Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006

Tonight I cracked open a bottle of 2006 Atlas Peak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, perhaps a rebellious response to so many young cabs (e.g. less than 4 years old) I've been drinking lately. The wine is a beautiful deep ruby color, and somewhat opaque. The nose is somewhat earthy, with hints of leather and tobacco, and something else I can't quite wrap my mind around, perhaps licorice? Maybe I should just leave it as a generic "spice" but there is definitely something else there. The taste is surprisingly fruit forward, with strong flavors of cherry, mixed with a hint of cedar and very elegant tannin structure giving it an exquisitely smooth and dry finish. I must admit, for a Napa Valley cab, this wasn't the big, bold, overpowering wine I might have expected. Instead, this is a much more structured and balanced wine that I think will draw out the flavors of the food it accompanies. Tonight, I am pairing this wine with some linguine with red sauce, fresh Italian sausage and sweet red and yellow peppers, and I expect this wine will perfectly accent such a flavor rich dish, particularly once it opens up a bit as I am cooking! Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 4, it might have been higher, but for the price. I got this one from wineshopper.com for a discounted price of just $25, which is still a little steep for today's frugality, but you have to splurge sometimes right?

Unbelievable napa cab for $20. Big fruit and smooth finish. Competes with a lot of $40 bottles IMO.