Saturday – An All Cab Evening – Part 1

Mick and Amy were by for dinner this last Saturday. I was looking over the wine rack and noticed I had a plethora of Cabernet Sauvignons and decided to do a menu geared towards foods that pair well with Cab. The menu was as follows Lobster Chowder, Beef Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Zippy Sauce and then a Chocolate cake for dessert.

"Oh yeah, Zippy Sauce!"

The two Cabs I picked for the evening were a 2001 Merryvale Profile and a 2003 Château Lynch-Moussas. I’m going to cover the 2001 Merryvale Profile in the first part of this Blog.

The first wine I had ever tried from Merryvale was a 1997 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon. My wife and I had it with Lobster Chowder (the same recipe I’m doing on tonight’s menu). The wine was a wonderful match with the Chowder. I’d purchase the 1997 Merryvale at the LCBO but unfortunately by the time we had it they didn’t have any more. For the next few years I kept an eye out for Merryvale Cabs at the LCBO but no luck.

"Worth the price?"

In late 2007, I found the Merryvale Profile down at the Premier Group in NY and picked up a bottle. The Profile isn’t a pure Cab as it also has Merlot, Cab. Franc, and Petit Verdot (i.e. a classic Bordeaux blend that is just missing Malbec) but the Profile is more than 60% Cab. Sauvignon.

The Profile was around $95 US a bottle so with duty and exchange around $160 Cdn. So this wasn’t a cheap bottle and I high expectations of it.

Here is what the Wine Spectator had to say about it –

Merryvale Profile Napa Valley 2001

Serves up lots of complex flavors, from its creamy oak and ripe berry flavors to hints of mint, cedar, sage and dill. It comes together nicely on the finish, too, with bright, vivid flavors. Drink now through 2011. 6,500 cases made. –JL

Release Price - $85

Score – 88

"Action shot of the new grill!"

Pouring out the wine the first thing you will notice is the weight of the bottle. Profile, Insignia and a number of other higher end California Cabs all seem to come in bottles that the glass is twice the thickness of normal wine bottles.

The colour on the wine was a lovely deep ruby purple that you expect to see from a blend like this. The nose was an interesting array of dark chocolate, green pepper, black currant with an earthy mushroom smell and a woody/oaky aroma. Tasting the wine, the dark chocolate aroma continues through to the taste but the wine finishes with a nice cherry favour. The structure on the wine was flawed but interesting as the tannin on the wine was a tad rough but the finish was awesome as it lingered for a good couple of minutes.

With the food the Profile was all over the place. It was good with the Lobster Chowdar but the Château Lynch-Moussas was a touch better. The Profile was a great match with the Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Zippy Sauce as the tannin were neutralized and the wine became incredibly smooth. The wine got very funky with the Chocolate cake as could almost be described as nasty.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 90, Mark - 89, Kathy – 88, Amy – 87, Overall – 88.5

The wine was good but for the price point, I’m looking for magical and not just good. There were moments of brilliance with this wine such as the finish and how well it paired with the Tenderloin but not enough high points for me to recommend this wine. I’m glad I tried it but won’t be in a rush to find more of it.

Click here for Part 2