Lot 116
2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Cameron Hughes Lot 116, 2007 Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon Once again this is another wine sourced from an $85 dollar bottle-program. The wine maker sourced the blend from the vineyards in Mount Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, and Spring Mountain. Under it’s original label it receives consistent 91, 92 and 93 point scores. And this is the really GOOD part… many of Cameron Hughes wines are made from leftover barrel lots from high-end wineries, however, this wine is the actual bottling blend. It’s tough to decide which one I like more, Lot 164 or Lot 116. Lot 164 is immediately amazing whereas this wine becomes more and more amazing over several hours. Until it reaches a peak which I enjoy more than Lot 164. Great nose of blackcurrant, doesn’t quite hit me like I expected. And I’m glad it didn’t, I don’t really want to be completely whacked in the face by the wine. Not right away anyways… definitely rich mid-palate tannins. And later on they become richer and richer, until the concentrated chocolate is so awesome it literally began to give me goosebumps! I had this wine with slow cooked Tri-Tip, sautéed mushrooms in worchestire sauce, a green salad and a little bit of Quinoa. It was awesome! The wine really came alive and made my steak taste better too. In fact it made it taste so good that I ate a second steak! It’s the kind of wine that turns you into a ravenous carnivore. And later on I had to bake some chocolate chip cookies. I am putting this wine in my top 5 favorite wines of all time right now. Wow! Incredible, and by the end of the bottle I was wishing for more, but alas it was about 2am.

The 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition awards the following medals to Cameron Hughes Wine: Double Gold Lot 116, 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Lot 143, 2007 Howell Mountain Cabernet Gold The Flying Winemaker, 2008 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay Silver Lot 121, 2006 Spring Mountain District Cabernet Lot 140, 2007 Sonoma County Cabernet

Cameron Hughes Wine Awards Platinum: 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Lot 134 New Zealand $12.00 Silver: 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 116 Napa Valley $22.00

Cameron Hughes '07 Cabs I had these over the last couple of weeks. They were all excellent to outstanding, and IMO, easily worth 2 - 3 times the price. They all have great, powerful fruit, without being at all overly ripe, and great structure to back it up. For me, the Lot 116 and Lot 149 were the more accessible now, I think Lot 143 and Lot 164 would benefit from some more time. 2007 Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 149 - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/22/2010) Dark, dark ruby red. The nose has sweet raspberry, cassis, leather, and a little chalk. This is another big '07 Cameron Hughes, and a little riper than the other '07 Cameron Hughes Cabs that I've had, but still very well balanced, not overly ripe by any means. The tannins are firm, but not too drying. Nice acidity. Great overall structure holding everything up. Very athletic build, powerful but sleek. Drinking nicely now, may develop over the next few years. (91 pts.) 2007 Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 143 - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (2/20/2010) Medium-dark purple color. The nose has charcoal, cassis, and leather. If I tasted this blind, I'd peg it for a left bank Bordeaux. The fruit has a big presence, but it's not overly ripe at all. The tannins are very drying at this point. The oak is present, but it's nicely integrated. Very masculine and assertive. Great balance. Very nice now, although a little rough around the edges, I think this will develop into an outstanding wine. (92 pts.) 2007 Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 116 - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/3/2010) Dark ruby color. The nose has plum, cassis, leather, smoke, and a hint of loam. Nice, clean fruit. Gorgeous, smooth texture. The tannins are present, but smooth. There's some oak underneath, but it's nicely integrated. Perfect balance. Not an in-your-face wine at all, it has a nice character that's very likable. Moderate length, enjoyable finish. May improve with age, but it's drinking beautifully now. (91 pts.) 2007 Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 164 Rutherford - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (1/28/2010) Dark, purple-red in the glass. The nose has dusty plum, tobacco, as well as a little brighter raspberry and a bit of pencil eraser. The palate is medium-full, with clean, juicy fruit. The tannins are moderate and still very grippy. There's a nice acidic brightness as well. Not a big, bold wine, but very attractive and well proportioned. The finish is long and enjoyable. Very good now, and I think if the tannins settle down a little more, it'll be outstanding. (89 pts.) Posted from CellarTracker

San Diego International Wine Competition Cameron Hughes Medal Winners Platinum 2008 Chardonnay, Lot 159 Santa Barbara Gold 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 116 Napa Valley Gold 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 164 Rutherford Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 136 Napa Valley Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 138 Santa Barbara Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 149 Napa Valley Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 157 Yountville Silver 2007 Zinfandel, Lot 114 Sonoma County Silver 2008 Zinfandel, Lot 163 Lodi Silver 2007 Chardonnay, Lot 130 Russian River Valley Silver 2008 Chardonnay, Lot 145 Santa Barbara

Recent Cameron Hughes Wine ratings from Wine Enthusiast Magazine - 92 Points, Editors Choice: Lot 146 Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon - 91 Points: Lot 149 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - Best Buy: Lot 168 Red Hills Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon Plus, great scores for many more Cameron Hughes wines featured in the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide.