Cabernet Sauvignon

This was $20 locally but can be found for less in other parts of the world.  It took about 20 to 30 minutes to open up.  Deep ruby in color, lighter at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, bell pepper and very smoky.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Cherries turning slightly bitter on the finish.  A slight streak of Rosemary.  I don't drink a lot from Chile, but I am told that 2016 was a difficult vintage.  After the initial 20 minutes, this didn't change much.  It is a decent value for near term drinking.  It probably won't go more than five years.  A nice enough w

This is an amazing bottle of wine.  Very young, of course.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, slight cedar, char, slight floral notes and just a bit of background earthiness.  On the palate, this has a lush texture.  It still has firm tannins.  Lots of black raspberry fruit.  Very concentrated.  An underlying earthy/tobacco-ness.  Lots of lively energy.  Delicious, this drinks very easily.  While it drinks well today, this will continue to mature for ten years and be good for ten to fifteen more after that.  A nice match with a roasted spagh

What an amazing wine.  This is one of the more "affordable" Cabernet's from Realm.  It is still very expensive, but this is some of the best that Napa has to offer.  It is about 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.   Purple in color, opaque and shining bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, cedar, spice and char.  Just a gorgeous texture.  Lush and velvety but with enough cut to not be cumbersome.  Plenty of cassis and blueberry fruit with underlying tobacco and chart.  Long finish.  This is still young but just delicious.  With time, this will show more complexity although

A really nice showing for this wine and above my high expectations.  It is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, plums, graphite and char.  On the palate, this is full bodied with medium tannins.  Lots of cassis fruit intertwined with char and oak.  Good length on the finish.  This is still on the young side of mature but drinks like a classic Napa Cabernet.  That is great fruit with some oak and plenty of depth.  This should continue to mature for another seve to ten years and be good for ten to

A very pretty, classically styled Sonoma Cabernet.  This is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec, and 2% Merlot.  Purple in color with some purple swirls.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, tobacco, slight bell pepper and spice.  On the palate, this is full bodied with medium tannins.  Cassis with a nice underlying earthiness/forest floor.  Good balance.  Ripe but not over blown by any means.  This should drink well for the next fifteen years as it develops and matures.  Drinking great on its own, this will work well with roasts or casseroles.  

It seemed a bit odd opening this with the Corona Virus spreading across the globe, but why not?  This is one of Rivers-Marie top Cabs and it is delicious.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dark chocolate, slight plums, spice and cedar.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Quite concentrated.  It still has firm tannins.  Lots of cassis fruit over spice and dry earth.  Good energy.  Long finish.  This still needs about five to seven years to approach peak.  It should be good for fifteen years after that.  It drinks well on its own right now and will work well with he

This is the second label for Helen Keplinger.  The grapes are sourced 69% from the Sierra Foothills and 31% from Sonoma County.  It is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Counoise and Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is a great value in California blends.  Purple in color.  The nose has a lot going on with black raspberries, plums, some cassis and cherries along with a bit of spice and roasted meat.  On the palate, plenty of black raspberry fruit, some sherries over a charred earth quality.  Lush texture.  Delicious and easy drinking but with a bit of complexity to it.  Medium tan

This can be a polarizing wine.  For some people, it is the definition of a fruit bomb and in a bad way.  To add insult to injury, those people seem incensed that the wine is so popular.  For others, this is one of the top Napa Cabs on the market.  There is no denying its success in sales volume.  It is purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has tons of cassis, some black cherries, toasty oak, and spice.  On the palate, this is jammy black raspberry fruit.  Light tannins.  Plenty of toasty oak.  It is big and for me, borders on too much but stays withing bounds.  It is tasty.  I would

This was purchased by me on release back when it was merely expensive.  Today, this is one of the top guns of the Kendal Jackson empire and the pricing has gotten prohibitive for the newer releases.  If trying this blind, a good guess might have been a 1999 Bordeaux, maybe Graves or maybe even 1998.  it was quite good and certainly just about at peak.  A 60/40 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Purple/ruby in color with just a hint of browning at the rim.  The nose has some brett but plenty of cassis, cherries and an earthy funk too.  On the palate, this is complex.  Layers of fruit (

This is an inexpensive blend from the south of France (Languedoc) although the label just indicates France..  It comes brightly packaged and is certainly intended for their export market.  Ruby/purple in color.  The nose is very jammy with raspberries and cherries and also some spice with bits of fresh cut lumber.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet and jammy with black raspberries and black cherries along with some toasty oak.  Probably best to serve at parties on its own.  It should be consumed now.