Cabernet Sauvignon

Another great value from this estate in Argentina.  Purple in color, magenta at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, char, dust and a slight Tootsie Roll™ note.  Lovely, chewy texture.  On the palate, cassis with some chocolate.  Light tannins.  Long finish with a slight mint note.  This is drinking well now and should continue for another five to eight years.  A nice wine to sit and drink on its own, but this will also work with food off the grill.  

This is another inexpensive wine from the producer of Organic vegan wines.  13% Abv.  Purple/ruby in color with some blue hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, plums, slight cherries, with a bit of vanilla milkshake.  Nice texture.  Light tannins.  On the palate, cassis and cherry fruit.  A bit of black licorice on the finish which has a little bit of warmth.  This is easy drinking and a great mid-week wine with dinner.  Nice value.  

This is made from purchased grapes in northeastern Ohio.  For $30, this is certainly competitive or better than most similarly priced Napa Cabernets on our grocery store shelves.  Very impressive.  Purple in color with some ruby hues.  The nose has cassis, plums, baking spices and slight forest floor.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this opens with about 30 minutes of air.

This is the basic Cab from winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown's home winery.  At $75, it is expensive but at the same time, a great value  in high end Napa Cabs.  Purple in color with a thin ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, chocolate, char, slight graphite and slight cedar.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is young but delicious.  Cassis and slight black cherries with underlying char and slight spice.  Long finish.  This could use another five years in the cellar but drinking well now with some air.  This has twenty years of great drinking left and the score sh

These are some of the slowest to come around wines in Napa.  They act very similar to a Frist Growth Bordeaux.  It was with some trepidation that we opened this at age 9.  95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is classic.  Cassis, pencil lead, spice, chocolate and char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great texture.  On the palate, this took a couple of hours to open and unwind, then it was stunning.  Cassis, some chocolate and underlying char.  Long finish.  This is drinking well but may still earn that 100 point moniker.  Eighte

There are at least four other Kirkland wines reviewed on this site quite positively.  There is nothing to complain about for the money, but I had hoped for better.  $15.  No sign of smoke taint (that was a year with fires).  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries and a bit of spice.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, there is some black cherry fruit.  Not much in the way of nuance, but certainly drinkable.  Slightly bitter on the finish.  This would be a nice mid-week wine with a burger or meatloaf.  

This is one of the top wines from Chile.  The bottle was decanted prior to tasting.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, cherry candy, slight bell pepper, cedar and forest floor.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cassis, cherries, and bell pepper.  Nice finish.  This is lighter in style that say Napa or even Bordeaux, but it is almost seamless.  The green bell pepper may be distracting to some, but it drinks more like a Napa Cab from the 70's or 80's.  It is drinking well now with a decant, but may improve with

I’ve long held the belief that it’s pretty hard to mess up Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain fruit. The vines there are simply exceptional. So in the very capable hands of Duckhorn, the fruit in this 2018 shines. It’s all Cabernet with 8% Merlot added. There’s a lovely elegance to this wine, a steadiness that combines all the elements, oak, fruit, wood and tannin together. Not one element outperforms the other. The soft fruit includes noticeable black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, mocha, huckleberry and the ever-present but limited vanilla and caramel.

Another new wine.  There are so many.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, spice, slight lumber and some red fruits.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this drinks well.  Still youthful.  Cassis, black cherries and spice.  Nice finish.  This will continue to improve for a while. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  A classic steak wine.  

This is the LVMH owned winery in China and this is its first vintage.  Expectations were low for this, but we need not have worried, this wine was quite good.  A bit different, but quite good.  It is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is lean but good.  Cassis, chocolate, slight tobacco, and a bit of green bell pepper.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is leaner but with some power.  Black cherries, cassis and smoke with underlying earthiness.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  Good o