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SPEED TASTING REPORT WINE NUMBER NINE Balance of Nine Napa AVAs CONN CREEK 2008 Anthology, Napa Valley ($55) 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, 11% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc s Conn Creek Winery prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, we sampled the newest releases of one of the winery���s signature red wines, the 2008 Anthology. Founded in 1973 on the Napa Valley���s famed Silverado Trail, Conn Creek immediately established itself as one of Napa Valley���s premier Cabernet houses with the release of its 1974 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Since then, they���ve continued to build their reputation on an expertise in blending the best lots from different sites and varieties. For the 2009 vintage, the blend is comprised of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon complemented by smaller portions of the remaining four Bordeaux varieties. A Our Panel���s Notes: ���Dark-fruited and inky, with chalky tannins, some mint and eucalyptus. Red fruit pushes up from the bottom and into a core of blueberry and chocolate.��� ���Chris Baggetta ���Focused from the start, with complex aromas of dried herbs and clean red fruit. This red is bright and tight with tons of black currant. It speaks Napa Valley very well.��� ���Deborah Parker Wong Ste. Michelle Wine Estates��� Jennifer Scott. WINE NUMBER TEN Balance of Cool-Climate Bordeaux Varieties VIRAGE 2007, Napa Valley ($50) 71% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon F ewer than 800 cases were produced of Virage 2007, a wine that is in its irst release. The name refers to a bend or turn in the road. ���Our winemaking road banks right,��� explains proprietor/winemaker Emily Richer, who blends Cab Franc and Merlot in the tradition of Bordeaux���s Right Bank. It is the Beau Terroir (BT) Vineyard that inspired Richer because of its diverse sun exposures, slopes and soil types that produced the varietal style she sought. Located in the Carneros Highlands on the Napa Valley side of the Los Carneros AVA, BT experiences a long, temperate growing season and a lack of temperature extremes that allow Cab Franc and Merlot to fully ripen at lower Brix, for lower alcohol content (14.4%) than warmer-climate plantings. Our Panel���s Notes: ���High-pitched, loral red with notes of cedar and sandalwood. Delicious to the expansive inish.��� ���Jesse Becker ���A potpourri of spice, purple lowers, cassis, bok choy and plum invite you in. On the palate, we���re talking serious structure; balanced, full-bodied earth tones, espresso latte with well-deined structure all the way.��� ���Ted Glennon Emily Richer of Virage Napa Valley. 106 / the tasting panel / december 2012