September, 2008
We just received confirmation that Bialla Vineyards '04 Cabernet Sauvignon will be in a blind tasting in NY up against the best Cabs out of the Napa Valley. Howard Kaplan, who runs Executive Wine Seminars and also writes for Robert Parker's www.erobertparker.com personally chose our wine. Howard and Robert have been friends since long before they both became famous and their credibility in the wine business is beyond reproach. The wines they pick for their seminars are simply some of the best and once in a while they throw in a dark horse like us, which is a big deal for Bialla Vineyards.
Howard's events are a must for the serious connoisseur. As you can see the '04 Calif Cab tasting is limited to 38 people, hence I wanted to get this notice out to our list of fans as soon as possible, especially those in NY. For a complete list of their tastings of wine from around the globe go to http://www.ewswine.com/
2004 California Cabernets
Wednesday, November 12 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Blind Tasting
Cost: $275 Member's Price: $250 Limited to 38
"This is a vintage for consumers who are unable to defer their gratification, and the top wines will provide pleasure now and for many years to come."
--Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate, Issue 174
The fact that yields were lower than normal in 2004 for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon resulted in many wines of exceptional quality. The best are flashy, fleshy, exuberant, rich, and powerful wines--a hedonistic vintage par excellence, with perfect balance and ripe tannins.
When Robert Parker hosted "California's Big Time Cabernets" for EWS in April, many 2004s showed brilliantly, especially our first place winner of the blind tasting, 2004 Schrader "Beckstoffer To-Kalon." Although the 2004s were tasted that night with several other vintages, it was clear that they deserved a tasting of their own. Tonight's the night!
The EWS team has selected 13 top-drawer Cabernets to represent the 2004 vintage and provide as much hedonistic pleasure imaginable from young California Cabernet. We'll let the lineup speak for itself: Araujo "Eisele" (94+WA, 94IWC, 95WS) • Beringer "Private Reserve" (95WA, 94IWC, 93WS) • Bialla (an EWS discovery) • Blankiet "Paradise Hills" (96WA, 94+IWC) • Caymus "Special Selection" (95WA, 93IWC, 94WS) • Chappellet "Signature" (93WA, 93WS - EWS favorite!) • Etude "Oakville" (95+WA, 93IWC, 92WS) • Harlan Estate (98WA, 97IWC, 97WS) • Joseph Phelps "Insignia" (95WA, 93+IWC, 94WS) • Ramey "Pedregal" (95+WA, 95IWC) • Schrader "Beckstoffer To Kalon" (96WA, 92+IWC, 97WS - first place at recent tasting with RP) • Shafer "Hillside Select" (97WA, 91-94IWC, 94WS) • Stewart (93WA)
Our 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
In case you missed it just a couple of weeks ago we released our '06 Cabernet Sauvignon and the feedback has been tremendous. This vintage won't last very long and we have a limited supply. The short cut to the shopping cart is www.biallavineyards.com/store. I think it could also be one of the great vintages.
Enjoy the rest of the summer and as always, thank you for sharing our passion.
Vito & Linda Bialla