2010 Circadia Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

2010 Circadia Cabernet Sauvignon: “Nothing’s Forever and Nothing’s For Sure!

The vineyard Rob McDonald had always coveted is perched just above St. Helena at the base of Howell Mountain Road, where Conn Creek flows off the mountain. But each time McDonald tried to land a grape contract, he found himself far back in the pecking order. The economy was booming, and the grower had far more suitors than clusters to sell.

Still the proprietor always left the door open just a crack. “You never know,” the grower told McDonald. “One thing you know for sure about the grape-growing business: Nothing’s forever and nothing’s for sure!”

In 2009, Wall Street’s woes began taking their toll on the Silverado Trail. Wineries suddenly found wholesalers trimming inventory aggressively. Retailers, particularly in Southern California, Florida, Arizona, and N.Y.C., hunkered down, looking for cover. It would take several months for the impact of the recession to inch its way up the Silverado Trail, past Oakville and Rutherford, before reaching the base of Howell Mountain Road above St. Helena.

In the spring of 2010, Rob McDonald caught the break he’d been waiting for. Wall Street’s woes had finally sucked the air out of the Napa Valley economy. Four acres of Cabernet Sauvignon were now unspoken for — 10 to 12 tons of fruit. “I told you nothing’s forever. If you want them, they’re yours,” the grower said.

Many would have jumped right in, no questions asked. The Cabernet off the grower’s vineyard found its way into bottles that had been selling for upwards of $100. But Rob McDonald was well aware of the risks in the wine business during recessionary times. Yes, he wanted the fruit, but not without a sales plan. Hastily, he began making calls, pouring through the Rolodex from his importing days. A week later, he hit pay-dirt.

While the U.S. economy was on the ropes, China was on a roll. McDonald completed a 500-case handshake agreement with a fledgling import company based in Shanghai, leaving just 250 cases for Rob to peddle to restaurant friends in Vegas, L.A., and the Bay Area. McDonald inked the grape contract figuring all his ducks were in the neatest of rows.

McDonald did his part – not only crafting the powerhouse 2010 Circadia Cabernet Sauvignon, but then circling the country, landing placements with Charlie Palmer and Del Frisco’s, before getting a ringing endorsement from sommelier Adam Curling, Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Best New Sommelier of 2008. Sales were reasonably brisk, particularly given the economic downturn.

Then Rob McDonald got the call he wished he’d never answered. With 500 cases boxed up and shrink-wrapped, all earmarked for Shanghai, the Chinese importer had decided he wasn’t so excited about the wine business after all.

The 2010 Circadia Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot. Opaque purple. Perfectly primary aromas of crushed black fruits, black currant, and sweet spice, touched with new-wood cedar. Sweet and dark on the attack, filled with plummy black fruit, black tea, violets, and a splash of crème de cassis. Plenty of depth and concentration, all wrapped up in ample but fine tannins that keep it pure and focused. Drink now after 45 minutes decanting, or lay down until the early 2020s.

This is Warehouse Clearance Sale #6. $75 on release. Offered for $32/bottle a few months back. Just $27 on cases this morning as we continue to clean up the “bits and pieces.”