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2005-2008 Carter Cellars Revilo Napa Cabernet Vertical
Napa Valley • Red Wine • Cabernet Sauvignon
Mark Carter, whose first love was restoring Victorian homes and converting them into gorgeous bed and breakfasts in Humboldt Bay, Calif., has such an eye for detail. But to call his label, Carter Cellars, a side business, would be a gross understatement. His interest in wine led him to create the wine list for Restaurant 301, the restaurant to his Carter House Inns. This 3,500-bottle-strong list has received Wine Spectator's Grand Award every year since 1998. It follows that when he started Carter Cellars, Mark tapped read more...
Mark Carter, whose first love was restoring Victorian homes and converting them into gorgeous bed and breakfasts in Humboldt Bay, Calif., has such an eye for detail. But to call his label, Carter Cellars, a side business, would be a gross understatement. His interest in wine led him to create the wine list for Restaurant 301, the restaurant to his Carter House Inns. ThisRead more...
Mark Carter, whose first love was restoring Victorian homes and converting them into gorgeous bed and breakfasts in Humboldt Bay, Calif., has such an eye forRead more...
1 x 2005 Carter Cellars Revilo Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
1 x 2006 Carter Cellars Revilo Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
1 x 2007 Carter Cellars Revilo Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
1 x 2008 Carter Cellars Revilo Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Mark Carter, whose first love was restoring Victorian homes and converting them into gorgeous bed and breakfasts in Humboldt Bay, Calif., has such an eye for detail. But to call his label, Carter Cellars, a side business, would be a gross understatement. His interest in wine led him to create the wine list for Restaurant 301, the restaurant to his Carter House Inns. This 3,500-bottle-strong list has received Wine Spectator's Grand Award every year since 1998. It follows that when he started Carter Cellars, Mark tapped only the finest sources.
The first Carter wines were crafted by the revered Nils Venge, who became fast friends with Carter after hosting winemaker dinners at Restaurant 301. Venge achieved widespread fame for making California's first 100-point wine, the 1985 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon. Since its first vintage in 1998, Carter has sourced grapes from only the top Napa Valley sites. St. Helena's Revilo Vineyard, where today's vertical comes from, was named for and farmed by the late viticulturist and winemaker Reg Oliver, owner of El Molino Winery. Oliver (Revilo spelled backwards) planted his Cabernet vineyard alongside his prized Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines in rich, clay soil. The resulting wine is consistently rich in dark red fruits and savory spices, and has a phenomenally long finish due to its strong backbone and finessed tannins. As the critics' scores attest, the wines' maintenance of starlike quality is all but assured for many vintages to come.
This offer is likely your one shot at obtaining this impressive Carter vertical. The 2005, 2006 and 2007 vintages are all sold out at the winery, but I was able to secure a scant amount of those bottles and the 2008 for Lot18 members, making this library release impossible to pass up. These selections can each be cellared for another decade or more – if you have the willpower to wait.
Tasting Note
2005 Carter Cellars Revilo Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
This wine opened beautifully. A hint of benchland dust and a French sensibility emerged from the glass with a healthy dollop of red cherry, fig and cassis. The decanter subdued some of the Old World earthiness, which only made me fonder of this showstopping library wine. I paired this with a wild mushroom and pork pâté and roasted potatoes with herbes d'Provence for a deliciously simple course.
2006 Carter Cellars Revilo Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Sweet French oak oozes from this youthful Cab, which greatly benefits from a day of decanting. Decanting smoothed the wine's vanillin aromas and made a more integrated, berry-forward wine that paired perfectly with a strip steak and chicken cannelloni with Alfredo sauce. This is a bold, powerful Napa wine to follow the French-inspired 2005.
2007 Carter Cellars Revilo Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Wow! there is no doubt as to why this wine was awarded 95 points by Wine Enthusiast. From the nose, Bing cherry, slate and pencil notes emerge. Decanting exposed more fruit. Perfectly balanced and seductive, this unassuming Cabernet would pair well with rich seafood risotto as well as an Italian bistecca.
2008 Carter Cellars Revilo Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
This is an immediate winner and the epitome of prime St. Helena fruit. Despite its youth, it displays sophistication and is delicious upon opening. The structure and tannins are smooth and lovely from careful farming and integration with French oak during winemaking. The slight earthiness does not confuse the expectation of Napa terroir. I paired this wine with rosemary-encrusted pork chops and funky Emmental potatoes, but you could easily enjoy this outstanding bottle on its own.
Wine Enthusiast
2007 Carter Cellars Revilo Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
"This is a big, rich, dramatic Cabernet. The underlying fruit is spectacular, offering tiers of blackberries, black currants and cocoa, while 100 percent new French oak aging lends strong, but balanced, layers of toast. The tannins are ripe and sturdy, yet very finely ground. Really a beautiful example of the modern style, and should develop over the next six years."
—Steve Heimoff (July 1, 2010)
Wine Spectator
2008 Carter Cellars Revilo Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
"Tight and unevolved, yet displaying many attractive traits, from the mix of smoky, toasty, cedary oak to the core of pure, ripe currant, black cherry and blackberry fruit. Firm and full-bodied, with fine structure and depth, ending with a roasted espresso bean aftertaste. Drink now through 2022."
—James Laube (Aug. 31, 2011)
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2008 Carter Cellars Revilo Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
"The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Revilo Vineyard exhibits a floral/spring flower garden-like character in addition to sweet blueberry and black currant fruit, ripe tannin, medium to full body and a precocious, upfront appeal that makes it irresistible already. There is enough stuffing for 10 to 15 years of cellaring. These are impressive efforts from proprietor Mark Carter."
—R.P. (Dec. 2010)
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2006 Carter Cellars Revilo Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
"The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Revilo Vineyard shows restraint and minerality along with herbaceous black currant fruit and loamy soil notes. It is a structured, tannic, somewhat monolithic offering that does not reveal the charm or potential of the other Cabernet Sauvignons. Nevertheless, there is a lot going on here, and another three to four years of bottle age is necessary to see what will develop."
—R.P. (Dec. 2009)
Wine Spectator
2005 Carter Cellars Revilo Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Sleek and supple while notably herbal, with touches of mineral and pebble. The dried currant flavors have a charry oak edge as well, so short-term cellaring should work to its advantage. The best of two bottles. Drink now through 2014. 350 cases made.
—James Laube (Oct. 15, 2008)
Availability
This product ships to the following states:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
