Lot 164
2007 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

Cameron Hughes, Lot 164, 2007 Napa Valley Rutherford Cabernet The Technicals: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Alcohol: 14.5% Production: 650 Cases Cameron Hughes sourced this wine from a “very famous” wine-maker from Rutherford who had intended this for his $85 program but the economic conditions called for a change of plans. Lucky for me, and for you-dear reader. I picked up on the “Beautiful nose of violets” and a hint of cherry and plum. This after only being decanted for about 10 minutes. I took a sip… Yea! It had been raining all day in Phoenix and I suddenly felt a ray of sunshine burst through the clouds and hit me in the forehead. Full bodied? Absolutely. Lots of black cherry on the palate, and SUPER smooth. I mean flawlessly smooth. Surgical grade smoothness. The wine is still young, and tannic, squeaky teeth tannins but very rich with concentrated fruit. Ran a few errands, all in all it took about an hour, came back and poured a glass. The nose had opened up a bit more, the “dusty” tannins were more present on the back end now, which I like. This wine is still just a bit young for me, (imagine Randy from American Idol saying that) for me, dog, it’s still just a bit young. But give it time and this wine will blow your mind. It will blow your mind that you paid twenty bucks for this. In fact you’ll look like a genius. I was thinking about that while I was on my errand trip, at Chase bank. I was trying to figure out how I would word my request for a loan to buy a few dozen cases of this wine and a home improvement loan to build a cellar to store it. But I knew the answer the second I walked in the door. 6 hours later this wine is still incredibly full bodied, it actually seems even bigger than before, like it’s still opening up and beginning to ignite. It is a fiercely good wine. I would recommend this to any wine drinker who says they like big monster California cabs but done with an uncommon elegance for something so powerful. (Update)PART TWO: I saved about 2 glasses of this wine for the next night. It tasted every bit as good as the first night, if not better. The pretty nose is still very present, and so is the smooth rich concentrated fruit. I was sad when it was all gone.

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

Taking Advantage of the Wine Glut Amid an oversupply, Cameron Hughes buys top wineries' excess and resells it for bargain prices There is a glut of wine all over the world—an oversupply so significant that it's compelled Australian winemakers to plow up their vineyards, forced French producers to turn wines into ethanol and brought wealthy Napa vintners if not to their knees then to their bankers in search of refinance. The reasons are various—new vineyard plantings by ambitious producers, increased productivity at a time of plummeting demand, winemakers who have overleveraged their brands. The bulk wine market—which encompasses everything from wine in the barrel to finished wines in unlabeled bottles, aka "shiners"—may absorb some of this excess but with prices as low as $1 a gallon, it's not going to help winemakers raise very much money, let alone make them rich. Except in the case of Cameron Hughes. Mr. Hughes takes the $100 California Cabernets that have gone begging for buyers and sells the very same wines under his own labels for $25 a bottle and less. He packages them in generic-looking bottles with names like Lot 164 Rutherford Cabernet and Lot 135 Syrah and sells them on his website and to retailers like Sam's Club and Costco in 38 states. I'd first heard about Mr. Hughes a few months ago when I attended a dinner in Chicago hosted by a prominent wine collector. Almost every wine was a first-growth Bordeaux, grand cru Burgundy or cult California Cabernet costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars. But when one of the dinner guests, a fellow named Chris Freemott, began talking about an $18 California Pinot Noir he'd recently tasted that was an "incredible value," I pulled up a chair. This was a wine I could actually afford. The name of the producer was unfamiliar to me: Cameron Hughes. "His Lot 142 Pinot Noir is amazing," Chris said.

Cameron Hughes 2007 Lot 157 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is awarded Best of Class and a Gold Medal at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition! Silver Award winners include: - Lot 164 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 - Lot 165 Los Carneros Pinot Noir, 2008 - The Flying Winemaker, Malbec, Mendoza Argentina, 2008 - The Flying Winemaker, Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, 2008 - The Flying Winemaker, Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile, 2007