2006 Sol Rouge Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
Mission Codename: Mountain High
Operative: Agent White & Agent Blush
Objective: Acquire an allocation of the SUPER EXCLUSIVE New Sol Rouge Cabernet Sauvignon.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Sol Rouge Vineyard and Winery
Wine Subject: 2006 Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker: Bryan Kane
Backgrounder:
The 2006 Sol Rouge Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon is made exclusively from mountain Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from the northern part of the Mayacamas mountain range (in Lake County, just east of Mendocino and north of Sonoma which is exploding as wine growing region) home of several of California’s cult Cabernet Sauvignons like those of Peter Michael, Pride, Diamond Creek, and, of course, Mayacamas Vineyards.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Dark purple and almost black in color with inky clarity and garnet and purple highlighted edges. When swirled, this wine has slow moving and thick legs.
Smell – Bold, but balanced bouquet with aromas of blackberries, both tart and ripe cherries, toasted oak and spice. As this wine opens up a distinct herbaceous component of green peppers also emerges.
Feel – Dry, rich and smooth but with firm tannic structure that reaches the far corners of the palate with a spicy tingle that lingers on the tip of the tongue.
Taste – Concentrated black and red fruits lead off with layers of toasted oak, spicy black pepper and a hint of licorice.
Finish – This wine finishes long and lingers with balanced flavors of fruit, spice and oak.
Conclusion – Once again, Bryan Kane has produced an exceptional wine. This Cabernet is bold, but not overpowering and true to its varietal characteristics. Give this wine some time to breathe and you will be handsomely rewarded with an exceptional wine drinking experience. Try this wine with grilled beef or game meats.
Mission Report:
Our flight plan listed our destination as 1O2 – Lampson Field Airport, at the south end of Lake County. We weren’t interested in landing, however. The purpose here was to do some low level reconnaissance of the vineyards at the north end of the Mayacamas mountain range.
Tree-top flying is at its best in the cool early mornings (hopefully not waking the neighbors as we blow the fruit right off the vine). The problem here was dropping out of radar contact from NorCal Approach, particularly since we were so close to the Maxwell Military Operation Area (MOA).
Starting at the highest point of the mountain, about 4760 feet MSL, we carefully followed the ridgelines working our way down. Blush, with chart in hand indicated the direction the vineyard of interest. As we approached our target, the terrain was between about 1800 and 2600 feet in elevation.
”Put her in a slip, I need to get a close-up look”.
Applying left rudder and right aileron, the plane banked about 20 degrees providing her with a great view…
”Can’t you fly any lower?,” she asked, “No, we’re already only 5-700 feet AGL”., I responded, keeping track of the terrain and the winds.
”Now I know, why Bryan’s wines are so good”, she said, ”Look at that Mountain Terroir…, It’s perfect!”
As a matter of fact, the Mayacamas are known for austere, coarse and complex rocky volcanic soil. The climate is also ideal for growing great Cabernet Sauvignon. Longer, more balanced growing days with the morning sun and a lack of fog that usually blankets the valley floor and cool afternoon breezes moderate the hot afternoon sun. That combined with extremely low yields result in smaller berries and more balanced, complex and concentrated fruit.
The Terroir and climate is why some of the most loved cult wines come from the Mayacamas.
Let’s head back as she flashed me an evil grin…
”Too bad your flying White, I guess that means more wine for me!”
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Sol Rouge Vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.
