B Side North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
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Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Syrah, 1% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The $20 Cabernet can cause havoc in a professional winetaster's life. Are the wines pure? Or are they made for the marketplace? Though sommeliers and wine geeks sometimes eschew the $20 price category, this is one of the most important space for the industry. This is where a large percentage of American wine drinkers live. The 2016 B Side North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon delivers what the market wants. TASTING NOTES: This wine is so drinkable that one doesn't need fancy food around it. Its ripe red fruits, rich oak textures, and smooth finish provide the perfect landing spot for lots of folks to enjoy. (Tasted: July 13, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2018-
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Enthusiast
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Wine
Enthusiast
The inaugural release of B Side Cabernet Sauvignon features grapes from vineyards on the flip-side of Napa Valley. These vineyards are nestled in rural areas or rolling hills, just a few miles from of the high-priced glamour wineries featured along Highway 29.
The eastern side of Napa Valley includes areas such as Pope Valley, Chiles Valley, Wooden Valley, Stags Leap District and lower Calistoga. Vines in these areas, are grown in thin, volcanic soils, which yield smaller, more concentrated fruit, producing Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignons with classic berry and cassis flavors.
Wooden Valley is a lesser-known area of Napa Valley, but has recently caught the attention of critics. Located east of the town of Napa, this small, round little valley is only about 2 miles wide, but has a history of grape growing since the early 20th century. While Calistoga is know for its pampering spas, before reaching this luxurious little town, there is a stretch of rural, rustic land. A large portion of our grapes, come from this lower area of Calistoga. These vineyards have been farmed by the same family for 60 years.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.