2009 Faust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Mission Codename: Satisfaction
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Return to Faust Winery, the unique ultra-premium label from esteemed vintner, Agustin Huneeus. Procure an ample allocation of their brillian 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for our demanding Operatives.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Faust – Napa Valley
Wine Subject: 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker: Charles Thomas
Backgrounder:
The fruit from this wine hails from select vineyards in both Rutherford AVA and the Coombsville AVA. Rutherford, just south of Saint Helena is of course perhaps the most famous AVA in Napa and the lesser known Coombsville region is just east of Napa City proper. Both regions are world-renowned for producing exquisite Napa Valley Cabernets.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Pure dark garnet hues with a deepening core. At the edge of the wine, a fine ring of light ruby catches the light. Spin the wine and it leaves behind tall columns of skinny legs that cling to the glass for a long time.
Smell – Right out of the bottle, the wine delivers a striking cracked black pepper aroma. This unique note is intriguing and not at all out of place as is it soon joined by lush blackberry, plum, braised black mission fig and soft brown spice. Swirl the wine and you’ll coax out additional aromas of anise, brown spice and dusty blackberry bramble.
Feel – Initially grippy, the wine softens after a little bit of swirling, taking on a more plush and supple feel. Medium firm tannins give the wine great structure, without being overpowering. At the back palate, a hint of black pepper gives the wine a bit of liveliness.
Taste – Dark black fruit of blackberry, black cherry and baked, yeasty pie crust. Brown spice, dark chocolate, cigar box and a hint of dusty earth.
Finish – Long and lush with lingering black fruit, spice and earthy notes. At the tail end, a lovely hit of freshly cracked pepper adds an exotic zing.
Conclusion – We are very lucky today, dear Operative, to be able to bring you another vintage of one of our favorite wines. Today’s 2009 Faust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a really fantastic wine. It is drinking beautifully, for such a young wine, but it also holds so much promise. This is a wine that will continue to progress for another decade or longer, with proper care. Bold, delicious and well-structured, this wine delivers everything that you would expect from an ultra-premium Napa Valley Cabernet, but at a fraction of the price. We enjoyed our review bottles with a thin-crust, wood-fired pizza with Italian sausage and spicy red peppers.
Mission Report:
We were unable to secure an interview with winemaker, Charles Thomas, so today The Wine Spies go Old School by recapping our original mission to Faust, back in 2009:
Every once in a while, Ops asks one of us to ‘investigate’ our fellow operatives and while none of us enjoy being second guessed or having someone look over our shoulders, its a part of the job. We need to ensure that the wines that are selected are indeed of exceptional quality and character. Thus, when I was asked to verify Agent Red and Sparkles love of the wines from Agustin Huneeus and his classic tribute to Napa’s noble grape , I knew I had to tread carefully.
Red has an impeccable palate although every once in a while he goes overboard for a wine, I trusted him and as such, having a wine with such a tremendous reputation, my report on his tastings and missions would be easy. Great wines justifies great reviews…
The mission, codenamed ”Elemental Force” was supposed to be simple. Acquire a wine sample, taste it, compare with previous tastings and indicate through our W.I.N.E. (Wine Internet Nexus Engine) our calibrated taste profile. Well that’s when things went south, and fast. Red must have gotten word that he was being investigated. I tried to be discrete in my travel planning as to avoid even crossing paths, but no such luck. As soon as I arrived at the top secret tasting site I noticed Red sitting there with my bottle, open, a glass poured for himself and an evil grin on his face…
”Nice spy craft,” he said, as he beaconed me over and poured me a glass. ”Hopefully, you do a better job on your overseas missions!” he cackled
”Don’t worry, this one is easy, its that good,” he continued.
I just smiled as I lifted the glass to my nose and then took a sip. There was no point in trying to hid it. The2005 Faust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was great and my report to Ops will reflect that.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the approximate Faust in Rutherford can be seen in this satellite photo.