With the family gathered for our family matriarch's funeral, Linda served an extensive dinner paired with a flight of select wines from our cellar including this Napa Cabernet based Bordeaux Blend served in large format magnum and a favorite producer Cabernet.
Fisher Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia 2000
Fisher Vineyards was founded in 1973 when Fred and Juelle Fisher bought 100 acres in the Mayacamas Mountains in Sonoma County. They later added 57 acres on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley. Both had backgrounds in business -- Fred with General Motors and Juelle was an investment analyst -- before starting the winery.
Today the winery is still owned and operated by the Fisher family, which includes three adult children who are part of the management team. The estate's first successes were with Chardonnay, then turning to crafting Cabernet Sauvignon from purchased grapes. Now the estate includes many acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, as well as Chardonnay and Merlot. The Fisher brand features several estate bottled signature Cabernet Sauvignons including this flagship Coach Insignia and two select vineyard designated cabs from Lamb Vineyard and Wedding Vineyard.
Coach Insignia honors the Fisher family's heritage and tradition of craftsmanship from their legacy as one of the legendary automobile businesses of the 20th century with 'Body by Fisher' in General Motors automobiles followed by Fisher Vineyards' wines of the 21st century
The Coach Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised of the finest
selected lots of Bordeaux varietals from the Estate vineyards including those near Calistoga nestled
at the foot up against the Palisades mountain range. There, the vines grow on an
alluvial fan that slopes gently west, following Simmons Creek to the
Napa River. The Estate’s well drained soils are remarkably consistent,
comprised primarily of cobblestones and loam.
It is a blend of classic Bordeaux varietals with predominant Cabernet Sauvignon accented by Merlot and Cabernet Franc. These varietals and diverse vineyards offer Fisher the option to craft exceptional red wine that has become an insignia for Fisher Vineyards.
At twenty years of age
this is still holding its own and just showing minor signs of diminution
from aging indicating it is starting to decline from its apex and
moving to the next phase of its profile and drinking window.
Classic California in Bordeaux style. Dark garnet colored, a bit tight and firm blackberry fruits with notes of black tea, flinty mineral and leather with crisp acidity on a moderate tannin lingering finish.
RM 89 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=29484
https://www.fishervineyards.com/
Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Mason's 2012
For
the family dinner, we continued with a family favorite brand, Lewis
Cellars which we have featured often in these pages. The portfolio
consists of three labels named after the Lewis grandsons including Alec,
who shares the name with our son, hence, Alec's Blend is a one of our
favorite collectables. This label, a Napa Valley Cabernet is named after
their grandson Mason. Alec and Viv visited Lewis Cellars on their
honeymoon last month so it was fitting to include this in our intimate
family dinner. We visited Lewis during our Napa Wine Experience 2017 and wrote about it in these pages here.
We selected this wine to pair and compare with the Fisher Coach Insignia.
This was awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator and Connoisseurs Guide
Connoisseurs' Guide wrote in December of 2014 about this wine: "Subtlety may not be its strong suit, and there is no question but that this bottling flirts with excess, but it is so deep, so rich and so solidly fruited that its exuberant ripeness and back-palate heat are easily forgiven as mere misdemeanors. Make no mistake, this is a big wine of great amplitude and substance, as those of its maker tend to be, and, yet for all of its largesse, it is fairly tight and well-structured and never gives in to glyceriny fatness. It is sufficiently tough as to warn off drinking anytime soon, and it is best laid away for six to ten years."
I found this lighter and softer than expected or indicated by the review, and more approachable in that regard than the Fisher, never-the-less, very similar in style and profile.
Dark garnet colored, black berry fruits with note of cedar, wood and toasted oak with hint of mocha on the tight firm tannin laced finish.
RM 90 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1889083
https://www.lewiscellars.com/us/
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