Region: Napa Valley, CA
Full disclosure: I've been drinking some cheap merlot all night, now to be supplanted by a cheap something else. That something else smells like . . . laundry bleach? It smells like dried strawberries rolled in Clorox. I'm not averse to the smell of bleach, but it's a strange aroma for a wine, nonetheless.
I think my taste buds may have been screwed by all that cheap merlot from earlier, because my tongue says, "Ow!" to the tannins in this one. It's too tart, too full of unripe berries and tobacco notes. It's like taking a glass of fine wine, pouring it down a large sheet of cinnamon bark, and drinking it. Ultimately, it's a bit too chewy and too tannic to be for me.
Pleasant berries on the nose. A surprisingly bright core of cherry and tasty strawberry on the palate. Really a VERY light red for a cabernet sauvignon. Almost no tannins to speak of. And some pleasant but very faint spice notes - vanilla, I'd say. I haven't been paying close attention to the specifics of recent vintages. Did they get a lot of rain in 2007/2008? I won't call this wine watery because it has flavor throughout. It's just really light for this varietal. If your preference is heavy cabs, this is not the wine for you. But for a light red to sip - say on a summer's evening - this is not bad. Fruity, straightforward, simple, drinkable.
The Gourmez: Wow. Guess we had some different opinions on that wine.
Reviewed 8.11.10.
