We’ve been trying to get our new friends and COVID wine buddies out to Rombi to taste his incredibly huge and complex Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines. And to have that special experience which Sal Rombi provides everyone who comes in to taste his wines. Not only is Sal an expert in winemaking, but also in hospitality. While we haven’t been able to meet up there, we did take our friends a bottle of the 2014 Rombi Cabernet Sauvignon, which we were able to compare side by side with a Napa Cab! Rombi did not disappoint!
In October, my wine class decided to pay homage to the California wineries besieged by fire and smoke damage. I chose the 2016 Rombi Merlot, as that is a full representation of how the Soberanes Fire affected the Carmel Valley wines. My hat is off to those vintners brave enough to bottle their wines from that vintage – Sal is among the very few.
I wrote about Rombi Wine, reviewed earlier vintages, and a bit about Cachagua in this post: Rombi: Bold, Distinctive Fruit Wrapped in Elegance. His home, winery and estate vineyard, The Carmel Valley Vineyard, are in the heart of Cachagua, where the Carmel Fire recently inflicted damage to so many of our favorite wineries and vineyards. I had the chance to drive way out to Cachagua in late September: a narrow, winding road with lots of blind curves, scorched by the fire. The damage incurred is the kind no one wants to experience. From what I have heard, most of the wineries out there are “OK.” I’ll leave it at OK. Let’s not talk about the 2020 crop.
There was almost a 40-degree difference in temperature from way out there and my little coastal town. The Carmel Valley’s terrain and climate is ideal for creating rich, full bodied wines; the Bordeaux varietals are favorites here, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot comprising more than 70% of the grapes grown in the district. Much of those grapes are grown in Cachagua.
2014 Rombi Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmel Valley AVA, Monterey County, 14.1% ABV, $85 (153*)**
This was his 8th year of production. His fruit from this vineyard is so flavorful, creating wines with up-front berry and cherry flavors. Rombi’s wines are very big and complex – highly recommend decanting to get the full fruit flavors.
My Review: Purple in color, chives/wild garlic and raspberry on the nose. Nice legs. Fruit-forward and full-bodied, brimming with delicious brighter fresh fruit. Sour cherries on first sip. Ripe cherry on the palate, with a hint of mint. And a smooth, pleasant lingering cherry and chocolate finish. Good, my Napa Cab fan says. We went back and forth between this wine and one of his favorite Napa cabs – we liked them equally, yet they were so different in flavors. I’m a huge fan of the Carmel Valley Vineyard’s fruit and think I like this one second best of all his vintages so far (2015 is slightly my favorite with even more jammy, up-front fruit). August 2020
2016 Rombi Merlot, Carmel Valley AVA, Monterey County, 14.1% ABV, $65 (154*)**
My better half remembers discussing this vintage – Rombi’s 10th vintage of Merlot – with Sal in the tasting room. They discussed how this would have been his best Merlot yet had it not been for the smoke. As I mentioned in this post https://decantingmonterey.com/where-theres-fire-theres-more-than-smoke-taint/, wines produced from a vintage of fire and smoke can be appreciated in the context of what they are.
There is a good review of this wine here on Vivino.com which highlights this is a big, meaty Merlot. Not sure I am allowed to reproduce it here.
My Review: Thick, dense garnet in the glass. Intense berry and deep smokey plum on the nose. A huge wine of intense dark cherry and cassis enveloped in smoke on the palate and finish. Imagine you are grilling ribs over wood chips, inhaling the smoke from the grill while enjoying a glass of a big Merlot. We decanted this wine, as one always should with a Rombi wine.
You can learn more about and purchase his wines online at Rombi Wines. You can also contact Kathy and Sal at kathy@rombiwines.com or sal@rombiwines.com for more information about buying wine. In the aftermath of the Carmel Fire, the tasting room remains closed.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
**I have a standing offer from Sal Rombi to replenish my cellar with any of his wines I review. That’s not why I review his wines. I’ve only “cashed in” that offer once…so far.
© Decanting Monterey 2020
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