TN- 2007 XIX Cabernet Sauvignon by Keyshawn Johnson

Former NFL Super Bowl Champion, All-Pro wide receiver and 1996 No. 1 draft pick Keyshawn Johnson has joined other former NFL stars including Drew Bledsoe and Terry Hoage in the winemaking business. The first release is the 2007 XIX Cabernet Sauvignon by Keyshawn Johnson from eastern Oregon portion of the Columbia Valley. Distribution began in September and the wine is priced at $125 a bottle, with about 65 cases made. Johnson has partnered on this project with R.C. Mills, a Los Angeles restaurant industry veteran.

The 2007 XIX was made of fruit sourced from the Echo West Vineyard and aged for 18 months in Hungarian Oak. The wine is opaque purple in color. The nose is rich and plush with aromas of warm blackberry cobbler. Currants, cassis, plums, spice box and blackberry liqueur on the palate. The wine is lush, silky and hedonistic. Fine grained tannins and an exquisite finish bode well for the future of this Cabernet. If you secure a few bottles for your cellar I suspect they will age effortlessly for at least a decade. A stunning first release. 94 points.

Disclosure: This was a sample from the winery.

Tom
XIX.JPG

Keyshawn Johnson? [shock.gif]

To tell on myself, I’ve never tasted an OR Cab!

Thanks for the note Tom.

I wonder if he sent Bill Parcells a case? :slight_smile:

Me either. $125 seems pretty steep for a area and producer with no track record.

Be careful who you talk about, folks…sometimes they show up to post neener

Tom, is that all your note from tasting the wine, or is all or some of that a marketing / media release from the winery? It really sounds like the latter.

Love to see him post. Perhaps he could provide a justification?

Yes we know… WB shows up in google searches rolleyes

Not sure why you are rolling your eyes, Warren. Keyshawn registered, and he may very well post in here.

I fully expect Wayne Chrebet to become a more consistent poster, one who posts on the little things, but makes a big impact on the board.

People will scratch their heads that while Key has a flashy, big money Cab, Chrebet will produce consistent lower priced bottles which deliver quietly, but yield big results.

If we make references to Meshawn, but he’s not here, is it still considered a personal attack?

[smileyvault-ban.gif]

Chris, the second paragraph is entirely my tasting note.

Cheers,

Tom

By the way…you can rest assured they did not include Terry Hoage in the press release.

neener

Tom

Just give me the Wine!!!

Didn’t realize Hungarian Oak was used for anything but Tokaji but now I know better - but then again don’t drink much Oregon Cab - although I did drink an Oregon Syrah recently - that was made in Washington State!

I’ll bet you have and don’t know it. A goodly portion of the Walla Walla AVA lies in Oregon, including the famed Seven Hills vineyard.

I’ve seen it in other California wines. Cabot being a notable.board favorite.

Jack - the oak forests above Tokaj are the same species as the oak from forests in Allier except that it’s a lot colder in Tokaj so the grain is tighter. In the early 1990s because the price was so much less, a lot of people purchased Hungarian oak. Gallo alone purchased hundreds of barrels and people also bought it in places like Rioja. Today the price differential isn’t as great so there is less demand, but don’t forget, Tokaj is only one wine region in Hungary and part of what is today Romania and Austria used to be part of Hungary, so the oak is still used all over central Europe.

As far as Keyshawn goes - clearly the wine isn’t marketed to wine drinkers. It’s marketed to the same people who are going to pay a little extra to buy a perfume or a jacket or a hamburger grill because some celebrity attached a name to it’s almost incidental whether the wine is drinkable or not.

Still waiting for Keyshawn to post. I would like to know what other wines Mr. Johnson likes to drink besides Oregon Cab.

Hey Tom, thank you for the review, reading it make me want to go have a bottle with my breakfast.
Thank you,
Keyshawn

Flora Springs also uses quite a bit of Hungarian oak, combining wine in those barrels with those of French and/or American oak as well.