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Meteor Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, “Perseid”

Napa Valley, United States 2009 (750mL)
$125.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Meteor Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, “Perseid”

Along with Burgundy and Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley goes through the most rigorous of tastings at SommSelect. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enamored with top examples, but only those that showcase typicity. Throughout my many years of tasting, I’ve been inundated with Cabs masked by a tidal wave of jammy fruit and baking spice, but those from Napa’s sub-appellation of Coombsville have never failed to impress. I always perk up when one lands on my table.
Thanks to incredibly pure expressions of fruit and lifted layers of acidity, top Coombsville wine boldly checks off all my quality markers in ink. Meteor Vineyard’s GM encapsulates it perfectly: “You still get classic Napa Valley fruit, but there is this lift that bridges the gap of classic California with an Old World stamp.” Wine like this can push past the finest Grand Vins of Bordeaux and today’s “Perseid”—100% Cabernet coming from their estate owned, 22-acre vineyard—is a worthy contender. We couldn’t stop talking about the immensity and absolute freshness here; this is a wine with something to say! With its developing age, secondaries are now emerging alongside an unwavering array of lingering black and blue fruit. Despite only releasing their inaugural vintage in 2005, Meteor Vineyards is fully ready to enter the elite conversation of Cabernet greats. “Perseid” is a wine you pull out to impress your friends—an extravagant treat built to create a lasting memory.
Although Meteor Vineyards was created only a short time ago, it’s been a dream for owner Barry Schuler for nearly four decades. His very first visit to Napa stayed with him, and his ideas of grandeur became a reality after working his way up the AOL corporate ladder (he eventually became CEO). During the turn of the millennium, he began studying the lay of Coombsville’s land and after catching wind of a prime piece of 40-acre property, he pounced. The first vines were planted in 1999 and since then, they’ve had esteemed wineries (Vineyard 29, Arietta, Dumol, Lail, to name a few) knocking on their door, begging for fruit. Their decision to produce wine started as a fun project for friends, but wild success quickly followed and today they are being touted as one of Napa’s premier, small production Cabernets. 

Coombsville is the newest—and trendiest—Napa sub-appellation. Due to large diurnal shifts and a thick fog that coats the valley, heat spikes are moderated and average temperatures can reach ten degrees cooler than its northern counterparts (only Carneros sits closer to the San Pablo Bay). Essentially, the grapes receive a longer, more ‘complete’ growing season. “Perseid,” which takes its name after the annual meteor shower, is a blend of three Cabernet clones planted in their estate vineyard that is managed by Mike Wolf (a local legend who’s worked with Napa’s top wineries). In 2009, multiple passes were conducted during harvest in order to select grapes of optimal ripeness and a long fermentation followed in the winery. The wine aged for 22 months in 65% new French oak. 

In the glass, 2009 “Perseid” is opaque with a dark garnet core and oranging tones toward the rim hint at maturity. Aromas unfold in layers, with initial bursts of perfumed blackcurrant, black and red plum, wild blackberry, and huckleberry. Subtle baking spice melds them all together. Crushed earth and cacao quickly follow, alongside secondary notes of tobacco leaf, wild purple flowers, cigar box, graphite, and leather. On the palate, lifted acidity allows the dark fruits to take the spotlight and polished tannins gives the wine an overall luscious and silky mouthfeel. There is great power and density here that will easily please Cabernet lovers of both Old and New World thanks to a pronounced freshness on the finish. It’s full-bodied and highly concentrated, but it doesn’t ‘feel’ like a heavy wine, and for that we can thank Coombsville’s climate and the adept winemaking hands of husband-wife team Dawnine and Bill Dyer. This wine will enjoy another 10-15 years if cellared properly, but it’s a hedonistic experience right now. Decant for 30 minutes and serve around 60-65 degrees in your largest Bordeaux stems. See the attached recipe if you want a dish that can stand up to the opulence and power of this wine. Enjoy!
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Country
United States
Region
Napa Valley
Sub-Region
United StatesCoombsville
Soil
Volcanic Stone
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon 100%
Alcohol
14.6
OAK
65% New French
TEMP.
65
Glassware
Large Bordeaux Stem
Drinking
Now-2030
Decanting
30-45 Minutes
Pairing
Braised Beef Short Ribs

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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