Varietal: Â 91% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; 4% Syrah
Region: Â Napa Valley/Rutherford AVA, CA – USA
Cost: Â $52 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Â Black pepper, schist, dried leaf nose. Cedar, licorice, and black cherry flavors complement elengant lush tannins that provide lift to the long, juicy finish.
My Review: Â Bottles show up at my front door fairly regularly. I typically let the bottles rest for bewteen 7 and 10 days, depending on the weather and how busy I am, before I even contemplate opening them for review. The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mira Winery, however, was forced to wait a little longer.
Not that I was worried the wine had been upset during transport because of extreme heat. Quite the opposite in fact. Cold weather was presenting a problem for me in that I very much wanted to pair this wine with a steak, and the weather was simply not cooperating, with chilly temperatures and dreary, damp weather when  it wasn’t obnoxiously cold for the time of year.
But, as with all things, the weather changed, and on the first warm, sunny day we’d seen in better than a month, my wife and I fired up the grill, seasoned a steak, and opened up the bottle to sit down to dinner.
In the glass the wine was a dark red color, with hints of brick/rust slashed through it. On the nose I picked up smooth notes of black pepper, with just a hint of tea leaves, though it came and went. In the mouth the wine was smooth, almost ridiculously so, with notes of cedar and black cherry.
With the steak the wine was a great pairing, complementing both the seasoning and the general “meatness” of it all. The smooth finish of the wine made it great for sipping on without dinner, something I find attractive in a wine that I’ve wanted to pair with steak since it makes it versatile, at least within the confines of the meal.
I can’t speak for California, but I know 2010 was a great year for reds. Wines like the 2010 Mira Winery Cabernet Sauvignon lead me to believe it was as much a banner year for them as for us. The price, I’ll admit, makes me waver a bit on giving this wine a true standing ovation. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but there’s always a part of me that has a hard time recommending wines once they jump above the $40-$50 mark.
That being said, as I don’t know the economics behind the pricing (supply & demand are alive and well in wine as in all other aspects of business), I won’t judge them too harshly for the price point, and still recommend the wine since I did enjoy it quite a bit, and in the end that’s what this site is really all about.
Editor’s Note: I received this wine as a free sample for review.
