On my very first trip to Napa Valley back in 2008, one of the first wineries I visited was Etude. Over the years I have purchased some of their Cabernets. For the most part I have enjoyed them with the exception of a couple vintages that were affected by a poor growing season in Napa Valley.
Etude the Winery
Etude was established in 1982 by the well-known vintner Tony Soter. He never had any formal training as a winemaker when he began working in the wine industry. He started his career working in the Stags Leap Wine Cellars and ultimately worked with some of Napa’s biggest winery names including Araujo, Chappellet, Dalla Valle and Shafer among others.
Today Etude is no longer owned by Tony Soter. In 2000 he sold the winery to what is today Treasury Wine Estates, one of the world’s largest wine companies.
Etude is known for making two types of wine: Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. They do make other varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Rosé in much smaller quantities. But their most popular wines are their Cabernet and Pinot Noir.
If you check Etude’s website (etudewines.com) you will see that their wines retail on the website from $25.00 for a Chardonnay up to $185.00 for their high-end Cabernet Sauvignon. Checking some other internet wine sites such as wine-searcher.com I found their Cabernets to be much cheaper. Wines are always a little higher priced purchased direct from the winery.
2001 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon
This is one of the last bottles of Etude Cabernet Sauvignon I have left in my cellar. If I remember correctly when I bought the wine, back in the middle 2000s, I paid around $45.00 for the bottle.
Even though the wine was 18 years old it still showed well and was medium ruby in color. On the nose there were aromas of black cherries, blueberries and some earthiness. On the palate there was again the taste of black fruit and hints of mocha. The finish was full-bodied with good mouth feel and of a reasonable length. The wine is still fairly full but drinking around its peak.
When the wine was rated early on, it had a rating of 93 out of 100 points. I would say today it would be around 90 out of 100 points.
I would suggest that you investigate buying several bottles of Etude for your cellar. As I mentioned earlier, buying it online seems to be a bit less expensive than buying it directly from the winery.
Autumn Wine Dinner
Get your tickets by Friday, November 15, for our November Wine & Dinner Club event on Tuesday, November 19. We are teaming up with Sam Beck Jr. CSW, CSS District Manager of Fine Wine of RNDC Indiana (Republic National Distributing Company). Sam has earned his CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine) designation from the Society of Wine Educators. Here is the wonderful menu and wine pairing list. Cost is $90 per person.
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Until next week,
Cheers
Calendar of Events
- November 14 – International Tempranillo Day
- November 20 – International Zinfandel Day
- December 4 – Cabernet Franc Day
- December 20 – National Sangria Day
- December 31 – National Champagne Day
