Our introduction to Ladera wines came from a wine dinner that Chef Kevin hosted at Nectar Bistro last May. If you have not read about the wine dinner here is the link: http://www.billswinewandering.com/category/ladera-vineyard/
After that special dinner, we made a point to visit Ladera, holding the “Golden” ticket. (Dan’s personal business card) During our visit we became members. Nearly every time we are at Nectar we buy a bottle of the Ladera Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.
We recently had a weekend with our friends Jon and Laura, who spent the night. Laura is Chris’ food blog partner and they wanted to cook food for an upcoming blog and just get together for some camaraderie! Jon and I just “bellied” up to the counter as the girls prepared appetizers and we graciously ate everything that they provided.
We had our fair share of wine that night. Once dinner was done and we were ready to have Chris’ homemade Apple Cranberry pie with freshly made Cinnamon ice cream! All of our glasses were empty but we wanted something so I wandered down to my cellar.
I recently received our Ladera wine club shipment so I thought we should share and let our guests have a try. I grabbed the 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and headed back up. I know most people do not recommend sweet deserts with bolder wines, but the desert wasn’t terribly sweet, had lots of spice and we all thought they paired very well together. As we were eating, Chris decided to text Dan Stotesbery a picture of her yummy desert with the Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. They had a fun exchange as Dan was enjoying his bachelor party with friends in Las Vegas we were told.
We concluded the night with full stomachs and a half of bottle of Ladera wine. I re-corked the bottle and we called it a night!
That Sunday I spent most of the day reading a new book written by Doug Shafer, “A Vineyard in Napa”. Chris spent most of the day cooking and then Michelle and Jake came over for dinner. Happy hour set upon us and I wanted to have a glass of the Ladera Cabernet Sauvignon. Since I hadn’t taken any tasting notes the night before, I decide to grab a sheet and pull the cork.
Sight
The Cabernet was dark and deep with a nice Garnet color. It was very clear with no sediment in the glass.
Smell
The aroma was moderate and the fruit smelled young. I could smell Blackberry and a slight note of oak and vanilla.
Taste
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon was dry and slightly tart. The tannins were medium and could be felt in my mid palate. The finish was long and flavorful. Some of the flavors I noted were Dark Cherry, Blueberry, and Coca.
ABV: 13.5%
We truly enjoyed the 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I have a couple more bottles in my cellar. I plan on holding them for a while so the wine matures even more.
Life is too short to drink crappy wine. Expand your palate and keep trying.
Facebook.com/BillsWineWandering
@BillsWineWander
