Enjoying Cardinal
UPDATE May 2015: Cardinal is a cellar-worthy wine with Wine Spectator judging it to be enjoyed now through 2025. While we recommend continuing to lay Cardinal down, we also completely understand if you wish to enjoy it now. When we serve Cardinal, we pour it twice through a Vinturi into a decanter, then keep it cool (55F) and allow it to breathe in the decanter for 3 to 48 hours before enjoying.
February 2012: Before opening your bottle of Cardinal, we invite you read this note about a customer's experience. You, too, may want to decant for 4 days!
I received my first shipment - a 6 pack. I let it settle, but couldn't wait any longer, and decided to go for it by opening the Cardinal on February 18, 2012, about 5 pm. I decanted it through the Vinerator into a large based decanter where I let it sit for about two to three hours.
At about eight o'clock we took our first taste and the wine was very closed; almost harsh, I'm sorry to say. We tried another half glass a little later in the evening, but no improvement. The following day, Sunday evening, we tried it again, but it was still very closed; and I am sorry to say I was at that point very disappointed.
The remainder of the Cardinal sat in the decanter until Tuesday evening, late. I had actually turned off the TV and was headed for bed when I noticed there was about a glass left in the decanter, so I thought what the hell I'll just polish it off. Keep in mind that that decanter sat on my kitchen counter all this time where the ambient temperature was about 65 - 68.
WELL, what a surprise! The harshness had completely disappeared and I had a mouth filling experience I don't recall ever having had before with even the highest touted Cabs.
It gave a "mouth-filling" experience that was very full and soft, with full fruit but not too fruit forward, and such a long finish, I wasn't sure when it was going to stop.
Well right away I went back to the sofa and flipped on the TV and slowly enjoyed what I think is the best Cab I have ever had in my recent memory. Within my circle of wine drinking friends I am humbly regarded as having a discerning palate; so when I related this experience to my friends, they too have never experienced a wine that took four days to open!
You guys certainly have a "winner" here, but it appears to me that it needs a considerable amount of bottle aging, not to mention a little more patience on my part.
Regards,
Bob
This experience says a lot about Cardinal, especially its longevity. These tasting notes show the same character that this wine had during its barrel aging. We loved the 50-year old vineyard from the moment we walked into it in April 2009. We knew even then that that it would make our best wine.
- Santiago Achaval, winemaker