2004 Salvestrin Vineyard and Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

Mission Codename: King Cab

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Salvestrin Vineyard and Winery, a Wine Spies Operative favorite. Recover their fabled Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and recover an ample supply for our Operatives to enjoy

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Salvestrin Vineyard and Winery

Wine Subject: 2005 Retaggio Red Wine

Winemakers: Kent Barthman and Rich Salvestrin

Backgrounder: Napa, California is revered for its wines. In particular, for producing some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon wines available anywhere in the world. For today’s wine, Agent Red returns to our friends at Salvestrin and return, victorious, with their exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. Three generations of Salvestrins have made wine in America. Today, Rich Salvestrin makes wine on the family’s estate, a practice which began with Rich’s grandfather, John, and was continued by his son, Ed. By American standards, three generations is about as old as a winemaking family can be. Rich’s heritage shines through in today’s wine! Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark burgundy in color with a deeply concentrated heart. When swirled, this wine shows a speedy surface that takes time to settle. When it does, it leaves behind perfectly even-spaced legs that streak down the glass

Smell – A deep rush blackberry, plum, dark cherry and baking spices lead the charge, followed but darker and more earthen notes of cedar, cola and a hint of pipe tobacco

Feel – Velvety and round up front, then medium tannins bite down on the mid-palate as the wine coats your entire mouth with a slightly chewey goodess

Taste – Richly dark, with concentrated plum, mixed dark berries and cassis, with distinctive smoky licorice and hints of black pepper and dusty earth

Finish – This wine finishes long and slightly dry with big fruit and a slight salty licorice and burnt plum tart

Conclusion – This great wine delivers everything that you would expect from a fine Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – and more! This wine is richly layered with dark aromas and flavors that please, with deep fruits and smoky, sophisticated notes of earth and subtle tobacco. Really interesting here is follow-on flavors that rush into your mouth after you have swallowed the wine. Big European-style salty licorice flood onto your palate and the effect is both very interesting and very pleasing. The wine is not salty per se, but that distinctive flavor certainly comes through in a big way. This delightful Cab is well balanced, delicious and very unique!

MISSION REPORT:

Today is one of those days where I am re-filing a previous mission report. Having previously sleuthed out Salvestrin – and fallen in love with their wines – a full on infiltration mission was unnecessary. Rather, when I revisit a winery that I love, I simply ask them for another great wine. That’s what I did for today’s wine. Enjoy this prior mission report, from a few months back, when I first became acquainted with Salvestrin:

Three generations of Salvestrins have made wine in America. Today, Rich Salvestrin makes wine on the family’s estate, a practice which began with Rich’s grandfather, John, and was continued by his son, Ed. By American standards, three generations is about as old as a winemaking family can be.

When Central Command issued a Priority Alert for a great California Super Tuscan, our Assets flooded us with intel on various wineries. On feeding all of the data into the W.I.N.E. (Wine Internet Nexus Engine) system, I was presented with three recommendations. At the top of the list was Silvestrin.

Immediately I set out to the winery. Nestled between a residential neighborhood and Crane Park near downtown St. Helena, the 26-acre property is expansive and lush with grape-laden vines. There, on a beautiful late-June day I had the great pleasure to meet with Shannon Salvestrin, Rich’s wife and partner in day to day operation of the winery.

With myself posing as a wine writer (the perfect cover, as I really do write for Imbibe Magazine and Color and Aroma Magazine), we tasted through the range of their wines. We lingered especially long on the Retaggio, today’s wine.

Retaggio is Italian for Legacy, a fitting name for this Tuscan Style wine, from this particular winemaking family, for this wine is the wine embodiment (em_bottlement_?) of the family’s fine heritage and wine-crafting experience.

Made from grapes of Napa Valley Sangiovese and Estate grown Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Salvestrins have captured the essence of fine Italian Super Tuscan, but in a rich, sleek and somehow more modern California style that does not sacrifice its old-world roots.

At the end of the tasting, I quietly reveled my true intent, asking Shannon for several cases of the wine for our worthy Operatives to enjoy. She readily agreed, allowing us to procure a small cache – but with the suggestion that we counsel our Operatives to ”… stock up and also keep a few bottles in the cellar to enjoy later.” This Wine Spy has taken her advice to heart. I only hope that I can be patient, for this wine is ready to drink right now!.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Salvestrin Estate vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.