2007 Jason-Stephens Winery Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Mission Codename: The Perfect Pairing

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Infiltrate Jason-Stephens Winery, on California’s Central Coast, and retrieve their fabled 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Jason-Stephens Winery

Wine Subject: 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – Santa Clara Valley

Winemaker: Jason Goelz

Backgrounder: The Santa Clara Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located along the western boundary of the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountain range. While there are dozens of famous wineries, here, the amount of acreage under vine has gradually dwindled as Silicon Valley’s own footprint has grown. Wines from this unique region are some of the most sought-after Central Coast wines.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep and foreboding, with dark garnet hues that grow darker through the clear, deep core of the wine. At the edge of the glass, the wine shows soft ruby hues. When spun, fat, wine-stained tears from low on the glass wall. they take a long time to emerge, and a longer time to move downward.

Smell – Lush and dark, with a rush of black cherry and blackberry that just leap from the glass. As the wine opens up (spin well for best results), it reveals dark raspberry, sweet tobacco leaf, fennel, cassis, cocoa dust, pepper and a hint of cedar.

Feel – Initially soft, this wine becomes almost instantly grippy, coating the palate with a plush chewiness that spreads from the edges of the palate, inward. A spreading dryness follows, accompanied by soft minerals and a hint of bright pepper.

Taste – Black cherry juice, blackberry and black plum present themselves at the tip of the tongue. As the wine settles onto the palate, tobacco, smoky blueberry, lightly burnt Mission fig, dried violets and sweet cedar follow.

Finish – Medium long with sweet dark fruit that gradually yields to tart fruit – and then dried black flowers, smoky fig and flinty minerals, with a hint of black pepper at the tail end.

Conclusion – The 2007 Jason Stephens Winery Estate Cabernet Sauvignon really took our tasting panel by surprise. It is an approachable, easy to drink wine with Classic Cabernet flavors. Intriguingly, it has a character uniquely its own. Where we have been so used to giant Napa Cabernet and some lighter-hearted Sonoma County examples, this wine expresses a feel and a melange of flavors that are likely due to the unique terroir of the Santa Clara Valley. While this bears further investigation (look for more interesting wines from the region, later this year) we encourage you to explore right along side us, by trying this tasty, slightly austere wine

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Jason Stephens Winery can be seen in this satellite photo.