Angie's Corner: Ladera Winery

Angie's Corner

Ladera Winery

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,

Brown paper packages tied up with strings,

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon,

These are a few of my favorite things...

It's my birthday and I told Stewart that I wanted to sample a favorite of mine to write about for this week's "Angie's Corner". I told Stewart that I wanted, no, I demanded, that I wanted a deep, rich, wine with plenty of mocha and deep plum. Yes, I demanded that Stewart give me an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon; it is my birthday and I can act like a prima donna if I want!

Stewart thought about it for a bit and decided that I would enjoy the Karen Culler made 2007 Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. With high birthday expectations, I brought it home for dinner, and happily opened the bottle to enjoy the fruits inside.

Stewart made a perfect choice; the Ladera fulfilled my high expectations. It is rich. It is deep. It is smooth like velvet. It behaved exactly as a high quality Napa Valley Cab should behave. The beauty is that the Ladera has all the fine qualities I expect from a high end cabernet, but it is reasonably priced at $27.99. That is a shockingly low price for such a superb wine.

The Ladera is deep purple in the glass, with a classic menthol/eucalyptus nose. It is creamy on the palate and has delightful hints of mocha. My only complaint about the Ladera is that the bottle came to an end.

At least I know what to ask for my birthday next year!

May your champagne be filled with bubbles,

Angie Ann