Christmas Eve and Christmas is calling all the Cabernet lovers. Whether you’re planning a feast for the whole family or opting for an intimate celebration, choosing the right bottles to pair with your Christmas meal is an important part of creating the perfect holiday experience. Cabernet Sauvignon is a great pairing for the traditional red meats usually cooked during this time. It’s a perfect wine to bring to a holiday dinner party for wine lovers. I’d like to share some of my favorite Cabs at various price points.
2017 Joseph Carr Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2017 Joseph Carr Napa Cabernet Sauvignon reflects a traditional old-school approach to winemaking, where terroir is allowed to express itself and the art of the blend results in wines of balance and complexity. Lively aromas lift from the glass and are highlighted with handfuls of black cherry, licorice, burnt caramel and vanilla. On the palate, this Cabernet is fresh and polished and illuminates layers of ripe fruit and comforting spice. Ripe flavors of black cherry and cassis are complimented by warm pie crust and drift into a lingering brambly fruit conserve.
You can find this bottle from $26 to $30.
2017 Carr Cabernet Franc
The 2017 Carr Cabernet Franc Rossi is a single-acre vineyard in Happy Canyon that produces some of the best Cabernet Franc in the area. The long hot summer days and hard rocky clay soil allow the vines to produce deep, rich flavors. This wine has a nose filled with dark fruits and peppers followed by a soft, yet gripping mid-palate and a long finish. This wine will compliment your prime rib or roasted ham.
You can find this bottle for $50.
2017 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis
The 2017 Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon is one of my favorite wines. This Cabernet Sauvignon offers inviting aromas of ripe raspberry, boysenberry and dark cherry along with hints of cedar and spice. The mid-palate is pleasant and round with flavors of plum, dark chocolate, dried fruit and a touch of toasted oak. The finish is rich and lingering.
You can find this bottle from $60 – $75.
Mount Veeder
The 2017 Mount Veeder Cabernet is deep ruby in color with intense dark fruit aromas of ripe black cherry, black currant and plum interlaced with complex notes of sweet herbs, clove, vanilla, dark chocolate, and toasty oak. Blackberry, cocoa, and black peppercorn unite on the layered palate with complex notes dark berry and cassis with highlights of bay, anise and mocha. Full yet elegant on the palate, with vibrant fruit and very approachable tannins with hints of nutmeg and vanilla bean add to the long persistent finish.
You can find this bottle for $35 to $45.
Justin Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2018 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon has attractive aromas of black fruit and spice. This smooth, ready to drink Cabernet Sauvignon is made with the same care as the highest quality, traditionally crafted Bordeaux styled wines. The grapes are hand-picked and sorted by the berry for consistent quality and flavor. Justin Cabernet Sauvignon spends more than a year in traditional small oak barrels to impart depth and complexity, highlighting the influence that our limestone rich soils and unique climate of Paso Robles add to the classic Cabernet character of this exceptional wine. Dark purple-ruby core with lighter rim and moderately stained, pronounced tears forming on the glass. Aromatic with ripe black and red cherry, blackcurrant and berry fruit, baking spice and sweet tobacco with red and black licorice, oak, cocoa and subtle camphor notes. Dry, nearly full-bodied, with ripe black cherry, cassis and red fruit, baking spice and oak accents on entry with sustained ripe primary and mostly black fruit, dried autumn leaf, cocoa and a pleasant suggestion of camphor on the mid-palate into the finish. The finish is fresh and moderately long, showing lingering cherry and berry notes with oak and barrel spice nicely supported by fine, balanced tannins.
You can find this bottle for $25.00
Cheers & Happy Holidays
Rosa Chalekian 