You know, when I first started this class I definitely thought that I was more of a white wine kind of guy. I definitely did not like anything having do with high tannins, high acids, or really anything that even resembled bitter red wine that I have been accustomed to trying with my parents at dinner in things like that.
This would literally be my face every time that I even thought of trying a red wine.
However, after taking the time to really appreciate and understand the flavors of all the wines that I've been trying over the course this semester, I realize that I'm really not completely a red wine kind of guy. Cabernet Sauvignon has, by far, become my favorite of all red wines. According to Wikipedia, it is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley.
And so, you guessed it! The five wines that I'm going to be reviewing this week are all Cabernet Sauvignon wines. I tried them from all over the place here in Blacksburg, from Kroger to the Vintage Cellar, and even a winery back home in Fredericksburg, and I really took some detailed of notes on how to reflect on the flavors that I experience throughout these lines. I tried them during the first two or three weeks of classes so, yes, my memory is just a little bit rusty, but the notes that I took were really reflective of all the knowledge that was embarked on me at that point in our class, and from my winery tour them class last semester.
1. This wine was a Cabernet Sauvignon from Central Valley from Chile. This vineyard is in Chile, and the cabernet sauvignon grape would probably have to be one of my favorites. The actual price of the wine is difficult for me to denote because I tried it t a friend's home - and she had actually bought it in a box of six other wines, in a sale that the Vintage Cellar was having. I didn't try it with any food besides crackers, but the taste was definitely on point with what I expect from Cab Sauv - just a little bit spicy, but on the sweeter end of the red wines that I like. It would go great with a light dinner of red meat, and actually I think it would go pretty well with desserts, too, because it kind of reminded me of dark chocolate. The wine was from 2008 and had 11 percent alcohol content.
2. Through this class, and many Sunday night trips to Kroger, the Red Diamond vineyard has definitely become one of my favorites. This particular vineyard is in Washington State, so this was a west-coast wine. This was one of the first wines that actually noted that it contained sulfates on the label. Being an American Cab Sauv, I thought that this guy was ESPECIALLY sweet, which made me not necessarily want a dessert with it but It made me want something that would compliment its sweetness - something more savory and bitter, like a salty steak or herb roast or something like that. The fact sheet on the website was very telling, that it has a 13.5 alcohol content, .53 acidity, and a ph of 3.71 - I didn't even know that vineyard's relayed all of that information! After looking on the site just now, the sweetness taste that Ig ot from the wine was justified, talking about a taste of red fruit jam in the taste of the wine.
3. This 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley got 90 points from the Wine Enthusiast. According to the vineyard (of course) "a perfect" ripening season with full crop yields and lower sugar levels led to outstanding wines in the area. The wine itself was aged 16 months, near Seattle, in American and French oak. Now, what flavors did I get from it? I actually thought that this tasted more like a Syrah or Shiraz wine than a Cabernet Sauvignon. I didn't think it had that sweet, spicyness that a Cabernet Sauvignon does - but I would, at the same time, love it with a good pasta dish or something like duck. I don't know why the bitterness makes me want those things, but it's really not all that tannic, and it makes me want something pretty hearty to accompany it. Still, though, I continue to enjoy Washington State from the 2008, 2009, and 2010 harvests.
4. Another wine from Columbia Valley comes the Columbia-Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon. I've really gotten into the Washington state wines, and the reason that I was drawn to this one was because of the Washington Crown designation. Exhibiting big, bold flavors, our Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon highlights these classic characteristics while softening the edges just enough to call attention to delicate aromas and fruit complexity. Armoas and flavors of black cherry, plum and spice on the mid-palate are complemented by smooth tannins on the finish. With a 13.5 alcohol content, it actually packs a little bit of a punch, but it really does finish nicely with out feeling too much like a dark red which it is. It got 88 points from the Wine Enthusiast, and I would probably rate a few points higher, closer to a 90 or 91. :)
5. All semester, I've really been trying to understand what in the world an unoaked wine means. I don't taste oak, and I don't not taste oak, so I'm always fairly confused as to what this means in particular to wine. This Cab Sauv, also from the West coast (but from California, not Washington State) claims to be "Simply Naked," which is supposed to allow the crisp fruit flavor to come through. Of the red wines I've blogged about here, only one of them was served cold - it was this one. I don't know if that affected my impression fo the oak, but I didn't feel like it has any oaky flavors, or any real fruit flavors either. It really just tastes like ... red wine. Sorry. :( haha. At $12 and 13 percent alcohol content, I wasn't a big fan of this wine, but I thought it did taste fair enough to have with a meal - definitely not to sip on the evening, alone though.
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