California Dreamin'

Just... a few more weeks... until spring

It has been an epically cold and snowy winter in New York so far. And yet, I may be feeling just a twinge of spring on the horizon. The snow is finally melting, the trench coats are emerging from the storage bins, and all I want to do is pretend I’m in California right now. But I’m going to hold off on the rose. It’s still February after all.

To quench my thirst for classic California I finally uncorked a 2008 Turn Four Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. Turn Four is a second label from the owners of the Bennett Lane Winery, located at the northern edges of Napa Valley. It smells phenomenal with flavors of plum, blackberry, cherry and just a hint of vanilla. And because this is a second label wine (less expensive aging, grapes still from the winery), this is a real bargain at about $20.

  

While you may also smell or taste some cedar or sage, the minerality of the wine is by far superceded by those fruit-forward flavors. On a second taste they really knock you out. This wine is silky. It's absolutely wonderful to enjoy on a leisurely afternoon.

We're still a couple of weeks until spring, but hold on to this stellar Cabernet to tide you over until then.