Old Acre Wines 2013 Bench Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley #822 of 1200
91 points, $120
Simon Wilson, retired tennis pro and owner of Old Acre Wines
www.oldacrewinery.com
From Wine Enthusiast, winemag.com, 91 points, $120, “Almost entirely varietal and given nearly two years in 60% new French oak, this wine is dusty, with generous fruit, stony texture and tension. Blackberry flavor leads the palate, offering succulence and length.” Virginie BooneFrom cellartracker.com Community Score 93
Old Acre Wines. Former tennis pro turned tour manager for True Temper Sports, Simon Wilson spent 10 years touring with the PGA including numerous travels around the world to various tournaments with significant time spent in airplanes (we know the feeling). During his time working for True Temper Sports (Memphis, TN based but a global company that manufacturers stainless steels golf club shafts among other sports equipment), he met and became friends with numerous golfers and would often meet up internationally for dinners. It was over food where friendships were deepened and so was his exposure to various wines from around the world. He became curious and then passionate about wines – passion often leads to obsession in this business; he began to ask why certain wines were better than others, why certain wines were priced so much higher than others and eventually began to take a number of wine focused trips to northern California wine regions. And he began to dig deeper and start thinking about getting into the business somehow – beyond being a passionate consumer.
Simon initially thought about importing some of the wines he enjoyed to California and opening a retail location or a tasting room in Dana Point. But several of his friends who were professional golfers on the PGA circuit encouraged him to make his own wine. He soon searched for “how to make wine in the Napa Valley”; one of the listings was The Wine Foundry, a state of the art winery which produces wines for a number of clients sourcing from premium vineyards with access to numerous varieties. After talking to their General Manager, Steve Ryan, Simon was in Napa touring their winery and meeting the team the next week.
This was in 2014. Hooked by what he saw, he decided to bottle his first wine that year, a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford. The benefit of having wine made at the Wine Foundry is that one can be as hands off or as hands on as they like. Over the years Simon has became very hands on – working in tandem with winemaker Patrick Saboe in regards to all related viticulture and wine making decisions. An its not only Patrick who has been a mentor to Simon but numerous others including winemaker Juan Mercado (Realm Cellars). As Simon admits, if it weren’t for these individuals, surely he would have made more mistakes over the years.
Simon enjoys the behind scenes part of winemaking and compares those in the wine business to those who play professional golf. As with wine and golf, some are born into the business – whereas others, like Simon come from all walks of life.
The 2013 Old Acre Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Rutherford Bench is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% petite Verdot and 1% Merlot. Shows a little browning on the edges from its age (we tasted 8 years post vintage date); it is medium to dark ruby in color. Offers of sweetness of aroma on the bouquet including cherry, along with dried rose petals, notes of chocolate and very subtle baking spices. Also notes of Graham cracker and a hint of dry tobacco deeper into the aromatics. The brightness of acidity has carried through the years – with a lively finish including flavors of currant and red cherry. Very balanced with slightly chalky tannins. This was the inaugural release and vintage for Old Acre. 1200 bottles were produced and each one was numbered.
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