Posts Tagged cabernet

South American wines have really come a long way in the past 10 years. I remember when I was first getting into wine, you could find a few wines from Chile and Argentina, but most weren’t quiet that good. Now their wines are competing with some of the best in the world, and other countries are starting to get into the mix. Malbec is still one of my favorite exports from down south, but they run the gambit of various styles of wines being produced.

2006 Cantena Alamos Malbec

While this was a solid wine, it didn’t blow me away. However, for the price, this would be a great everyday red wine that’s easy to find in most stores. I’m always surprised at the quality of the Malbec grape. The fruit was solid, big and juicy. The wine’s finish also possessed enough grip to allow it to stand up to bigger foods. There were good earthy flavors, a nice bit of tannins and a round full-bodied finish. Priced around $10.

Rating: 89pts

2004 Santa Ema Merlot Reserve Chile

It starts with the nose which is a huge blast of blueberry, cassis, vanilla and cedar. It smells as if you’re walking through a barrel house. Great color with a purpley-blue tinge. The taste is just as good with big gobs of fruit – blueberries and raspberries. The mid=palate follows with good tobacco and chocolate notes. I noticed quiet a bit of tannins and acidity, and there is a little heat on the finish. Still overall this is an excellent wine for the price of around $12. The nose drew me in and I was kept there with the wide range of flavors, especially for a merlot. It had more in the area one would expect from a syrah or a cab so this seems to be a great find. Good acidity – it could probably would benefit from a year or two of time to calm things down. Its a bit rustic around the edges but all in all I really enjoyed it.

Rating: 91-92pts

2002 Concha Y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon

The wine started with a soft nose though, not a lot happening. The first taste presented a soft body with nicely integrated tannins and flavors. The nose opened up to have a cranberry nature and a little white pepper. The wine possessed nice rich earthy flavors including mushroom, truffles, and chocolate-covered cherries. It also had notes of tobacco and leather. The ending flavor started becoming dry and it finished with some grip after about two hours.

Rating: 92 Pts

California cabernet from outside of Napa is surely seeing its time come lately. Its not only usually cheaper, and easier to get a hold of, many really pack a punch and deliver wines that can be both powerful and complex. And they leave a little in the wallet for dinner. Here’s a couple of wine I’ve tried that will satisfy your cab cravings

2002 Forth Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Sonoma

This wine is brooding with big purple, black colors and a violet tinge around the edge. Slow drawn legs on this wine hint at the alcohol level which is around 14.7. This is a nice meaty wine from Sonoma. The wine seems to run a little hot at the outset. Nose has plums and green peppers with a little bit of asparagus as well. Definitely on the hot side taste wise. It does have all of the body and weight of a heavy hitter from Napa – the plums and blackberries, along with green peppers and tobacco are the first things I notice. A nice bit of tannins under the fruit help drive to a very dry finish – but now I can’t get over the heat coming off this wine. It started out very, very nice, and now has gone a little bit dull by hour 2. Tobacco and a hint of mocha seem the prevalent notes here, though there is definitely a vegetal quality to this wine. Not a bad wine by any means, and for the price, around 25 bucks, this still stacks up nicely with some of the Napa wines that would be close to 40 dollars. By hour 3, the wine is starting to smooth out and I’m getting some raspberries peaking through. There’s also not a ton of oak, and the wine shows some nice chocolate-covered cherries. After a good 3hrs, this wine is really showing nicely. Lesson shows that this needs some decanting – probably a good hour or two before serving.

My Rating: 91-92pts

2004 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Bordeaux Blend

This was a nice fruit-driven wine displaying a good blend with cherries and chocolate. There were also notes of tobacco and dirt mixed in too. The tannins were integrated and not showing too much through the finish. The wine had a decent finish and some nice complexity. Overall not a great wine but it still delivered. Priced around $35.

Rating: 89pts