ALL-IN ON BOOK REVIEWS: Do you have a (non-fictional or fictional) book related to wine, spirits, or beer that you'd like reviewed? Contact me!

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Wine Review: Ankh Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Ankh Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was a fierce and violent warrior goddess. The sun god Ra had become angry because mankind was not following his laws, so he sent Sekhmet to destroy the people. The fields ran with blood, but the sight of the carnage caused Ra to repent. He ordered Sekhmet to stop, but she was in a blood lust and would not listen. So Ra tricked her by pouring jugs of wine in her path. She gorged on what she thought was blood and became so drunk that she slept for days. When she awoke, Sekhmet had transformed into the benevolent goddess Hathor; her blood lust had disappeared, and humanity was saved. 

Every year in what is now the month of August, Egyptians held a great festival to celebrate the Drunkenness of Hathor. This massive event was the largest of its day, and coincided with the start of Akhet season - when the Nile River would begin to rise. Tens of thousands of people from all across Egypt traveled to this great event. Today, we honor the saving of mankind by releasing a new vintage of Ankh during the Akhet season, and by placing an icon representing Hathor on every bottle.

That was lifted right off of Ankh Wine's website. How freaking cool is that? I love it when a wine speaks to my inner history geek like that. Ankh was founded in 2007 by Mark El-Tawil and Scott Ptacek. I'll be reviewing two of their wines. Today is the Ankh Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 and in a few days it will be their El Nil Napa Valley Red Wine 2012.

Paul Simon, Graceland
PAUL SIMON, GRACELAND
So I like to put on some good jams when I'm tasting my wine, and you've seen my music selection range everywhere from atmospheric death metal, to classic rock, to gangster rap, to soothing instrumentals. Tonight I'm going with an album that I adore for sentimental reasons: Paul Simon's Graceland. It brings me right back to when I was ten years old and traveling the country with my father and my grandfather, because it was one of the cassette tapes being constantly played in the RV. I know this album by heart. It makes me incredibly happy when I hear it. This wine is in for a good time.

Ankh's 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, with Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc as the remaining 5%. The fruit comes from the Napa regions of Rutherford, Coombsville and Atlas Peak. It saw 24 months in French Oak barrels and 12 months bottle aging. 200 cases were produced and it has an ABV of 14.9%.

The color of the wine is a dark purple that stains the glass. On the nose there's aromas of black cherries, black currant, powdered cocoa, black olive, mint, and cool dark earth. Man. I could smell this wine all night. That is a killer nose! In the mouth it's full bodied, has a minerality in its texture, sturdy tannin and a nice acidity. There's flavors of black currant, blackberries, dark chocolate and oak. It finishes with black currant, minerals, and a little heat. The Merlot definitely comes out throughout this wine.

If I was in the position to be buying bottles of wine for $50 I'd be up for exchanging said money for the subject wine any day. Five years old and it's ready to go now, but it could be hidden away for another half a decade if you wanted to do so.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $50
Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

Newer Posts Older Posts Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Labels

*SPONSORED* ABriefHistoryOf Abruzzo Agiorgitiko Aglianico Airen Albarino Aleatico Alentejo Alexander Valley Alicante Bouschet Alsace Apothic Argentina Armagnac Arroyo Grande Arroyo Seco audio article Australia Austria Baco Barbera Barrossa Valley Batman Beaujolais beer Best Of biodynamic blend blog Bogati Bonarda book Bordeaux bourbon box wine Brachetto brandy Bulgaria Burgundy Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Cahors Caino Blanco California Campania Canada Canaiolo. cans Cape Cod Captain America Carignan Cariñena Carmenere Catalonia Cava Central Coast certification Chablis Chalk Hill Champagne Chardonnay cheese Chenin Blanc Chianti Chile China cider Cinsault Clarksburg cocktails Cognac Colombard Columbia Valley comics Cotes-du-Rhone Counoise Croatia CSW Dane Cellars DC dessert wine Distill Wars Dona Blanco Douro Dry Creek Dunnigan Hills Edna Valley Falanghina February Felix Hart Fer Servadou Fiano fiction Finger Lakes Folle Blanche formulas France Franciacorta Frankovka Frappato Furmint Galicia Galilee Gamay Garganega Gascony Germany Gewurtztraminer gin Glera Godello Graciano greco di tufo Greece Grenache Grenache Blanc Grillo Gros Manseng Gruner Veltliner GSM guest blog Heroes history horror how to Hungary interview Israel Italy Japan Jerez Kansas kosher Lambrusco Languedoc-Roussillon Left Coast Leyda Valley Lisboa Livermore Lodi Loire Loureira love letter Macon Madeira Madiran Malbec Malvasia Marcillac marijuana Marlborough Marsanne Marselan Marvel Massachusetts Matchbook Mavrud Mazuelo McLaren Vale mead Melnik Mencia Mendocino Mendoza Meritage Merlot Mexico Michigan mixology Monbazillac Monstant Montecucco Montepulciano Monterey Montery Moscato Mosel Mourvédre Muscadelle Muscat mythology Napa Navarra Nebbiolo Nero d'Avola New York New Zealand news non-alcoholic nonfiction Norello Mascalese North Coast Oakville Oregon organic original meme pairings Palestine Pecorino Pedro Ximenez Perricone Petit Verdot Petite Sirah Petite Verdot photo gallery phylloxera Picpoul Piedmont Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris/Grigio Pinot Meunier Pinot Noir Pinotage Pliny podcast Port Portugal Press Release Primitivo product Prosecco Provence quickie quote rakia recipe retail problems Retsina review Rheingau Rhone Rias Baixas Ribera del Duero Riesling Rioja Rondinella rose Roussanne Rubin Rueda rum Russian River Sagrantino Sake Salta Sandanski Misket Sandeanski Misket Sangiovese Sangria santa clara Santa Lucia Higlands Sauvignon Blanc science scotch Sekt Semillon Seyval Blanc Sherry Sicily Somontano Sonoma South Africa South Australia Spain spark Sparkling Spider-Man spirits stemware storage study sulfites Superman sustainable SWE Syrah Tannat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Temecula Tempranillo Tequila Texas thc The Flash Tinta Amarela Tinta Caiada Torrontes Touriga Nacional Traminer Trebbiano Trincadeira Turkey Tuscany Ugni Blanc Umbria USA Valdiguié Valiant Valpolicella vegan Veneto Verdejo Verdicchio Vermentino Vermont Vermouth Vernacca Vidal Blanc video Vinho Verde Viognier Virginia Viura vodka Walla Walla Washington State whiskey White zinfandel Wildstorm Willamette wine Wine Bloggers Off-Topic wine club Wine Pick Wolverine Wonder Woman Zinfandel Zweigelt