Venge Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux

Epic Napa Cabernet - 2015 Venge Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux

SOLD OUT! I’ll make this short and sweet……the 2012, 2013, and 2014 vintages of Venge Cabernet Sauvignon scored 94, 95, and 95 points respectively with the Wine Advocate. The 2015 has not been reviewed yet…….until now!

I’m giving this one 95 points, and I’m very confident on that high mark. From the high quality, low quantity 2015 vintage, this wine absolutely destroys other, more well-known Cabs that sell for double or triple the price. 

2015 Venge Cabernet Sauvignon 'Silencieux'

Another 95+ pointer from Kirk Venge!

SOLD OUT

Kirk Venge produced​ just under 1,500 cases of this wine in the brilliant, but low-yielding 2015 vintage. This is his “second wine,” and it’s supposed to be the estate’s “cellar protector” or “everyday wine.” Translated, that means you’re supposed to drink this one while you’re waiting for your Venge Bone Ash or Reserve Cab(s) to mature. I’m not sure how they deemed this to be an “everyday wine,” as it seriously delivers the goods.​

Equally amazing is the fact that in a vintage where yields were way down, Kirk didn’t raise his price — he actually came down a bit. Don’t ask me why, but this is some serious juice. As a “second wine,” he certainly doesn’t treat it that way. Whereas many wineries use younger vines for their second wines, Kirk uses mature fruit from his own estate vineyards supplemented with grapes from his friends’ vineyards throughout Napa Valley. And he puts the same passion and pedigree into this bottling as he does into his $100 to $200 single vineyards and Reserve Cabs.

I loaded up on this one when the fires broke out in the wine country, and I’m glad I did. A blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, all of the fruit was hand-harvested and aged in 100% French oak (65% new) for 18 months. Included in the oak regimen was the use of the mythical and very expensive Taransaud barrels. In a nutshell, this wine just doesn’t add up, as it’s brought up and tastes like a $100+ bottle, but it’s coming to you at less than $40!

Here are my personal tasting notes: Deeply colored in the glass with insane aromas of sweet cassis, blueberry, fresh roasted coffee, charcoal, and chocolate. Dense, yet seamless on the palate with delicious flavors of warm dark fruit, spice box, Valrhona chocolate, and espresso. There’s tannin here, but it’s very fine-grained and ripe and the acidity is moderate to low. Sooooo good! Decadent, opulent, I want a steak! I suspect this will aged quite well, but I will have trouble keeping away from this one.

And here is Robert Parker’s review on the 2013 vintage. Kirk believes his 15′ is very similar to this one. “Deep ruby/purple with a seamless integration of oak, alcohol, wood and tannin, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux is a smoothly textured, dense ruby/purple-colored wine with enormous fruit extract, loads of blueberry and blackberry notes, a touch of oak and charcoal. It’s full-bodied, opulent and easier to drink than the two blockbuster 2012’s. Drink now through 2031.”

Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville