Wine of the Month September 2008
                    Roberts and Rogers Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004
                              (Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California)
                                                                      
                                                        
                                                  


I have always been of the opinion that free-loaders are about the hardest group to please.  Funny how that works.  Readers of this site are the perfect example.  Last year many of you have been "belly-aching" that I was only reviewing expensive "premium wines".  So this year I have been focusing on value based wines.  Now you're all bitching that I don't feature those hidden gem super secret extra special type wines any more.  Last I checked, no one has paid one cent to access this site, which brings me to my first statement:  "Free-loaders are hard to please".  So without further ado, I introduce to my beloved readers our October 2008 wine of the month; A super secret extra-special wine.  Roberts and Rogers Cabernet Sauvignon.

 I stumbled upon this wine quite by accident.  Serendipity sure is a great thing.  I recently went to the Del Mar Wine Company looking for an older Bordeaux wine, and ended up finding a new Howell Mountain cabernet that I have never heard of.  I bought it, drank it, and loved it.  The wine is the 2004 Roberts and Rogers Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.  The reason I never heard of it is that this is the first vintage for Roberts and Rogers.  Details of the wine are skectchy, and the winery's web site is not terribly helpful, but it seems that the owners either bought or leased a premium vineyard sight up on Howell Mountain (above Napa Valley) back in 2000.  They planted Cabernet Sauvingon, with a little Cab Franc and Merlot to blend at the winemaker's discretion.   After a few years cultivating the vineyard, they were ready to harvest for the 2004 vintage.  The grapes were crushed, the wine vinted, bottled, and prepared for release some time late last year.  Only about 700 cases were produced, and it is not widely available.  Locally they have it at Del Mar Wine Company just west of I-5 on Del Mar Heights Road.

Personally, I love Howell Mountain cabernets.  Howell Mountain is probably my favorite cabernet region in Napa.  For years I have enjoyed cabs from such Howell Mountain wineries as Dunn, Ladera, La Jota, and O'Shaugnessy.  More recently I have been smitten with Howell Mountain cabs from newcomers Cade, Lamborn and Cimarossa.  Most Howell Mountain cabs require extended cellaring, but the Roberts and Rogers was nice right now.  (I should also point out that the new release from Cade is wonderfully drinkable right now as well).  The wine had a saturated dark purple color, a dusty, cedary, plummy bouquet, and gobs of blackberry and black currant on the palate.  The wine boasted strong tannin, but there was enough fruit that the tannin was by no means overpowering.  As expected, a long and smooth finish completed the wine. 

Wines like this I call a "rock concert in a bottle".  A good rock band in concert will be loud, ostentacious, and flamboyant, but the sound will be crisp, and drums, guitar, vocals and bass will all be equally audible.  A "rock concert wine", in my vernacular, means the wine will be big, bold, expansive, fruit laden, and tannic, yet all parts in perfect proportion, and the final product hedonistically enjoyable.  Such was the case with this wine.  The winery's web site recommends decanting, but I found the wine enjoyable right after the cork was removed.  Wine lovers wanting a more subdued "soft-rock" experience may wish to decant.  Personally, I'd prefer a live perfromance from Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Clash, U2 or Beck over a show from Barry Manilow or Chicago, and similarly, I'll take my Roberts and Rogers without extended decanting, but this is clearly a matter of personal preference.

Along with Cade and St. Helena Winery, this is probably my favorite first release from a winery in the last few years.  The wine sells for $75 on the Roberts and Rogers winery web site, and sells for $79 at Del Mar Wine Company.  K and L wine shop in LA and San Francisco has it on sale for $49, and offer it for sale on their web site.

I rate this wine a solid 4 stars. Keep up the good work.


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