This 2010 red is from Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap district, one of the Rolls Royce wine areas in California. It cost me $27 but routinely sells for $22-$25.
Nice to drink, with a very pleasing, medium-bodied mouthfeel — Cameron Hughes Lot 404 cab says “friendly” more than Read the rest of this entry »
Today it’s a 2009 cabernet from Washington State that costs about $8. At this price, can it possibly be any good?
Yes! In fact this wine is unbelievably good, for $8. Spicy, with rich, medium-to-heavy mouthfeel. A good balance between cranberry/black cherry sweetness and rhubarb tartness, with just the right amount of oak. It’s also surprisingly interesting, maybe due to the 7% merlot and 6% syrah added by winemaker Ray Weinberger.
Overall, Columbia Crest Grand Estates cabernet performs way above its class. In a blind comparison with $12 and $16 cabs, Columbia Crest nearly tied — an extraordinary result for an $8 red. It came in 3rd because it was a little too sweet, and it has some of that generic mass-produced red wine taste. But at this low price, I’m not complaining, I’m raving.
Recommended, and a clear Best Value winner.
Today we review a 2007 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon that’s around $20.
Hi there! I bet you’re wondering if Uppercut cab is any good. The answer is, yes! It’s VERY good. It’s reliable, won’t piss anybody off, and looks beautiful in your glass with its deep ruby red color. At a recent mini-tasting at a nice restaurant, Uppercut was the stand-out cabernet winner: smells like cedar and vanilla. Great mouthfeel, a deep, dark-fruited taste, and a finish that cries out for steak. This wine does nothing wrong, balancing blackberry/cranberry fruit with oaky, mouth-drying tannins.
However! “Not doing anything wrong” could be its downfall. Uppercut is a little bit regular. At $20 a bottle, I’d like a little more personality, something quirky, something more memorable. Maybe that’s wishful thinking — let’s not forget, this bottle says “Napa Valley” on the label. I think we’re paying something, just for that name. If it were $15, Uppecut would be a HUGE recommendation, and a clear Best Value winner. At $20, I am happy to say that it is:
Recommended.
Hi! Today we review a 2008 cabernet from California that costs around $19.
Let’s get right to it: Ghost Pines cabernet is damn good. 68% from Napa Valley, 32% from Sonoma County. It’s everything you expect from an affordable California cabernet: it has mouth-drying tannins, dark fruit, like blackberries and currants, and it pairs well with steak.
But the key is: it gives you something different — there is just a little bit of a farm-fresh, mushroomy, walnut-y, earthy undertone that is not run-of-the-mill, and makes you take notice. With some more familiar qualities, like spice, denseness, full-bodied character and a texture that is almost chewy. The funny thing is, this cabernet has almost nothing in common with the same winery’s merlot, reviewed here. Will it change your life? No. But at under $20, this cab is definitely:
Recommended.
Hi! Today we look at a 2006 cabernet from California’s Sonoma County, which costs $20 at Costco and $22 at Total Wine.
The $15 “regular” Kendall-Jackson cabernet is juuuuuust good enough to recommend, according to me (I reviewed it here). Today’s wine, the K-J Grand Reserve, which sounds like it should cost about $85, is actually only a few dollars more. Unfortunately, it isn’t much better than the regular stuff. It smells sweet. It is spicy, oaky, and has a fair amount of mouth-drying tannins. It reminds me of leather. It has a lot of dark red fruit and it isn’t very complex. What we have here is, basically, a generic California cab.
Although the Grand Reserve is probably a little better, if I were shopping in the K-J lineup, I’d stick with the “plain” cabernet (which is misleadingly named “Vintner’s Reserve”). (Sigh.) In the coming months, I am hoping to find other cabernets in this $15-$25 price range that are more interesting, more exciting, maybe even a “Best Value”. Unfortunately, this Not-Very-Grand K-J cab is none of those things, so it is:
Not recommended.
Today we look at a 2007 cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley, CA that costs around $18-$19 (but I got on sale, for $15).
On sale at $15, this cabernet is in the ball park of a recommendation. And 2007 Napa Valley reds are supposed to be “so great,” so the rulebook says that I should be recommending this puppy. The problem is, I never see it for $15. Maybe I just live in the wrong state — what are you seeing it sell for? (Just leave a comment.)
It’s a typical California cabernet, with tannins, deep dark fruit, and oak. It doesn’t have a very transparent taste (i.e. it is somewhat generic), so it’s more about texture than flavor. It’s not super dense, and it’s not terribly juicy, but it’s fine. And it seems very consistent, because I’ve tried multiple vintages and I always have the same reaction — “this is almost good enough.” But not quite good enough to score a recommendation from your Wineguider. Unfortunately, this reliable Napa Valley red is:
Not recommended.
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.
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