TN: Waugh Cellars "Junior" 2008

Post Number:#1 Postby mmeisner » Fri Aug 24, 2012 12:45 pm
I visited this new winery about a year ago and took this bottle home with me. Completely forgot about it, but opened it last night, and was pleasantly surprised. This is a California Red Wine - no designation from Napa Valley, or any particular AVA so I'm not sure where they sourced the grapes from. It's a Bourdeaux blend though, that's for sure.

The nose is thick and heavy with earth tones, dirt and dark fruit, currant, and cassis. The initial flavor is big but seems balanced, and not too much heavy oak is present. The mid palate brings a decent amount of riper fruit, cherry and a bit of smoke/leather. The finish is long and lingering; soft tannins and good mouthfeel as well. Overall, I'd give this wine an 8/10 and consider it a pretty good value for the price, which was around $20-30 if I remember correctly.

Waugh is a cool place to check out too if you're visiting Napa. When I was there, they were still working on the caves. You'll enjoy the expansive views from way atop Atlas peak too - you can see all the way to the Bay from there. Plus the owners were chill, down to earth people.

From their site: "The entry of this wine is massive and leads into a lush middle framed by bright acid and supple tannins. The finish is long, lingering and filled with soft velvety tannins."