Posts Tagged ‘Oakville Station’

Good Eats, Podcasts, and Cornerstone Cellars

August 9, 2015

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to check in, and share a few samples from Cornerstone Cellars that I have been sippin’ on recently.

When we recorded last week’s episode of the We Like Drinking Podcast (available now on iTunes and your favorite podcatcher apps), I opened up this bad boy to pair with some Penne Pasta and Sausage…

Cornerstone Cellars 2012 Oakville Station Merlot

The Cornerstone Cellars 2012 Oakville Station Merlot is one of the first releases from Cornerstone’s new single vineyard series.  The wine consists of 100% Merlot from the Oakville Station block of the world-famous To Kalon vineyard in California’s Napa Valley.  This wine retails for $75.

Color: This Merlot has a deep ruby red color.  It’s so deeply red, it’s almost purple.

Nose: Bright cranberry and earthy blackberry aromas.

Taste: This wine is so much more than the ripe dark fruit that is so present on the front of the palate.  Just wait for it… There it is! There’s this awesome meaty quality, and a long, tangy and spicy finish.

Score: If you heard me taste this wine for the first time on the podcast, I let out a long, high-pitched, “Mmmmmmmm!!!!!” once the wine hit my lips…  Here’s why…

I was really excited to learn that Cornerstone was going to start doing single vineyard wines.  To me, there is no better way to truly understand the ever elusive terroir of a region.  This Merlot does not disappoint.  This wine is bangin’!  92 points.

On to the next wine!

Cornerstone Cellars 2012 Michael’s Cuvée

Along with starting their single vineyard series with the 2012 vintage, Cornerstone will now be producing a special blend of these vineyards. The Cornerstone Cellars 2012 Michael’s Cuvée is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot.  The fruit comes from Oakville Station (57%), Karios Vineyard in Oak Knoll (28%), and Ink Grade Vineyard on Howell Mountain (9%).  The blend is named after Dr. Michael Dragutsky, who founded Cornerstone in 1991.  This wine is also $75.  I paired it with a Chicken Apple Sausage on a Whole Wheat Bun with Onions and Mushrooms.

Color: Another deep ruby red wine from Cornerstone’s 2012 vintage.

Nose: Fruits of plum, red currant, and blackberry.  This wine is woodsy, both in terms of oak integration and the subtle forest floor aromas.  Nice notes of menthol as well.

Taste: Ripe dark fruits up front transition to tangy red fruit flavors on the finish.  There is a herbaceous backbone of mint, menthol, and tobacco leaf that is present throughout.

Score: This wine is bombastic, and yet subtle.  It’s in your face, but in a really laid back kind of way.  It’s Taylor Swift doing a set of Radiohead covers.  93+ points.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Which of these wines from Cornerstone Cellars sounds the best to you?  Leave a comment, and let us know.

Advertisement

Stay Rad Wine Blog TV Episode 156: How’s Your Vertical?

February 16, 2015

In this episode, Jeff tastes through some samples of Cabernet Franc from Cornerstone Cellars…

Wine Tasted:

Cornerstone Cellars 2011 and 2012 Black Label Cabernet Franc

Cornerstone Cellars 2011 and 2012 Black Label Cabernet Franc

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Cabernet Franc: European or Californian?  Leave a comment, and let us know.

Napa Fun Time 1.2: Everybody Must Get Cornerstone

October 17, 2012

After spending the morning in the wine cave at Del Dotto in Napa, Kara and I headed North on the 29 to the Cornerstone Cellars tasting room in Yountville.

20121017-191451.jpg

Cornerstone Cellars

Upon arrival, we met up with managing partner, blogger, and all around great guy, Craig Camp, who hosted us in a tasting of their current releases…

20121017-191736.jpg

Stepping Stone 2011 North Coast White Rocks: A dry white blend of Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer, the White Rocks brings flavors of subtle grassy notes and pineapple.  There’s a good acid and weight to this. 87

20121017-191755.jpg

Stepping Stone 2010 Napa Valley Riesling: Nose of honey suckle and minerality.  There’s a good medium light weight to this bone dry white. 87

20121017-191819.jpg

Cornerstone Oregon 2010 Willamette Valley Chardonnay: Toasty nose of lemon and vanilla. There’s a good, creamy mouthfeel that is complimented by a balanced lemon acidity. I love this wine. 91

20121017-191858.jpg

Cornerstone Cellars 2010 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc: Pretty nose of papaya and peach. Good lime flavored acidity and subtle grassy notes. 90

20121017-191911.jpg

Stepping Stone 2010 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir: A nice, light Pinot Noir that smells of pepper and strawberries. On the palate, the pepper spice is balanced with hints of cola, cranberry, and leather. This is some good stuff. 90+

20121017-191931.jpg

Cornerstone Oregon 2009 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir: Toasty nose of tomatoes and cherries are complimented by the taste of cola, cherries, sassafras, and cranberries. There is a great balance to this wine. 91+

20121017-191949.jpg

Cornerstone Cellars 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark burgundy in color, this wine has a pretty nose of strawberry and black fruits. This Cabernet has some fantastic structure with its smooth, chalky tannins. The wine has plenty of pretty black fruit, and a long finish of black olives (which may be due to the 5% Merlot blended into the wine). I’m a fan. 92

20121017-192005.jpg

Cornerstone Cellars 2008 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine is hella dark. It has a pretty nose of menthol and dried cherries. On the palate, it is all tannin, acid, and spice. This is definitely and age-worthy cab. Craig also poured us a splash of the 2006 to show how it ages. The wine will definitely showcase some herb notes and the tannins pull back over the next few years. This is a great wine. 92+

20121017-192021.jpg

Cornerstone Cellars 2009 The Cornerstone Red Wine: This is THEE wine that showcases what good fruit and good winemaking can do in Napa Valley. This wine features 95% Cabernet Sauvignon from the famed Oakville Station/To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, along with equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The wine is dark red, verging on black. It features a nose of strawberry shortcake and boysenberries. The palate has great fruit of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and plum. There is a nice long acid, good green notes of bell pepper, and chalky, bike tire-like tannins. This a fantastic wine. It has the chops to go toe-to-toe with some of Napa’s finest. 93

Before we took off, Craig brought out some Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from To Kalon for us to sample…

20121017-192035.jpg

Yum!

The next time you’re in the Napa Valley, you’ve gotta check out Cornerstone.

Stay Rad,

Jeff


%d bloggers like this: