Midsummer Cellars 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Featured Wine

About The Featured Wine

Wine Enthusiast says "This is so delicious and classic, it’s totally enjoyable now, but it has the structural balance to age for quite a while. It impresses for the complex blackberry, currant and cedar flavors and for the quality of the tannins, which are dramatically rich and ripe. Best now and for at least 10 years." 92 Points.

Beverage Testing Institute says "Deep garnet violet color. Vibrant baked berries, grilled yellow pepper, and melted chocolate. A rich, supple entry leads to a fruity full body with buttered praline, honey drizzled dark berries and sweet baking spice flavors. Finishes with a long, tantalizing fade with juicy acidity and polished tannins. Delicious." 92 Points - Exceptional.

About the 2005 Cab, Rollie says "Well, I must say, this is the best wine that we have released to date. The season began late, but the summer was without any heat spikes, prolonged winds, or rains— ideal for the production of fully ripe fruit. “Fully ripe” to us means that the vine has pushed the grapes to complete the cycle of ripening, which certainly includes sugar production but also means full tannin development and deep color— all necessary for any truly cellar-worthy wine."

If a picture says a thousand words, then check out this photo of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes about to be harvested for our featured wine.

About Midsummer Cellars

Midsummer Cellars is a very small winery specializing in small lot, vineyard designated Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Summary of Tasting Event

The 2005 Vintage Cab was tasted on May 3, 2008 by a panel of 8 tasters in a blind tasting format and paired with Short Ribs with Tagliatelle.

What a stunning Cab. This wine lives up to the famous Heitz name. The outstanding fruit comes through the nose with dark berries, some cherry aromas and a bit of earth/dusty cedar. The palate has lots of layers with focused fruit and a luxurious, mid-palate feel. Great tannin and acid balance really shined with the food. Enjoyable now, but will mature nicely for up to 10 years.

Wine Profile Style
Light Bodied	Medium Bodied	Full Bodied
Drink Now (0-3 yrs)	Will Age (3-5 yrs)	Will Age (8-10 yrs)
Slightly Fruity	Fruity	Very Fruity
No Tannins	Softer Tannins	Heavier Tannins
Low Acidity	Medium Acidity	High Acidity
No Residual Sugar Dry	Off Dry	Sweet

Tasting Notes

Indie Winemakers' Tasting Notes

Our mission is to provide unbiased opinions of the wine being offered. These notes come from up to 10 guests who tasted this wine in a blind tasting format (wine is concealed so their identity is unknown). Why this format? Tasting blind completely throws out any hype associated with a certain winery, style, price point, etc; it forces the taster to accept what is in the glass without any predetermined notions. Our guests utilize Robert Parker's Glossary of Wine Terms for their comments for consistency purposes. In addition, we utilize the wine aroma wheel to enhance one’s ability to describe the complexity of wine flavor. Notes are posted on this wine during the tasting to ensure they accurately reflect the impressions.

Tasting Notes

Technical Data

Wine Technical Data
Blend	100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Clones 6 & 337
Appelation	100% Cañon Creek Vineyard, Napa Valley
Harvest Dates	October 15 & 22, 2005
Sugar at Harvest	24.5 degrees Brix
Fermentation	8 days with max temp of 70 - 80 degrees; 2 punchdowns/day
Aging / Cooperage	23 Months, 100% Darnajou French Oak, 50% new
Alcohol	14.5% by volume
Acidity	pH = 3.8

Winemaker Rollie Heitz's Tasting Notes

The deep color suggests the richness to come. Concentrated aromas of dark fruit, briar, and sweet cherries are buoyed by a hint of sweet oak. Full-bodied, forward fruit carries the rich mouth feel. Polished, ripe tannins add to the long, lingering finish.