Foodie Confidential

{jcomments on}Last night we opened this bottle of Seavey 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.  We paired it with Turkish Kebabs.

The winemaker at Seavey is Philippe Melka.  In spite of 2000 being a sub-par year for California Cabs, this wine received ratings of 91+ by Robert Parker and 92 by Stephen Tanzer.  I feel like they sold this wine a bit short, but perhaps at the time they wrote their review the wine was substantially younger?  The wine is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Pettit Verdot, 3% Merlot and aged in French Oak (60% new). 

A mistake we made with this wine was not appreciating its sediment.  Thus, we wound up having to pour through cheesecloth from the decanter because we really disturbed the sediment.

The color is dark, inky purple.  On the nose is dark, sweet fruit.  When you drink this wine it is thick and jammy such that you can practically chew it.  It is fruit forward and well balanced with swirls of vanilla flavor among the blackberry, fig and dark plum tastes.  It is one of the more drinkable wines that we have tasted recently (Margaux excepted).  The fruit taste was appropriately restrained such that it does not come across as cheap.  It paired well with the lamb kebab but this would have stood alone. 

Well worth the cost in our opinion.  Just be careful when you decant....