THE STORY
I hope you had a great New Year’s celebration with some of your favorite wines. Today’s kick off of 2025 continues with another one of our local favorites.
Quite often we play the Mystery Wine game amongst the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod. We blind taste a wine, guess which continent it is from; then which country or wine region it is from, the varietal, the winery and sometimes even the year. I’m not very good at this game, but it challenges our collective wine knowledge and just makes things a bit more fun.
Last fall, we played such a game and I got it all wrong. It was a big, juicy wine which I guessed was from Napa Valley. I guessed it was a red blend. I would have never guessed that the wine was the Chesebro 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from our own Carmel Valley AVA!
I’m bringing you this wine again because of the power of blind tasting a wine – let’s see how my previous review and this one compare! And long ago, I promised to share my thoughts on the 2017 La Grava Merlot. Welcome to tpoday’s post!
THE WINES
Today, I am presenting 2 Chesebro wines. I last presented their wines to you in August 2024 here: Chesebro New Releases: the 2023 Whites Are Available Now! Winery notes come from the label, their tasting sheet or their website, unless otherwise noted. Any errors are mine and mine alone; however, as a general rule, I do not correct any typos from the winery’s website.
2018 Chesebro Cabernet Sauvignon, Chaparral Vineyard, Carmel Valley AVA, Monterey County, 14.5% ABV, $48 (#1416)
Winery Notes: “Many people don’t know that Chesebro Winery produces Cabernet Sauvignon because generally it is not released to the public. This is a real treat for you fans of our heavy reds. From the highest elevation (2400ft) vineyard in Carmel Valley. Chapparal Vineyard is dry farmed and gives a very small yield of less than 2 tons per acre, which means the wine is bursting with flavor, color and aromatics. Aged for 22 months in French Oak. Upon first glance this Cabernet shows a deep dark mahogany core. Soaring aromatics (both savory and fruity) emerge from the glass with dark currants on the nose complimented by fresh tobacco, cedar, sage, cassis and of course chapparal. Wondeful balance, chalky minerality and fine grained tannins. Fruit forward and charming yet densely structured – This has it all but there are only 50 cases made so get it while you can.”
My Original Review: The spicy nose is followed by a tasty palate of dark cherry and berries. It is drinking well now. Can cellar a couple of years. Another vintage (2019) is coming! We took some home. June 2024
My Mystery Game Review: Inky in the glass. Smells like a Sharon kind of big red with jammy dark cherry and black pepper notes. A New World wine, for sure. Woah – a super delicious palate with tart/bright crushed berries on the front with a jammy finish of intense berries, cassis and alcohol. I guessed this could come from Napa Valley, but I did not guess it was a Cabernet Sauvignon and I did not guess whose. This is one hell of a wine. October 2024
2017 Chesebro La Grava, Cedar Lane Vineyard, Arroyo Seco AVA, Monterey County, 14.3% ABV (#1493)
Winery Notes: “La Grava is our Bordeaux inspired Merlot-based blend that pays homage to the gravelly soils of Cedar Lane Vineyard.” (from the label)
My Review: Garlic, red cherry, raspberry, cedar and mild green pepper on the nose. Palate of medium red and black fruits with a tart finish. Paired well with Trader Joe’s Organic Cacio e Pepe Puffs. December 2024
THE TASTING ROOM
“Come Raise a Glass with Us! We are located at 19D East Carmel Valley Road in Carmel Valley Village.”
“We are now open for tasting on Friday through Sunday from noon until 5 PM and by apointment on other days. Due to our limited capacity please make an appointment on all days so that we may better serve you. Appointments can either be set up through this page…or by contacting Alex directly at Alex@chesebrowines.com or 831-238-2618. Due to our remote location, appointments are not available for the winery itself….”
© Decanting Monterey 2025
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