This review has been updated here.
Hi! Today we’ll look at a red wine from California’s Central Coast, which sells for $11 a bottle.
Five Rivers cab used to be made with grapes from California’s Paso Robles area, and it really rocked for $11. Now, with the 2007 vintage, Paso Robles has been replaced on the label with plain old Central Coast. It doesn’t rock as much anymore, but it’s pretty darn good: rich, with plenty of tannins, a “tight” taste, dry, but with some deep fruit, and a nice amount of oak. It’s medium-bodied, mildly spicy, and overall, “strong.” In fact, it tastes very close to the way it did when it was a Paso Robles wine. How do they do that?
On the downside, it’s a bit generic, or even boring, in some settings. It also might be too oaky for some wine lovers. But it can serve as a great steak wine, or just a “de-stress after work” wine. There’s something about Five Rivers cabernet that I just, like.
So there you have it. This unassuming and mild-mannered California cabernet hits the right buttons for your Wineguider to make me want more and more, and so it is:
Recommended.
Wineguider wine reviews 
The Five River 2007 Cab is awesome and I would say it is much better then “pretty darn good”! I have a cellar full of cabs from Simi to Rodney to Frei and this 2007 Cab from Five River rocks. Do not let anyonew know…it will drive the price up!!
I hear you! I love comments like this, they reinforce what I’m thinking anyway, which is, “how can this bargain red BE so good??” And you’re right, I probably am underrating the Five Rivers with a mere “pretty darn good.” Thanks for the input!!
-Wineguider
I’d love to hear what you think about 337 Cab from Paso Robles. I found it pretty good for a $10 Cab.
Correction on the 337 Cab…I believe it’s from Lodi, Ca.