Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon - $3,499.99

Wine Details

Price: $3,499.99 (Reg$5,000.00)
Savings: $1,500.01
Producer: Grace Family Vineyards
Region: Napa Valley
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Container Size: 3 L
Flavors: earth, smoke
  • Red Wine
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Product Description

  • Brimming with ripe fruit flavors, our 2003 vintage displays classic elegance framed in supple, smooth tannins that coat the palate in a fine-tuned embrace. This silky-smooth structure supports complex layers of spice, chocolate, cassis, black cherry, coffee and herbs. Reflecting our embrace of biodynamic and organic viticultural techniques, the wine is quite balanced—with all the elements residing harmoniously. We believe it offers a drinking experience that will serve up enormous pleasure today and for many years to come.

Expert Ratings

Ratings   Vintage Source Flavors
Tanzer - 91-93 Details: Good full ruby-red. The nose displays somewhat darker fruits than that of the 2004, with smoke and earth notes adding aromatic interest. Then sweet, chewy and fine-grained, with very good depth of flavor. Seems a tad denser and longer than the 2004, if a bit less velvety and sweet in its youth. The tannins are strong but arrive late. Winemaker Gary Brookman describes this wine as "bigger but cooler than the 2004;" in the earlier year the grapes suffered from a bit of dehydration during the late-season heat spike. 2005 Tanzer earth, smoke
Tanzer - 89? Details: ($190) Deep red-ruby. Intriguing aromas of botanical herbs, dried flowers, mint and shiso leaf, with some intrusive nutty oak; this reminded me of a old-style Italian red.Then suave in texture, with good richness but also a firm edge to the flavors of cassis, kirsch and nutty oak.Falls down a bit on the finish, where the dusty tannins turn a bit dry. Lingering notes of licorice and dark chocolate. This seemed fresher and fuller in barrel last winter. 2004 Tanzer cherry, maraschino, red berry, toasty oak
WineSpectator - 87 Details: Tastes tired, though this has its merits, with ripe plum and blackberry fruit that's complex. Yet lacks vibrancy and freshness. The best of two bottles tasted. Drink now through 2011. 350 cases made. –JL 2004 WineSpectator blackberry, plum
Tanzer - 90 Details: ($190) Deep, bright ruby-red. A real potpourri of a nose: clove, cinnamon, sandalwood, orange peel and licorice. Then sweet, round and rich, but with very strong, if not exotic, oak spices; I was reminded of mulled cider. Fairly large-scaled for a cabernet from this estate. Finishes with a note of chocolate and supple tannins that coat the entire mouth. The Grace cabernet appears to be sacrificing some floral delicacy in favor of more sweetness and weight, partly through the use of a higher percentage of new oak. 2003 Tanzer flowers, minerally, oak, raspberry, red berry, red cherry
Tanzer - 90(+?) Details: ($190; bottled in May of 2004) Bright ruby-red. Perfumed aromas of blackberry, bitter chocolate and minerals, with a medicinal aspect and a hint of tarry oak. Juicy, firm-edged flavors of black fruits, minerals, licorice, mint and tarry oak; reminded me of a young Rauzan-Segla. Finishes with excellent length, even if the tannins are a bit tougher and less sweet than those of the 2003. 2002 Tanzer black cherry, dark chocolate, licorice, slightly medicinal, violet
Tanzer - 90-93 Details: Bright ruby-red. Cool, subtle aromas of black cherry, violet and licorice. Tightly wound and high-pitched, with juicy flavors of violet, dark chocolate, berries and mint. Best today on the sweet, lingering finish. Winemaker Gary Bookman says this wine has "more of everything than the 2001: more fruit, darker, bigger, more concentrated," but today the 2001 is more refined. Certainly, the family resemblance is strong. 90-93 points 2002 Tanzer berries, black cherry, dark chocolate, licorice, mint, violet
WineSpectator - 91 Details: Bold and rich, but restrained. Tightly wound now, but manages to push a load of dense blackberry and currant flavors across the palate. Framed by a judicious use of vanilla-laced oak. Tannins are firm yet integrated. Give this youngster time, either by decanting or cellaring. Best from 2007 through 2014. 350 cases made. –JL 2002 WineSpectator blackberry, currant, oak
WineSpectator - 91 Details: Sturdy and concentrated, with rich flavors that build on a core of tight currant, black cherry, pencil lead, fresh earth, herbs and toasty oak, finishing with a complex aftertaste that's long and focused. Best from 2005 through 2015. 325 cases made. –JL 2001 WineSpectator black cherry, currant, earth, herbs, toasty oak
Tanzer - 92 Details: ($165) Good deep ruby-red. Aromas of cassis, violet and tobacco. Dense and rich but dry, with highly concentrated, complex flavors of plum, chocolate, tobacco and woodsmoke. Not at all a sweet style of Napa cabernet, but has power and impact and finishes with lovely ripeness. A rare collectible cabernet with alcohol under 14% (actually 13.9%). 2001 Tanzer berry, dark chocolate, licorice, violet
Tanzer - 91-92 Details: ($165) Bright red-ruby. Sappy, perfumed aromas of black raspberry and violet. Juicy, tightly wound and precise, with fresh acidity keeping the flavors under wraps. Dark berries complicated by black licorice, flowers and a chocolatey note of torrefaction. Finishes firmly tannic. This was harvested late, on October 6, according to winemaker Gary Brookman, who noted that the grape sugars were beginning to go down toward the end but that the acids were also declining and the skins were still gaining in ripeness. 91-92 points 2001 Tanzer chocolatey, dark berries, flowers, licorice, raspberry, violet
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Food Pairings

Category Pairing
Red Meat Beef, Grilled Filet Mignon, Grilled Beef, Roast Beef

Wine Terms

Name Value
Cabernet Sauvignon (cab er nay saw vee nyon)—This highly adaptable grape grows almost anywhere it is relatively warm, but the best wines come from the Burgundy region of France (where it is a noble variety), California, and Australia. It became famous through the red wines of the Médoc district of Bordeaux and is now grown in Washington, southern France, Italy, Australia, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes make wines that are high in tannin and medium- to full-bodied. Usually identified as having black currant or cassis flavors, the grape can also possess vegetal tones when the grapes are less than ideally ripe. The best wines are rich and firm with great depth, and are often aged for fifteen years or more. Because it is highly tannic, Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended with other less-tannic grapes such as Merlot.
Napa This tiny strip of land just north of San Francisco is home to America’s most prestigious wineries. Its climate is ideal for viticulture. Ironically, it was deemed too ideal for some vintners, who have moved their vineyards from the valley’s flat plain to the hills in the east and west, adhering to the idea that grapes that struggle to grow yield better wine. The climate, soil, and individual wineries are enormously varied, so it’s impossible to identify a singular trait of Napa wines. In addition, nearly every noble grape is grown here, although Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the primary grapes. In the past, Napa’s wines have alternated between extremely fruity and fat to lean and subtle. Today the best Napa wines have achieved a balance between these extremes. Many are made to be drunk young and have abundant ripe fruit; others can be initially hard and tannic, but soften over four or five years to perfumed, cedary fruit. White Napa wines are excellent with fresh-grilled fish and chicken, but can also cope with more spicy and creamy flavors. Many Napa reds will overwhelm delicate cuisine, but rich red meat and cheeses do make good companions.
United States Wineries exist in all fifty states, but the most predominant (and best) wine comes from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington State, with New York gaining a foothold in the industry. American wines make up about 75% of all wine sales in the US. The appellation system uses the term AVA (American Viticultural Area) to determine where wines were produced, but grape varieties can be planted anywhere in the country. American wineries generally use varietal labeling, and government regulations require that the variety on the label must make up at least 75% of the blend (in Oregon it’s 90%). The words reserve, special selection, private reserve, classic, and so on have no legal definition in the US. Some wineries use these terms to indicate their better wines; others use the words as a marketing tool to move lower quality wines off the shelf.
California California produces the majority of wine made in the United States. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir dominate the wine production in California, but many other varietials thrive in the California climate. Many fine wines are produced in California using Mediterranean grapes.
Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Over the past few decades, the Napa Valley has become synonymous with award winning Cabernet Sauvignon. Originating from the Bordeaux region in France, Cabernet Sauvignon is truly wine's ambassador to the world. Now in the annals of wine history, this varietal put the Napa Valley on the map. There is a select set of conditions, often enjoyed in Napa, which makes for world class examples of the grape. These include long, sunny days in warm climates, in conjunction with porous, well draining soils.
Napa County Napa County is located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. At the north end of Napa County is the Bay Area's second tallest peak Mount Saint Helena, and to the far south of Napa County lays the section of the Napa Valley that bleeds into Carneros. When the first white settlers arrived in the early 1830s, there were six tribes in the valley speaking different dialects and they were often at war with each other. The Mayacomos tribe lived in the area where Calistoga was founded. Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Napa Valley is widely considered one of the top wine regions in California and all of the United States. By the end of the nineteenth century there were more than one hundred and forty wineries in the area. Today Napa Valley features more than two hundred wineries and grows many different grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Zinfandel. The region is visited by as many as five million people each year, making it the second to Disneyland as the most popular tourist destination in California.

Tasting Notes

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