Would you like to belong to an exclusive club able to enjoy top-quality wines with grapes sourced from Napa Valley wines and fermented and aged in Vancouver?  Meet California Cult Classics. According to their website, “California Cult Classics is Canada’s first and only private member’s winery, operating in North Vancouver for the last 16 years. International wine critics have declared CCC wines comparable or better than many of the best wines produced in Napa Valley and consistent with the finest wines produced in the world. CCC has a production ability of 7500 cases per year of ultra-premium Napa Valley wine. It’s membership base is currently 600 with room for an additional 1,000 private members.”

Frank Gigliotti is California Cult Classic’s Founder, Winemaker and President.  He has been making premium wines for over 33 years.  Frank created an urban winery model that was built to make a range of Napa cult wines for Club members tax-free at a wholesale prices.

I received a bottle of California Cult Classic’s Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 2 2018 to review for you.

Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 2

We all hear about clones for Pinot Noir, but rarely about Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 2.  I did a bit of research online and read this: “Clone 2 is another notable one, first known as the Oakville selection and selected by Dr. Olmo. According to FPS, the Kunde Estate in Sonoma Valley was planted in the 19th century with imported cuttings from Chateaux Margaux and Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux. Dr. Olmo developed that selection from Kunde at Larkmead Vineyards in Calistoga in the 1950s, where he consulted, and at the U.C. Davis Experiment Station in Oakville.” (wineenthusiast.com)

The web indicates that some well-known California wines using the Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 2 are:

• Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
• Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
• Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Joseph Phelps Insignia

My Wine Tasting Notes

California Cult Classics Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 2 2018 (BC $57 member price)

This wine is unfined and unfiltered, so will come out as a dull colour, but in theory should show all the aromas and flavours from the wine as it was in barrel.  Excessive filtering can strip away some of a wine’s aromas and flavours.

Appearance: This wine has a dull garnet colour, almost completely opaque. Teardrops clearly visible in the glass upon swirling and the wine coats the glass.
Nose: Medium-plus intensity aromas, youthful, intense.  Aromas of juicy berries to start with darker fruit with air.  Blackberries, cedar, lots of cinnamon, and touches of dark chocolate, graphite, black pepper, and red cherries round out all the complex aromas in this wine. You get more pronounced aromas and more sweet fruit aromas after decanting.
Palate: Dry, with a light, lean, soft mouthfeel to start, but the wine gets much rounder, plusher, and bigger with swirling.  The tannins also start off light, but bump up to medium-plus with swirling.  Juicy dark fruits, blackberries, black plums, sweet spices, and lots of cedar flavour on the palate. The wine has medium acidity.  Some pepperiness.  A lighter mouthfeel after decanting.  Same fruit flavours, plus red cherries and pepperiness.
Finish: A long length finishing with blackberries and plums, plus prominent cedar.  The tannins get much stronger on the finish after swirling.  More sweet fruit flavours on the finish and medium intensity tannins.

A big Cabernet Sauvignon with rich and ripe dark fruit and sweet spice aromas and flavours.  Decanting is OK, but you still get a strong cedar aroma and flavour.  This wine still is quite young.  I would recommend letting it age another 5-8 years before opening the bottle.

Rating: – This Cabernet Sauvignon has a dull garnet colour, almost completely opaque. Medium-plus intensity aromas of juicy berries to start with darker fruit with air along with blackberries, prominent cedar and cinnamon, and touches of dark chocolate, graphite, black pepper, and red cherries. A long length.

Where Can I Buy This Wine?

As I noted in this article, to purchase this wine and the other California Cult Classics’ wines, you must become a club member.  I did not see an online form, but you can contact California Cult Classics via phone or email: +1 (604) 988-4470 or info@californiacultclassics.com

The post California Cult Classics Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 2 2018 From Vancouver<span class=”badge-status” style=”background:#D3D3D3″>PR SAMPLE</span>  appeared first on MyWinePal.