Pick My Next Bottle – 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The January installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. I plan on opening the winning bottle this Saturday and will publish a Bottle Note shortly thereafter.

2005 was a better than average vintage in Napa Valley with near optimal weather. A long, dry growing season without extreme heat allowed the grapes to ripen to perfection. The best wines from the vintage should be ready to roll at twenty years of age.

The contenders:

• 2005 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon – The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon emerges from the red soils of the eastern foothills of Oakville. The wine has gorgeously pure blackberry and cassis fruit with a touch of underlying earth and spice box, medium to full-bodied flavors, and seamless integration of acidity, wood, alcohol and tannin. Once again, it provides a gorgeous freshness, precision and stunning youthfulness, despite being ten years of age. Drink through 2035. 94 points from the Wine Advocate.
• 2005 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – A long, cool growing season, with harvest from the end of September to the end of October, delivered fantastic flavour development. More Bordeaux-like than most in the tasting, it was highly aromatic, with a lush cassis, violet and graphite nose, and intense flavours of dark plum cherry fruit, cocoa, and notes of espresso. It’s expressive right now, yet the powerful tannins say it’s got years to go. One for collectors. 96 points from Decanter.
• 2005 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is gorgeous. It is a soft, caressing wine laced with expressive dark fruit, blackberries, spices, leather and flowers, all of which come together beautifully in the glass. This is a surprisingly soft, open young wine with lovely inner perfume and a mid-weight structure that makes it approachable, even today. It is a great starting point for readers who are new to the Dunn wines. 92 points from the Wine Advocate.

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Thanks for voting! I’d love to see a comment below on why you picked one bottle over another. Also, let me know if you have any suggestions for the February installment of Pick My Next Bottle.