2006 Fletcher Louis Cabernet Sauvignon
We like a good Napa Cab every now and then. They're big, full of dark fruit, and just scream AMERICA. It's a very good, if predictable, wine. Sometimes, though, we stumble across a Napa Cab that surprises us. The 2006 Fletcher Louis Cabernet Sauvignon is one of those wines.
We'll cut to the chase. This is an amazingly good wine. It's the kind of wine you regret drinking the moment you finish the bottle. You know you might never enjoy that particular bliss ever again. And we might not.
Burn this image into your memory. Never forget what that label looks like.
Last week we had one of those rare summer days with no kids. Summer camp is really underrated. For the first time since moving to Sonoma, we were free to do whatever grownup things we wanted. That meant wine.
We went into downtown Petaluma in search of tasting rooms and wine bars. The best one we visited was Vine & Barrel. When you first walk in, you think it's just a decent sized wine shop. Then you notice the bar at the back. Go to that bar.
We hung at that bar longer than we had planned, tasting a couple of wines and talking with the owner, Jason, about their wine club, his dog, kids, and a million other things. We were getting ready to settle the bill when he offered to pour us one more thing. That one more thing was the 2006 Fletcher Louis. We've had Rutherford Cabs before. They've all been good or better. But this one is special. Here are our notes:
It's an inky, dark violet in color. Black cherries, pipe tobacco & Herbes de Provence on the nose. We'd swear this was a St-Émilion based on the aroma When you take a sip things take a weird and wonderful turn. It has the rich earthiness of a St-Émilion, but it's got some of our favorite elements of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, too. Dark fruit abounds. Black cherries, concord grapes, mulch, dates & vanilla on the tongue. Okay, we don't actually know what mulch tastes like, but just go with it. The finish is all chalk and pepper, and it leaves your lips tingling. There's obviously oak, but the wine isn't oaky. Smooth & silky with a medium plus body. It completely coats the tongue without feeling thick on the palate.
Obviously we had to take a bottle home with us. As luck would have it, it was included in the wine club for this month. Now for the bad news. We haven't been able to find this wine online. In fact, we can't find any mention of the winery online. As soon as we can, we're heading back to Vine & Barrel and buying as much of this wine as we can.
