Terrer d’Aubert Tarragona Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

The intensity of the 2010 Terrer d’Aubert shows in the wine’s saturated purple color, yet the 2010 Terrer d’Aubert maintains a rich, harmonious balance reminiscent of Classified Bordeaux and the greatest Spanish Cabernet based wines of nearby Priorato. In short, we were a bit blown away, as 2010 is Terrer d’Aubert’s debut vintage. As an opening act, the wine offers a heady bouquet, a pleasing combination of pure blackberry and cassis fruit married to a subtle minerality and complex earth tones. Yet, it is in the mouth that Terrer d’Aubert truly comes alive, offering up rich, mouth filling flavors that saturate the palate and make the thirsty throat plead for more. And as a closing act, hints of cedar and oak combine easily with the wine’s ripe, structured tannins to provide a long, luxurious finish. A combination of unique terroir, excellent winemaking and the munificence of an outstanding vintage render the 2010 Terrer d’Aubert a very special wine. Afford Terrer d’Aubert an hour or more to breath and you’ll see just how much this rare Cabernet Sauvignon from Tarragona can please. We strongly suggest serving the 2010 Terrer d’Aubert cool (60°-65° F), and savvy consumers would be wise to put a few bottles away as this debut vintage of Terrer d’Aubert is likely to delight for up to a decade.

A sophisticated robust wine such as the 2010 Terrer d’Aubert calls for accompaniments befitting its world class stature. The finest cuts of meat, complex sauces, and simple country dishes made of the freshest ingredients provide excellent companions to this rare Spanish Cabernet Sauvignon. Consequently, Loin Lamb Chops grilled on a wood fire and basted with Spanish olive oil, garlic and fresh mint and rosemary win our approval. Loin Veal Chops, served with shitake mushrooms and an herb rice pilaf, offer another mouthwatering accompaniment to the 2010 Terrer d’Aubert. Roasted Quail, stuffed with apple-smoked bacon and mushrooms and served over a corn based risotto, provides another wonderful pairing with Terrer d’Aubert. Thick juicy steaks will do this wine justice as well. Yet, it is not so much what one serves with the Terrer d’Aubert that matters as much as it is the quality of the ingredients used in the dish, as simple well prepared foods often provide the best companions to world class Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy!

The Morell family’s Vinyes del Terrer vineyard estate is comprised of nine tiny parcels totaling just seventeen acres. Each parcel lies just outside of the city of Tarragona on Spain’s Mediterranean coast. And much like the great wines of Bordeaux’s legendary Graves and Pauillac appellations, Vinyes del Terrer clings to a patchwork of green in defiance of the urban sprawl from its civic neighbor. Correspondingly, the estate’s vineyards lie within just a mile and half of the sea, much as they do in the Bordeaux appellations of Pauillac and St. Estèphe, and their soils are composed of calcareous loam derived from shell (fossil) limestone, known locally as lumaquela.

Terrer’s Terrer d’Aubert is fashioned from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from extremely low yields, which average less than 1.5 tons per acre. Only 15,000 bottles of this rare Cabernet Sauvignon are produced in any given vintage and less than 500 cases have come to the United States. Although red wines of Tarragona typically rely on Garnacha rather than Cabernet Sauvignon, the unique terroir of Vinyes de Terrer, namely the lumaquela soil, renders a special prize in Terrer d’Aubert and in the estate’s Garnacha/ Cabernet Sauvignon blend Nus del Terrer. It also underscores the word TERRER (terroir) as the clear choice for the name of this special Tarragona estate.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most widely cultivated of the world’s noble red grape varieties. For centuries it was thought to be an ancient varietal, but DNA studies conducted in the 1990s revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon is not nearly as old as was once thought. Moreover, what is even more startling is that Cabernet Sauvignon is actually the offspring of Cabernet Franc (a red variety) and Sauvignon Blanc (a white variety).

The origin of Cabernet Sauvignon has traditionally been attributed to Bordeaux, where it holds court with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and in rare instances Carmenère. The combination of any three or more of these varieties is what is known in Europe as the Bordeaux Blend or in California and elsewhere as a Meritage selection. Some evidence suggests that northern Spain, just south of the Pyrenees, may one day lay legitimate claim to being an original site of the planet’s most important red grape variety as well. However, Bordeaux rightly claims to be the disseminator of this noble red grape because from Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon has traveled the world far and wide.

In Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon is the heart and soul of the finest Médoc wines and a leading player in nearly all of the finest red wines of Graves. Châteaux Haut-Brion, Margaux, Latour, and Lafite are all Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. However, even in Bordeaux appellations where Cabernet is King, it is usually blended with Merlot and/or other traditional Bordeaux varietals. By nature, Cabernet Sauvignon is a thick skinned grape that requires a longer maturation than most red grape varieties, which makes blending it a natural choice in winemaking regions such as Bordeaux where climate conditions are variable.

In general, Cabernet Sauvignon thrives under warm, even hot, semi arid conditions, which is one reason why this noble variety has been extensively and successfully cultivated in Argentina Australia, California, Chile, South Africa, Spain and elsewhere. In particular, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys a privileged place in American viticulture, and it is unquestionably California’s most prestigious red varietal, both in consummate quality as well as price. California’s Alexander Valley and parts of Napa Valley are generally acknowledged to produce the New World’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon. However, Argentina, Australia, Chile, South Africa, and Spain also fashion world class Cabernet Sauvignon, and the list is sure to grow.

In flavor profile, Cabernet Sauvignon can vary considerably, depending upon climate and terroir. However, blackberry and blackcurrant (often referred to as cassis) flavors are most often associated with this premium variety. Earthy and herbaceous aromas, such as cedar, eucalyptus, graphite, and tobacco are also common. Moreover, of all the world’s red grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon has the greatest propensity for successful ageing. Cabernet Sauvignon also contains high amounts of antioxidants and resveratrol, which make its wares some one of the most healthful of all wines. Enjoy!