2010 Marqués de Cáceres Rosado

The town of Cenicero in the Rioja region of Spain is home to Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres. The winery produces 5 red wines, 3 white wines, and 1 rose wine. The varietals they use for their wines include Tempranillo, Garnacha (Grenache), Graciano, and Malvasia.

The 2010 Marqués de Cáceres Rosado was 85% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha. The wine was aged in stainless steel tanks (no oak at all). The label listed ABV was 13.5%. The winemaker recommends consumption within 21 months from the date of its vintage.

With all the Italian Rosati I have been enjoying this summer, I was dying to try a good Spanish Rosado. Unfortunately, most of the local stores only had very old vintages available. Eventually, I was lucky enough to find the 2010 Marqués de Cáceres Rosado at a discount beverage store. I’ve known Marqués de Cáceres wines for many years and commented on their Gran Reserva a few months back.

I was looking forward to trying their Rosado.

2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto

The Casanova di Neri winery is located in the town of Montalcino in the Tuscany section of Italy. While they are best known for their Brunello di Montalcino, the winery also produces red wines with different varietals and blends, grappa, and olive oil.

The 2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto was 100% Sangiovese. The wine was aged in oak barrels for 31 months. The label listed ABV was 14.5%. The wine’s designation was DOCG. This vintage resulted in the production of 10417 (750 ml) bottles, 250 (1500ml) bottles, and 36 (3000ml) bottles.

This wine received a 100 point rating from James Suckling. As a result, on every trip to the cellar, I couldn’t help but look at the bottles, even though they were placed in an out-of-the-way spot on the racks. The curiosity of tasting the wine versus holding it for years became a regular battle. Did I break down and open a bottle ahead of its time to see what I thought of it?

Yes…yes, I did.

2008 Robert Foley Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

Robert Foley Vineyards is based in Angwin in the Napa Valley section of California.

The winery is best known for its Claret, but it also produces a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Petite Sirah, a Merlot, a Pinot Blanc, and several red blends.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon was 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was aged in French oak for 24 months, and then spent an additional 12 months aging in the bottle. The wine had a label listed ABV of 14.5%. There were 98 cases of this wine produced.

I had previously sampled the 2007 Robert Foley Petite Sirah and loved it. I had acquired several bottles of the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, and my intention was to hold them for several years. The discipline of holding an untasted wine versus the curiosity of wanting to know what it tastes like was quite a battle (on every trip to the cellar!).

In the end, curiosity overcame discipline. I was very glad it did.