Red Wine Review: Hess Mountain Cuvee 2004

Leading the charts for red wine lovers is the seasoned Hess collection including the Hess Mountain Cuvee 2004. This is a red wine that can be collected and saved for at least five years or more depending on your cellar conditions, depending also on how long you can keep your hands of it.

Not being a red wine lover myself, I took my husband along for the ride on this Mountain Cuvee blend. Basically, it is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 6% Syrah and 1% Cabernet Franc. For the most part, my husband and I keep to drinking 100% vintages however we sometimes stray into blends. Usually, blends have a rich taste however lack the overall fullness of a 100% wine. We were surprised about this wine though for its expressive aromas and tannin underlying structure.

Noteworthy of superb status, the Hess wine Collection has been producing wine since 1978 in Napa Valley California. It won its first tasting award in 1987 by Wine Spectator's 100 Top Wines of the World magazine wine tasting. Since that time, Donald Hess (owner and operator) has been selecting the best grapes and appellation levels for each wine variety. This certain blend of grapes was grown in altitudes of 1,300-2,000 feet on the Veeder Crest and Summit Vineyards way up in the Napa Valley Mountains. The elevation of this vineyards that were used to create this blend is both volcanic with geologically unique soil that provides this wine selection with a great taste but fullness of body.

Upon opening and letting the bottle breathe for about an hour, we were surprised at the full bodied bouquet that evolving around us. Being that it has a 14.5% alcohol content level, we were surprised it did not have the alcoholic scent that most other wines contain. Additionally, the color that is poured into the glass is a wonderful deep burgundy color that reminds me of the deep reds from the winter months, especially Christmas. So, two positives already at hand for this wine, we proceeded into tasting the wine. We were both surprised on the smooth but complex flavor that this wine possesses.