Some Statement Cabs from the STARS of Cabernet

A little while ago, Edible Skinny was lucky enough to attend WineLA’s STARS of Cabernet at the Peninsula Beverly Hills.  While there, we were given a passport to this delicious bold “statement” wine and learn a little bit more about a few choice Cabs brands. 

As luck would have it one of our favorite Cabernets of the night was the first table we sampled at.  The Hawk Horse Vineyards is a small family-owned and operated ranch and vineyard estate located in the Red Hills AVA of Lake County in Northern California.  The vineyard, situated in mountainside with elevations between 1,800 and 2,200 feet, grows award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon and their delicious “Latigo” Port-Style wine.  Hand crafted with precision, their luscious wines are both Demeter Biodynamic and CCOF Organic Certified.  For those looking to experience these sumptuous wines on site, the ranch offers private tours and tastings allowing their guests to encounter the ranch’s varied wildlife including Red Hawks, American Quarter Horses, and Scottish Highland Cattle (this last one are very very funny looking…).  

Another wine that ES delighted in was the ever popular Jordan Vineyard (and that statement is more than accurate as Mister Nick Holmes told us they are the most popular restaurant wine in the country..!).  John Jordan’s brand, located in the Alexander Valley on 1,200 acres, produces two varietals, Chardonnay and Cabernet, along with some fantastic viral videos such as their Blurred Lines parody… “Blurred Vines” and their Footloose/Flashdance parody “Get Fit.”  Both are absolutely hysterical and get the heart of Jordan’s philosophy which is there are Wine Geeks (those who overthink wine) and Wine Dudes (people who don’t and have a blast with life).  Sipping their wines at STARS of Cabernet reminded me once again how much I would rather embrace the latter than the former.  

We then strolled over to the Paso Robles (Cabernet and Bordeaux) Collective (PRCC) Cabernet table.  PRCC is a grass-roots organization which promotes the Paso Robles AVA through the classic Cabernet and red Bordeaux varietals.  The organization put on quite a spread offering over a dozen red hued wines from the area as varied poppies in a field.  Some of our favorite wines we sampled from their array of choice Cabs, were Sextant Winery, Rotta Winery, and Dao Vineyards & Winery.

The night finished with a fantastic glass of ZD Wines Reserva wine, Abacus.   ZD Wines, is a family owned and operated by three generations of the deLeuze family, in the heart of Napa Valley.  Their Abacus wine, produced from several vineyards in the Valley, has an intensity that develops and envelopes you with flavors of cassis, plum, and vanilla.   Full of ripe tannins, it’s a wine that lingers on your lips the way a delicious memory lingers in your mind. 

So here’s all your Cabs being full of statement and life being delicious!