their sense of smell more than anyone else — are less likely to get Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s than people who don’t soak in delicious smells for a living. The study, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, compared brain scans of 13 sommeliers and 13 people with much less interesting jobs. The researchers noticed key differences in certain areas of the sommeliers’ brains.

Cabernet Sauvignon In the 17th century in southwestern France, an accidental breeding occurred between a red Cabernet Franc grape plant and a white Sauvignon Blanc grape plant and thus was born the most popular grape among American wine drinkers: Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon is a red grape varietal known for its thick, durable skin, and the vine’s resistance to the elements. It was adopted in parts of France by winemakers searching for more durable plants that were relatively easy to grow, and the grape found its champion in the region Bordeaux. Bordeaux winemakers loved the grape’s healthy level of tannins, which meant the wine could evolve in the bottle for many years. It also responded incredibly well to spending time in oak, as the oak brought out beautiful new flavors. The result was a wine that was full-bodied with a medium level of acidity that was fantastic for drinking with food.

Cabernet Sauvignon is grown everywhere. Most of us associate Cabernet Sauvignon with France — where it plays a huge role in Bordeaux — and the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. But Cabernet is produced in almost every wine-growing region in the world — New Zealand, Canada, Chile, even the Gobi Desert in China. Gobi Desert Cabernet sells for $500 euros. Cabernet can be grown across hemispheres, because the grape is highly adaptable to different weather conditions.

Cabernet’s Famous Flavor Profile Cabernet Sauvignon has an assertive flavor profile, backed by strong tannins from its thick skin, meaning winemakers can use it in blends, as well as by itself. Tasting note descriptors you’ll find adjectives ranging from cassis and black currant to oaky, toasty, and spicy to leather, tobacco, cocoa, and green bell pepper.

Like a cool uncle, Cabernet Sauvignon will give you plenty of alcohol. You don’t often see a Cabernet with just 11 or 12% alcohol because of the grape’s thick skin and longer-ripening season. The longer a grape ages, the more time it has to develop sugars that can be turned into alcohol. You’ll find Bordeaux blends — tends to be lower in alcohol at 13 or 13.5 percent, while California Cabs can get as high as 15 percent or more.

Cabernet sales in the US are a force. Cabernet has seen an almost 20 percent increase in sales in the United States from 2008 to the spring of 2015, going from 21 to 25 million buyers. It accounted for 16 percent of all wine sales in the U.S. in 2015, second only to everyone’s favorite oak-bomb-candidate, Chardonnay, at 19.2 percent.

Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with enticing scents of raspberry jam, sweet herbs and spices. Sweet, floral notes reappear on the engaging finish. As good as this is today, it will only be better in another 2-3 years. The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. 14.5% alc.

2011 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Intense ruby red color. On the nose it’s a complex and elegant wine with notes of black fruit, graphite, and chocolate. The attack on the palate is delicate and tannic, silky and balanced texture, leading to layers of aromas and flavors that give the wine great concentration, depth and final complexity. 99% Cabernet Sauvignon; 1% Cabernet Franc 14.5% alc.

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2013 The intense dark ruby red color of the Cabernet Sauvignon is reflective of this full-bodied, flavorful wine. The core of black currant and hints of cedar and spice along with cocoa aromas echoed by rich persistent flavors of plush ripe fruit, dark chocolate and anise are all supported by balanced rich velvety tannins. 14.9% alc. WE 91 RP92

Raymond Reserve Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Opening aromas of cassis, cherry, blackberry, earth, lilacs and cedar followed by ripe blueberry and blackberry flavors with black pepper and vanilla notes. A complex, full-bodied wine highlighted by lush fruit, and a long, smooth finish. This wine is the perfect match for filet mignon, marinated prime rib, braised beef short ribs, grilled portobello mushrooms with blue cheese butter, grilled tuna, wild game and hearty pasta dishes or stews. Also a wonderful wine to pair with dark chocolate desserts. 15.0% alc. WE 90

2013 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley A mouth full of fruit that is sweet, round and complex which is supported by nice acidity and supple ripe tannins. This Cabernet Sauvignon highlights Knights Valley's characteristically bright cherry fruit and sweet vanilla oak and pie spice aromas. 14.3% alc. WS 89 RP88

Paul Dolan Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Paul Dolan Cabernet Sauvignon is an amply structured wine tasting of rich plum and juiced black currant adorned by mocha mint. This wine is serious and concentrated, built to age a few more years before its peak. It smells soaked with black cherry and black currant aromas, tastes deep, ripe and compelling, and feels full bodied and firmly tannic. The flavors are powerful enough to match the big texture, so it should improve through 2020. 13.5% alc. WE 91 W&S 91

(Leon Adams, The Commonsense Book of Wine) Quote of the Month “Anyone who tries to make you believe that they know all about wines is obviously a fake!” (Leon Adams, The Commonsense Book of Wine)

Godspeed and Best Wishes everyone!! Till next month...be good, behave and be well. Godspeed and Best Wishes everyone!!