February Wine Spotlight: Jack Winery - 2018 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon

#WineWednesday #WineLover #WhatsWenDrinking #WensGlassHalfFull

February is the first time during the deep dark winter I get a glimpse of spring as Spring Training starts. I celebrated by popping open this delicious 2018 Jack Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a tie back to baseball as the winery is owned by Chris Ianetta and Vernon Wells. The winery is an acronym made up of the names of their children. You feel the love when you drink it every drop of the wine they make.

The nose on this is very dark cherry but tastes smooth and rich like a Cabernet. The nose was very Merlot-y (yes that is my super technical term for it) with a hint of pepper but not as spicy as you would expect from a Cabernet. I thought I was imaging Merlot, or something was off with my nose. It was not until I went to pour a second pour that I saw the bottle was 95% Cab, 4% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Yes, I said aloud - “I knew it! Merlot!” This big ass cabernet drank smooth to the mouth and was buttery from the oak. The finish was barrel influenced vanilla with a hint of cherry cola.

I paired it with teriyaki and the fatty meat and sweet sauce went great with this wine.

I found this winery from the excellent bottle shop in Napa - Napa Valley Wine & Cigars There is not a tasting room to taste in. I have never had a bad pour from this winery and my friends love it when I accidently get their Sauv Blanc in my allocation rather than my 3/3 split of Cab & Prop Red Blend. The Sauv Blanc is a hit, and I do not mind it myself (I drink very little white wine as you will see once I get a few of these posts going).