2005 Joseph Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
The Wine Spies Say:
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 Joseph Family Vineyards.
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!
We always feature great wines, but today’s wine is an absolutely superb Cabernet Sauvignon. Grab some, Operative, before we run out
Savings Alert!
Shipping Included + an additional 10% off on 6 bottles or more. Enter this coupon code at checkout (discount will be shown before you complete your order): SONOMASPY
Mission Codename: Joseph the Lionhearted
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Investigate the reports that Howell Mountain Vineyards still has a handful of cases of its fabled 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon. If true, procure any remaining cases for our Operatives
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Joseph Family Vineyards
Wine Subject: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker: Scott Peterson
Backgrounder: Born of a partnership between two wine-loving families, Joseph Family Vineyards owners Jon Joseph and Bill Esselstein share a common goal: The perfection of the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The wineries single varietal has improved greatly with the inaugural release of its first cab in 2003. With the release of their 2005 vintage, that goal may already be realized. Those Operatives that know these perfectionists, their winemaker Scott Peterson (of Villa Mt. Eden and Drummer fame), or their vineyard manager John Piña, know that Joseph Family has assembled a remarkable team – that make remarkable wines
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Deep and inky, burgundy-purple in color with dark concentrated color right to the edges and perfect clarity through and through – if you look hard enough. The wine exhibits a tight surface that settles quickly on swirling and thick, widely-spaced legs that move slowly down the glass
Smell – Bright, deep and powerful concentrated fruit of black cherry, black plum and dark berries with oak and subtlest smoky meat and early Fall forest floor rounding out the incredible aromatics of this wine
Feel – Cool and light across the front of the tongue, the wine really takes shape – and takes hold – at the mid and back palate where it coats the mouth and digs in with lovely medium and bright tannins
Taste – Concentrated flavors of berry, cherry, dark plum and smoky oak, with follow-on flavors of mildest Italian herbs, this wine also has great acidity for flexible pairing
Finish – Rich and deep and delicious, with flavors that linger and a good tannic bite that introduces a hint of dryness and keep the flavors going strong for a long time
Conclusion – This is a fantastic wine! Of all of the wines we have been tasting this year, those that hail from Alexander Valley are the most consistent in their overall quality. This wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon is somewhat heartier than those from other wineries in the region. This Bordeaux-like richness may be attributable to the extended time that the skins were left in contact with the juice (maceration), the deliberately low vineyard yields or the 21 months spent in-barrel. No matter the reasons, Joseph Family Vineyards has produced a distinctive and bold wine thatis rich and delicious – but does not overpower.
Mission Report:
Puma concolor. The California Mountain Lion. There I was, face to face with one of the largest males I had ever seen – and did he ever look hungry!
He emitted a low growl as he circled me, sizing me up. Then he lunged for my ankles…
“MEOW!”
“Okay, Agent Whiskers, you can see the bottle now.”
Agent Whiskers, as most of you Operatives know, is a Wine Cat. While much fuss is made over Wine Dogs – what, with entire coffee table books devoted to them – the Wine Cat is the unsung hero of the winery, keeping both cellar and vineyard free from rodents and other pests.
Agent Whiskers, Codename: Meowbec due to his unusual love for the Malbac grape varietal, is a special sort of Wine Spy. His ability to detect superior wine, before a bottle is ever even opened, for example, is uncanny. Watch for a Meowbec mission upcoming. For now, back to today’s wine:
I show Meowbec the bottle. On the label, a proud California Mountain Lion stands high above a vineyard. I place the bottle on the desk and Meowbec jumps up to inspect it. After gazing at the label for a moment, Meowbec declares, definitively, “Mert!”, an expression I have come to know means, “Great wine!”.
Opening the bottle I offer the cork to Meowbec, who bats it off the desk and onto the floor. His work done for now, he jumps down and proceeds to play a spirited round of cork hockey, a game that will likely last until the first of his afternoon siestas.
The wine is, indeed, excellent. No surprise here, really. Jon Joseph and his team are sincere, dedicated wine folk that are supremely dedicated to their craft.
A richly layered ad well-balanced Cabernet Sauvignon, I found best results after a few hours of decanting. This is a wine that loves to breathe a little before it is imbibed. If you have the patience to let the wine sit for a while, you will be duly rewarded.
Kudos to Jon and the rest of the Joseph Family, ummm, family, for producing such an excellent Cab. Meowbec and the rest of us here at Wine Spies Central Command love the wine!
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the VINEYARD can be seen in this satellite photo.
Keen Operatives will note the location of the Joseph Family vineyards and the proximity to their prestigious neighbors!
