2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate is a fabulous wine from Chuck and Anne McMinn, who own this vineyard in northern Napa Valley. A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc, aged 21 months in 100% new French oak, there were 742 cases produced in 2005. Absolutely delicious, it is a complex, Mediterranean style of Cabernet Sauvignon, with notes of new saddle leather, lavender, creme de cassis, spice box and licorice in a fragrant, aromatic style. Quite intense, spicy and full-bodied, this gorgeous wine was made under the helmsmanship of Philippe Melka. It was bottled after 21 months in barrel with no fining or filtration. Melka told me that the only change really made over the last decade with this particular Cabernet Sauvignon is that he does less racking than he did initially. This is a fabulously rich, seemingly fully mature wine, but with at least 10-15 years of further aging potential.

The Cabernet Sauvignon from the Aida Vineyard is becoming one of the most exceptional northern Napa Valley Cabernets, with a production ranging between 600-700 cases. The fabulous 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Vineyard (77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc) was aged 20 months in 100% French oak. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by a sumptuous nose of burning embers, scorched earth, black currants, cedar, and licorice. The wine possesses fabulous fruit along with beautiful density, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and sweet tannins. It displays the exceptional purity and ripeness one expects from Napa fruit as well as a somewhat European structure, a characteristic of this cooler climate vintage. This 2005 should drink beautifully for two decades or more. Proprietor Chuck McMinn and his winemaker, Philippe Melka, continue to fashion one of Napa’s finest negociant blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, offering it at a reasonable price for a high end Napa Cabernet. The Aida Vineyard, situated between St. Helena and Calistoga, was a source of superb Zinfandel when the fruit was purchased by Larry Turley for Turley Wine Cellars. At Vineyard 29, they have continued to blend it with Petite Sirah, and age it in French oak. The most limited offering in this portfolio is the Sauvignon Blanc (100 or so cases produced). This 100% Sauvignon Blanc is aged for an unusually long time (16 months) in 100% new French oak. However, the oak is never noticeable in these cuvees as they are meant to replicate a fine white Bordeaux capable of aging. A wine I reviewed last year, the 2005, is still drinking fabulously well. Tel. (707) 963-9292; Fax (707) 963-7848

(a blend of 76% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot and 9% cab franc) Good deep ruby-red. Minerals, flowers and an exotic suggestion of peach pit on the nose. Densely packed but a bit youthfully clenched, with currant, black cherry and licorice flavors complicated by chocolate and a faint meaty element. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins and a lightly medicinal quality. This needs time to express its personality. I erroneously identified a barrel sample of this wine as "cabernet sauvignon" last year, but the 2006 will be bottled with cabernet on the label.