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Cabernet Sauvignon - Does the time aged in the barrels really matter? How?
Cabernet Sauvignon - Does the time aged in the barrels really matter? How?
Tue, 06/30/2009 - 9:09pm | Report Abuse
We'll be guests of friends this upcoming Friday night and hope they'll like the Cabernet Sauvignon we've selected. We narrowed our choice down and are leaning towards the Ella Valley Vineyards 2004. Has anyone tried that one and is it a good choice? The 2003 vintage is more expensive. Is it more popular? From the description we read on kosherwine.com it says that vintage is aged for 17 months compared to 12 months for 2004 which may explain some of the price difference. How does the time aged in the barrels affect the taste?
Re: Cabernet Sauvignon - Does the time aged in the barrels ...
Wed, 07/01/2009 - 9:30am | Report Abuse
When aging longer in barrels, the wines take on some of the compounds in the barrel, such as vanillin and wood tannins. The additional oak tannins that seep into the wine add body and complexity. The longer it's aged the more of these characteristics it takes on. As well as adding aromas, barrel-aging allows slow oxidation, which matures the wine and helps the various components meld together, giving it more structure and harmony. However, the longer the wine is aged in wood, the more likely that it will lose some of it's fruit flavors.
Username : Lee Dresner
Forum Posts : 7
Location : United States
Re: Cabernet Sauvignon - Does the time aged in the barrels ...
Wed, 07/01/2009 - 9:57am | Report Abuse
Hey Alisa,
The Ella Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is a great wine and if your hosts like cabernet they should enjoy the Ella Valley, either the 2004, which is their regular release, or the 2003, which is in their higher level "Vineyard's Choice" series.
I think it comes down to personal taste on the issue of barrel aging, in some cases you might prefer the wine with less oak aging-- a good way to look at it is as two different styles of winemaking. Lee sums it up well, with less time in oak the wine will show more of the fresh fruit character of the grape, but be a little edgier and untamed, the barrel aged wine with be rounder and more refined and may have a certain degree of vanilla on the finish.
It's popular in the wine world to list the months a wine was aged on the label, but really this doesn't tell you much at all about how it will actually taste. There are a lot more variables about how "oaky" a wine will taste then just barrel time. For example, if it's a brand new barrel, it will impart a lot of oak flavor, but if it's a 5 year old barrel it won't have as much effect on the wine.
Bottom line though is I think either Ella is a great choice.
Scott
Username : Scott Shu
Forum Posts : 43
Location : United States
Re: Cabernet Sauvignon - Does the time aged in the barrels ...
Wed, 07/01/2009 - 11:44am | Report Abuse
Scott and Lee are right on, and just to stress, the real difference in price is between the Vineyard Choice (think reserve or special edition) and the normal version (non reserve). Still, either one you choose will be a hit. Ella Valley is only now finding its feet here in America. It has been a winery that has seen great success in Israel, and is one of the few wineries that manage their own fruit and vineyard.
You may ask, who cares about the grape/fruit/vineyard, but really the wine is a direct mirror of the grape and the wine maker. The wine maker can take wonderful grapes and drop them in oak for two years and come out with trash, or he can manage the fruit for what it really is a create a wonderful wine that has lovely fruit flavors and also a roundness almost a feeling of velvet in the mouth that comes from the correct amount of tannins and time.
So simply stated, either one of the two wines will be a hit. I personally like the 2004 edition a bit more than the 2003 Vineyard Choice. The 2004 is more fruity and more tasty - if that can be so stated.
Please come back and tell us what you thought!
Best Wishes,
David
Username : David Raccah
Forum Posts : 23
Location : United States