2003 Broman Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Mission Codename: Broman Holiday

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Operatives loved the Broman Syrah that we featured earlier this year and they have been requesting another Broman wine. Send Agent Red to retreive another great Broman wine.

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Broman Cellars

Wine Subject: 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker: Robert Broman

Backgrounder: Agent Red returns to Broman, and this time he retrieves their stupendous 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. Robert Broman has been ‘in wine’ for more than 30 years. As winemaker for some of the most prestigious wineries in the world, Robert Broman has perfected his skills, making some of the most prescious wines. Today he brings his depth of skill and accomplishment to bear in making his own wines under the name Broman Cellars, where he makes wines of remarkable distinction. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below, and see what makes this remarkable Napa Cab so unique

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Ruby red to deepr black cherry juice in color, with perfect clarity through its concentrated dark center. On swirling the the wine, the appears springy and takes some time to fully settle, leaving behind fat legs that move slowly down the glass

Smell – Bright, juicy and perfumy aromatics with big cherry, black cherry, blackberry, currant, dried flowers, lightly toasty oak, and a hints of dark cocoa, soft leather and cedar

Feel – Initially cool, soft, bright and wet, the wine has a gentle roundness at first – then becomes lightly mouth-coating and a little grippy as medium tannins grab the top of your tongue and the roof of the mouth

Taste – Bright and delicious, with fresh fruits of red currant, cranberry, blueberry, raisin, blackberry and oak with a touches of cocoa powder, tomato vine and flinty earth

Finish – Delicious, big, long and fruity with a medium dryness and flavors that go from slightly tart to sweet and then taper off as your watering mouth yearns for another sip

Conclusion – Another delicious and deep offering from Bob Broman! This time around, we have the great pleasure to taste Mister Broman’s recently-released 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – and oh, boy! do we love it. The wine shows as a little oaky initially, but decant for an hour or more and you will be rewarded with greater subtlety, better flavors, a more tender mouthfeel and less oak. This is a fruit-driven wine, and that is tempered by the dark duskiness of the wine. We are constantly impressed by Napa Cabs, and today’s wine is a top example.

Mission Report:

What follows is the tale of Agent Red’s first encounter with Broman Cellars. While we are offering the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon today, the following references the Broman wine we ran earlier this year:

Holy WOW, did I score with today’s amazing wine. Finding it was an accidental act of possible intuition.

While perusing my local bottle shop (in disguise, of course) I spotted a bottle that practically leapt off the shelf. While I had received intel briefings about Broman Cellars, I had not yet had the occasion to taste their wines. Luckily, the label yelled out to me to take the bottle off of the shelf.

To the eye, the labels on all Broman wines stand out with a distinct dimensionality that no other label possesses. The feel of the label is also unique; The paper used is deeply thick with a soft cloth-like feel. The printing reminds me of the finest engraved printing that one would find on a classy invitation. All combined, these attributes were my personal invitation to purchase the wine – and take it back to the Safe House for tasting and analysis.

I chose the Broman 2001 wine as I love wines with some bottle age.

When I opened the wine, a rush of boldly beautiful aromas nearly floored me. I love rich and big-nosed wines. A quick sip told me that this was a wine that needed time in the air to stretch out, so I spent the better part of an hours swirling, sniffing and admiring the wine. When it came time to finally sip, the wine had become more balanced and way more flavorful.

As you know, all of the wines that we bring you are great – but when we come across one that is very special, we issue alerts. It was obvious that I would be issuing a superior Wine Alert for this wine.

I conducted a thorough tasting of the wine and then left it open for a few hours. On my return to the wine for another taste, I was rewarded by even more goodness! Further harmony had found its way into the wine and the fruit really emerged, mellowing out some of the oak that was present at first.

By anyone’s estimation, Bob Broman is a masterful winemaker. From his careful selection of fruit to his care during crush, fermentation and in the cellar is easily apparent in his wines.

Bob only uses the best Syrah fruit and if a particular year produces fruit that is below his standards for quality, there will be no Broman Syrah for that vintage. Case in point: There was no 2002 Broman Syrah! Thank goodness for this superb 2001.

If you are a lover of GREAT wine, this is a sure-win wine!