WineChief'sFavoriteCabernetSauvignon

Where to buy wines at Retail Stores!

Acme Fine Wines 707-963-0440 1104 Adams Street Suite 104 St. Helena, California 94574

All Seasons Wine Shop and Cafe 1400 Lincoln Ave. Calistoga, CA 94515 800-804-9463

Beltramo's 1540 El Camino Real Menlo Park, CA 94025 650-325-2806

Brown Derby 2023 S. Glenstone Springfield, MO. 65804 800-491-3438 417-883-4066

California Wine Merchant 3237 Pierce St. San Francisco, CA 94123 415-567-0646

Draeger's 222 E. 4th Avenue San Mateo, CA 94401 650-685-3725 1010 University Drive Menlo Park, CA 94025 650-688-0682 342 First Street Los Altos, CA 94022 650-948-4425

Golden West 2443 Fillmore St. #376, San Francisco, CA 94115 415- 931-2300 800- 722-7020 e-mail: goldwest@wco.com

Grapevine 1389 Lincoln Avenue San Jose, Ca 408-293-7874

Hi-Time Wine Cellar 250 Ogle Street Costa Mesa, CA 92627 800-331-3005 949-650-8463

Joseph George 1559 Meridian Ave. San Jose, CA 408-448-WINE

K&L Wines 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 650-364-8544 766 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94107 415-896-1734

Nielsen Brothers Wine Shop 7th & San Carlos St. Box H Carmel, CA 93921 831-624-9463

North Berkeley Imports 1601 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, CA 94709 510-848-8910 - 800-266-6585

Oakville Grocery Various Locations

Premier Cru 5890 Christie Avenue Emeryville, CA 94608 510-655-6691

Prima Wines 1522 N. Main Street Walnut Creek, CA 94596 925-945-1800 or 800-70-Prima Premier Cru 5890 Christie Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 510-566-6691

Rancho Cellars 23640 Carmel Rancho Blvd. Carmel, CA 93923 831-625-5646 Ask for Jacques Melac

Robert's Market 3015 Woodside Road Woodside, CA 94062 Store 650-851-1511 / Wine Dept. 650-851-2640 ask for John Akeley john@robertsmarket.com

The Cheese Shop downstairs in the Carmel Plaza P.O. Box 109 Carmel, CA 93921 800-828-WINE 831-625-2272

The Wine Exchange of Sonoma, CA 452 First St. East Sonoma, CA. 95476 1-800-938-1794

The Wine Club 953 Harrison St. San Francisco, CA 800-966-7835 or 415-512-9086 1200 Coleman Santa Clara, CA 800-678-5044 or 408-567-0900 2110 McFadden #E Santa Ana, CA 92705 800-966-5432 or 714-835-6485

Vintage Wine Merchants 377 Santana Row Suite 1135 San Jose, CA 408-260-1115

Vin Vino Wine 437 California St. Palo Alto, CA 94306 650-324-4903

Weimax Wines & Spirits 1178 Broadway Burlingame, CA 94010 650-343-0182

Wine Cask 813 Anacapa Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805-966-9463 800-436-9463

WineCommune.com

*Cabernet Sauvignon* 2002 Cult Cabernet Tasting at Beltramo's! New! Video of Kelly Peterson pouring the 2003 Switchback Ridge = 5Attababys! Want more Video? Click Here! The line up. Not all cult... but, one that should be! Lindy Novak pouring 1995 & 2002 Spottswoode Howard and Phoebe (Beltramo's wine buyers) pouring 2002 Bryant and 2002 Araujo Decanted, of course... Mia Klein (winemaker) pouring 2002 Dalle Valle & 2002 Chesler 2002 Dalle Valle & 2002 Chesler Tracy Waldron pouring 2002 Vineyard 29! Scotti Stark pouring Revana 2002 Cabernet (Heidi Barrett winemaker) Rick Johnson Southern Wine & Spirits pouring 2002 Insignia ...and finally Kelly Peterson, Co-Owner and Managing Director Switchback Ridge Kelly pouring her 2003 Cabernet against 2002's! Wow! This was my favorite Cabernet of the evening! This wine should be cult! Bob Foley, winemaker 100 Point Blind Tasting at Beltramo's! Wow! Who needs Robert Parker? I'm speechless! 2000 Chateau Margaux = 6Attababys! My Favorite! 2000 Chateau Cos d'Estournel = 5Attababys! 2000 Chateau forgot = 5Attababys! 2000 La Mission Haut Brion = 5Attababys! 1999 Shafer Hillside Select = 4Attababys! 1996 Bryant Family = 6Attababys! Won the tasting! 1997 Bryant Family = 5Attababys! Don't forget the Port! 1994 Taylor = 5Attababys! 1977 Fonseca = 5Attababys! Gary of Beltramo's conducting the 100 Point Tasting is speechless! *Wine of the Year!* Chateau Margaux 2000 Pavillon Rouge = 5Attababys! Wow! Can't find the Chateaux Margaux? Try the second label from the great Chateau Margaux. It's much less expensive and easier to find. The greatest Pavillon Rouge I have ever tasted! Wonderful nose, this is what a perfect growing season smells like and tastes like... Beautiful fruit and glorius flavors that can only be produced in Bordeaux. Perfect balance and a finish that goes on and on and on....Wow! Also, one of WineChief's Best Wines on the Market! 2000 Chateau Margaux = 6Attababys! Wow! The greatest Chateau Margaux in years and maybe the best ever produced! Better than most, if not all other Bordeaux! This wine changed everything I thought I knew about Cabernet Sauvignon! The 2000 vintage is the best vintage in Bordeaux in recent memory! Better than 1995 and one of The Best Wines on the Market Pair with Omaha Steak Private Reserve Filet Mignon! Click here for more about a recent Chateau Margaux tasting at Pacific's Edge Restaurant at the Highlands Inn Home of the Masters of Food & Wine! SwitchBack Ridge 1999, 2001, 2002 Peterson FamilyVineyard Cabernet Sauvignon = 5Attababys! pair with Omaha Steaks Private Reserve Filet Mignon with a Balsamic, StarAnise Red Pearl Onion Beef Reduction with Rutabaga au Gratin is pure sex! Bob Foley, winemaker. This wine won a recent blind tasting of high end California Cabernet Sauvignon! Wow! Fantastic! As featured in WineChief's Napa Valley Wine Roads! Shafer 1999 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon = 5Attababys! The best Shafer 1999 Hillside Select ever produced? Maybe? This will give the 1997 a run for the money... Click here to check out the Shafer Hillside Select Vertical on February 19th, 2004 at the upcoming 18th Annual Masters of Food & Wine! The Wines of Dalle Valle Vineyards! The largest Dalle Valle vertical tasting ever conducted at Beltramo's Wednesday Night Tasting! The Wine Menu! Gary, Beltramo's beginning the vertical tasting! Reactions from the tasters... The Wines! 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Dalle Valle Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical Notice the drip down the label? Any guesses which one was our favorite? That's the 1999! The wines! Ooohhh, the wines! 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Maya Vertical = 5Attababys! Again, the 1999 was my favorite, just slightly edging out the 1997. The 1998 was the best of the 1998 cult wines. This Napa Cabernet blended with a little Cabernet Franc for elegance is one of the best of the cult wines! Mia Klein, winemaker. Gary speaking about the Maya wines! This was a real treat! Thank you Beltramo's for holding on to these wines for years and conducting this great vertical rare cult Dalle Valle Maya wines! Beltramo's has historically conducted great tastings of older wines and is an educational center as well as a wine store. 1994 California Cult Cabernet Blind Tasting at Joseph George! Hard at work! 1994 Dominus = 4Attababys! 1994 Caymus = 4Attababys! 1994 Shafer Hillside Select = 4Attababys! 1994 Araujo = 4Attababys! 1994 Philip Togni = 4Attababys! 1994 Spottswoode = 4Attababys! 1994 Dalle Valle = 4Attababys! Conclusions... The 1995 vintage is better than the 1994! These wines were better 5 years ago!


	Sherwin Family Vineyards 1996, 1999, 2000 & 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District = 5Attababys! The star of last years Family Wine Makers Tasting and one of The Best Wines on the Market featured in Napa Valley Wine Roads Wow! Run, don't walk to get this wine! Glorius fruit! The now Famous American Flag Bottle Limited Etched Series in rememberance of those lost September 11, 2001 The Sherwin Family donated a bottle to the White House.
	Rudd 2000 Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley Red Table Wine = 5Attababys! Wow! If the 2000 Bordeaux tastes like this we have a lot of Cabernet blends to drink in the future! This is better than the 1999! One of the best wines I have experienced from the Napa Valley! The drips running down the label are an indication of how good it is. We were fighting over it! David Ramey, winemaker. The star of this years Family Wine Makers Tasting and one of The Best Wines on the Market featured in Napa Valley Wine Roads!
	Forman Napa Valley 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon = 5Attababys! One look at the label says it all! It happened here too, after tasting the 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997 we kept going back to the 2000! Ric Forman said he thinks the 2000 is his best Cabernet yet. Delicious fruit.
	La Sirena 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon = 5Attababys! Heidi Barret, winemaker. This is her personal project! Can't find or afford Screaming Eagle? Try this beauty! Gourgeous! Available at the Napa Wine Company As featured in Napa Valley Wine Roads!
	Showket Vineyards 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon = 5Attababys! Another Heidi Barret wine! This is delicious! One of the stars of this years Family Wine Makers Tasting and one of The Best Wines on the Market featured in Napa Valley Wine Roads! Also available at the Napa Wine Company
	Switchback Ridge 1999 Peterson Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon = 5Attababys! paired with Omaha Steaks Private Reserve Filet Mignon in Balsamic, StarAnise, Red Pearl Onion Beef Reduction with Rutabaga au Gratin is pure sex! Bob Foley, winemaker. This wine won a recent blind tasting of high end California Cabernet Sauvignon! Wow! Fantastic! As featured in Napa Valley Wine Roads!
	Leonetti Cellar 1998 Walla Walla Reserve = 5Attababys! Leonetti Cellar 1321 School Ave. Walla Walla, WA 99362 509-525-1428 This is one of the best if not the best Cabernet Sauvignon made in America! This wine immediately overtakes you upon opening with a powerful black fruit fragrance that spirals up from the glass. As I began to drink this masterpiece I realized that the flavors matched the fragrance. A rare thing even in fine wine. This wine slowly coated my tongue with layers of black fruit and layers of oak with very subtle nuances of vanilla and smoke. The mid mouth feel is so round and smooth that will quickly become your reference. And the finish...another reference! This should be a cult wine. What can I say? Bravo to Gary Figgins! Also, the 1987 and 1990 Reserve = 5Attababys! Match with Walla Walla Onion Soup with Acme baguette and Cave Aged Swiss Gruyere for a perfect match! One of The Best Wines on the Market!
	Harlan Estate 1994, 1995, 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon = 5Attababys! Harlan Box 352, Oakville, CA 94562 707-944-1441 This is the Best Cabernet Sauvignon made in California! The incredible fragrance of delicious dark fruits and vanilla will stop you in your tracks! I found myself thinking...This is what the great Bordeaux should be like! This wine is superior to other cabernets even in poor vintages! While everyone is scrambling to buy the Screaming Eagle, buy the Harlan! Bravo to Harlan! One of The Best Wines on the Market! As featured in Napa Valley Wine Roads!
	Screaming Eagle 1995, 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon = 4Attababys! Hints of red cherries, redwood, vanilla wisp out of the glass at first, then turn more powerful. It coats my tongue with flavors of red cherries, soil, vanilla, acid, tannin and oak and leather. The finish is long with a nice spicy element that comes up from the back of my throat. Rare and expensive!
	Bryant 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon = 5Attababys! Bryant Family Vineyard P.O. Box 332 Calistoga CA 94515 The nose is refined and classy with perfumy dark hints of plums and black cherries! On the pallette very refined and classy flavors of plums and black cherries with perfect balance of new oak, acid, vanilla and fruit. This is the classiest of the cult wines!
	Maya 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc blend= 5Attababys! Immediately impresses with a powerful nose of black fruit and strong soil aromas that say hang on! Dark and closed at first, black cherries, smokey oak, hints of redwood and soil unfold as I taste it. My tongue, lips and gums are coated with a lip smacking Cabernet stains! Bath in it! Match it with Braised Lamb Shank to impress!
	Colgin 1994, 1995 Herb Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon = 4Attababys! This wine unfolds very slowly. The nose is deep with exotic aromas of smoky black cherries and spice. The wine is tongue staining with layers of smoky black cherries, vanilla, chocolate, leather, and a long spicy finish that leaves me wanting more, but I have to be patient. This wine changes every time I taste it. A sign of a great wine!
	Araujo Estate Wines 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon = 4Attababys! Wonderful aromas of plummy fruit and spice come out of the glass. The flavors match the nose with plummy fruit and a hint of spicey oak and leather on this cabernet. Match with Steak and Pommes frittes for a real pleasure.
	Swanson 1997 Alexis = 4Attababys! $40.00 Wow! A blend of Cabernet and Syrah! The nose is deep with exotic aromas of black fruit and spice. The flavors are layered with smoky black cherries, vanilla, chocolate, leather, and a long spicy finish that gets better every time I sip it. One of the stars of this years Family Wine Makers Tasting as featured in Napa Valley Wine Roads!
	Beaulieu Vineyards 1997 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon = 3Attababys! $19.99 This Cabernet Sauvignon is the best value I have found from California! Great fruit, balance and a hint of Rutherford Dust and a great finish! Matched with Belgium Chocolate = 5Attababys! is sensual!
	Columbia Crest Grand Estates 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon = 3Attababys! $9.99 This Cabernet Sauvignon is the best value I have found from North America! Great fruit, balance and that unmistakeable Washingtin State soil and a great finish!
	Where to buy wines at Retail Stores! Acme Fine Wines 707-963-0440 1104 Adams Street Suite 104 St. Helena, California 94574 All Seasons Wine Shop and Cafe 1400 Lincoln Ave. Calistoga, CA 94515 800-804-9463 Beltramo's 1540 El Camino Real Menlo Park, CA 94025 650-325-2806 Brown Derby 2023 S. Glenstone Springfield, MO. 65804 800-491-3438 417-883-4066 California Wine Merchant 3237 Pierce St. San Francisco, CA 94123 415-567-0646 Draeger's 222 E. 4th Avenue San Mateo, CA 94401 650-685-3725 1010 University Drive Menlo Park, CA 94025 650-688-0682 342 First Street Los Altos, CA 94022 650-948-4425 Golden West 2443 Fillmore St. #376, San Francisco, CA 94115 415- 931-2300 800- 722-7020 e-mail: goldwest@wco.com Grapevine 1389 Lincoln Avenue San Jose, Ca 408-293-7874 Hi-Time Wine Cellar 250 Ogle Street Costa Mesa, CA 92627 800-331-3005 949-650-8463 Joseph George 1559 Meridian Ave. San Jose, CA 408-448-WINE K&L Wines 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 650-364-8544 766 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94107 415-896-1734 Nielsen Brothers Wine Shop 7th & San Carlos St. Box H Carmel, CA 93921 831-624-9463 North Berkeley Imports 1601 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, CA 94709 510-848-8910 - 800-266-6585 Oakville Grocery Various Locations Premier Cru 5890 Christie Avenue Emeryville, CA 94608 510-655-6691 Prima Wines 1522 N. Main Street Walnut Creek, CA 94596 925-945-1800 or 800-70-Prima Premier Cru 5890 Christie Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 510-566-6691 Rancho Cellars 23640 Carmel Rancho Blvd. Carmel, CA 93923 831-625-5646 Ask for Jacques Melac Robert's Market 3015 Woodside Road Woodside, CA 94062 Store 650-851-1511 / Wine Dept. 650-851-2640 ask for John Akeley john@robertsmarket.com The Cheese Shop downstairs in the Carmel Plaza P.O. Box 109 Carmel, CA 93921 800-828-WINE 831-625-2272 The Wine Exchange of Sonoma, CA 452 First St. East Sonoma, CA. 95476 1-800-938-1794 The Wine Club 953 Harrison St. San Francisco, CA 800-966-7835 or 415-512-9086 1200 Coleman Santa Clara, CA 800-678-5044 or 408-567-0900 2110 McFadden #E Santa Ana, CA 92705 800-966-5432 or 714-835-6485 Vintage Wine Merchants 377 Santana Row Suite 1135 San Jose, CA 408-260-1115 Vin Vino Wine 437 California St. Palo Alto, CA 94306 650-324-4903 Weimax Wines & Spirits 1178 Broadway Burlingame, CA 94010 650-343-0182 Wine Cask 813 Anacapa Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805-966-9463 800-436-9463 WineCommune.com


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