I knew very little about this wine when I first picked up the bottle, but quickly discovered I knew a lot more than I thought. One thing I’ve learned about the wine industry is that despite the enormous variety of wines and producers and regions and styles, it can be quite small. I learned that Cultivar is a project from Jody Harris, who I met a couple years back on a trip to Napa. Jody’s family has been growing grapes for decades in Napa Valley and in 2008, he decided to launch a winery called Caspar Estate, which is the reason I met Jody. On the same trip, I met Jody’s winemaker for Caspar, Julien Fayard. Julien is a great guy who makes excellent wine. So I was pleased, and a little shocked, to learn that the same team is making Cultivar. This, at least, gives one small taste of the great things this team can do.
I’m fairly impressed with this wine for being a relatively inexpensive Napa Valley Cabernet. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley under $30. This one, however, right around $25 is surprisingly pleasant. There are lots of dark chocolate-y flavors in this one ranging from the bitter cocoa nib to cocoa butter. I also tasted something akin to chocolate-covered strawberries, though not quite as sweet. As this wine develops, there is a slight sweet fruit character showing in the form of plum, almost prune, that is also reminiscent of ripe raisins. And finally, there was a hint of baking spice (think nutmeg) and black pepper that made this wine slightly more complex, a nice combination.
I’m fairly impressed with this wine for being a relatively inexpensive Napa Valley Cabernet. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley under $30. This one, however, right around $25 is surprisingly pleasant. There are lots of dark chocolate-y flavors in this one ranging from the bitter cocoa nib to cocoa butter. I also tasted something akin to chocolate-covered strawberries, though not quite as sweet. As this wine develops, there is a slight sweet fruit character showing in the form of plum, almost prune, that is also reminiscent of ripe raisins. And finally, there was a hint of baking spice (think nutmeg) and black pepper that made this wine slightly more complex, a nice combination.