Friday, May 23, 2014

Cain NV9 Napa Valley Cuvée


This delightful wine emerged during a dinner at Bali Steakhouse at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu. Steve, the server, is a wine connoisseur and a hotel historian. He certainly came up strong with this selection.
My staff and I were treated to a delicious dinner by the sales manager and my counterpart at Hilton. The cuisine at Bali is remarkable and the views of Waikiki beach at sunset leave nothing to be desired either.
Steve produced the Cain Cuvée and my anticipation for the meal began in earnest. We had an array of delicious appetizers before diving into our entrée.  
Cain is a producer I’ve been wanting to try for a while and the Cuvée is a well known wine with an award-winning reputation. I find myself increasingly drawn to Bordeaux style wines that calibrate just the right blend of varieties.
The Cain Cuvée is a non-vintage wine that a 53% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot blend. Not only is it a blend of different grapes, but it is also a blending of the 2008 and 2009 vintages. Although this is considered a non-vintage wine, I call it doubly refined, with a carefully selected blend across grape varieties and two vintages.
Bali specializes in Hawaiian and Polynesian cuisine, so we also had a delicious Starmont Napa Valley Chardonnay to sample with seafood dishes. I opted for the Monchong, a local fish that is a delicacy (and needless to say can’t be found in the Toledo area).
The Cuvée blended nicely with the succulent fish. It is a smooth wine with a round finish. It is light on the palate with black cherries and ripe red fruit. The tannins are loose and comfortable.
Cain began their Cuvée project 20 years ago and select grapes from the Napa regions of Rutherford, Oakville, Yountville, Spring Mountain and Atlas Peak. The NV9 is a blend of 57% 2009 vintage with the remainder coming from 2008. It’s a refined wine that tastes like an $80 bottle – but is a mere $30.
This Cain is Able.
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Rating: 4.5 of 5  Value: 5 of 5
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