TN: 2005 White Rock Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Laureate (USA, California, Napa Valley)

WINE TALK
1

A really beautiful and compelling wine…

  • 2005 White Rock Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Laureate - USA, California, Napa Valley (8/22/2015)
    Decanted. Dense, garnet-black color. Clean aromas- secondary & primary, with notes of cassis, blackberry, tea, olive, cedar and spice, and a little bit of heat. The palate is drop-dead gorgeous- dry and full bodied, with intense flavors and the perfect balance of fruit, depth, concentration and intensity. Shows notes of cassis & berries, black tea, black olive, clove, sandalwood, leather and cracked pepper. Depth in spades, big polished tannin, medium acid, and a big finish. This is popping, but still tastes on the near side of the drinking window. Outstanding- love it. (96 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

2

Funny, I bought a few of these from Lot 18 about four years ago. The first six showed up cooked (delivery in the heat), the second six were terrific, much as you described. We cooked with the first batch and the bottle kind of stuck in my memory even though we drank through it all and haven’t seen a White Rock Laureate since. Glad to hear they are still drinking well.

3

Chris, sorry to hear you got a bad batch with your first 6… Sounds like Lot 18 made good? If you’re ever in Napa, you should definitely make an appointment and taste there. The winery and vineyard are in the Soda Canyon area… cool underground cellar/winery.

I had two bottles. Sadly, this was my second… wish it was the first!