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CABERNET SAUVIGNON

The King of the Red Wines. Though frequently harsh and tannic when young, cabernets can age well, which makes them excellent wines for snobbery. But why not? Cabernet Sauvignons can rank among the most delicious and structurally complex wines, and that's what makes wine tasting fun.

Cabernet Sauvignons reviewed to date:

1. Avia, 1990
2. Cakebread Cellars, 1992
3. Carmenet Moon Mountain Dynamite, 1992
4. Carta Vieja, 1992
5. Cavit Trentino, 1993
6. Columbia Crest, 1990
7. Dona Sol, 1992
8. Emerald Bay, 1992
9. Glass Mountain Quarry, 1993
10. Hawk Crest, 1992
11. Haywood Vintners Select, 1990
12. Hedges Washington State Cabernet (67%) Merlot (33%), 1993
13. Kunde, 1993
14. Menada Oriachovitza Private Reserve, 1990
15. Menada Oriachovitza Reserve, 1991
16. Menada Oriachovitza Private Reserve, 1991
17. Menada Oriachovitza Reserve, 1992
18. Pedroncelli, 1989
19. Preece, 1993
20. Raymond Amberhill, 1992
21. Rodney Strong, 1992
22. Santa Rita, 1994
23. Silver Lake, 1990
24. Staton Hills, 1990
25. Taft Street, 1992
26. Vendage
27. VINI (Bulgaria) Reserve, 1992

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• Dates Consumed: 9/97
• Price: $8
• Alcohol 12%
• Wine provided by Bulgarian Master Vintners

• DK: Sleek elegant label • clean glass (that I am drinking out of) • warm bouquet (pre-sip) • smooth • oak • excellent complement to a spicy food dish (ex: szechuan beef) • holds its own • made my fellow tasters quiet for what appears an eternity -- and with these folks -- that is NOTE worthy! • legibility of writing indicates a high alcohol content (*hic*) • full bodied • boisterous • Not for the faint at heart - a man's drink or a woman's proving ground. On a scale of 1-10 I give it a 2(¼ +1) [or approx. 8.3 out of 10]
• SD: Murky glass reflects poorly on otherwise charming hosts. Nice legs all around (including Debi and Paul, although my own are wisely hidden under long pants). Wine is simple red cab; very bright; not complex but adequate for drinking to excess. Enough glasses of this wine and I'll soon feel warm enough to regret not wearing shorts. It's a good wine, but there is really little more I can say about it (hence, a lengthy babbling review). B-
• PN: Fruity but thin; a touch acidic. Bitter after-taste. It's past its peak. Nice color and clarity. B-

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• Dates Consumed: 6/97
• Price: $8
• Alcohol 12%
• Wine provided by Bulgarian Master Vintners

• BW: This medium-bodied cab has an inviting nose and attractive color. Mild and quaffable, a good choice for those who are overwhelmed by heartier fare. Easy to drink but not mundane. B-
• SD: Tasty, goes down easy. A little weak in the middle of the tongue, but otherwise quite nice. Not exceedingly complex but would make a fine house wine. B-

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• Dates Consumed: 6/97
• Price: marked down to $3 at Jungle Jim's; not sure original price
• Alcohol 12%

• SD: Flavor is simple cab -- no flaws, but little body or substance. This wine needs backbone! Somewhat watery and finish-less. Still, for three bucks... D+

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• Dates Consumed: 6/97
• Price: $6
• Alcohol 12%
• Wine provided by Bulgarian Master Vintners

• BW: This is a mild-mannered cab, easy to drink but lacking in edge and intensity. A good bargain wine. C
• SD: Bright strong oak character, hint of smoke. Has that dry earthy Mediterranean quality noted in other Bulgarian cabs we've tried. Not weak but easy drinking. Excellent bargain. B

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• Dates Consumed: 2/97
• Price: California Wine Club selection
• Alcohol 12.5%

• BW: First impression: too weak-bodied to be a cab. But after drinking half a glass, its charms become more apparent. A nice acidic edge catches your attention up front, and berry and vanilla flavors linger in the finish. C+
• SD: Color: purple quartz, a bit light for a cab. Assaults the nose immediately but backs off quickly. Thin for a cab, but not devoid of complexity. Are you sure this isn't pinot noir? Fruity, hint of chocolate, but like the bouquet the plots fades rapidly. The finish is weak and watery. One ends up with the impression of a mediocre beaujolais rather than the varietals promised in the nose and on the label. C

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• Dates Consumed: 11/13/96
• Price: $6.50
• Alcohol 12%
• Wine provided by Bulgarian Master Vintners

• BW: This is a light-bodied cab, but not boring -- nice lively flavors, good acid balance. Very friendly and quaffable. B
• SD: Fruity bouquet. The flavor lives up to the nose: black cherry competes with green tea in a body that is pleasant if a little rough in the middle. The finish leaves me with a sigh of unsweetened chocolate. A good medium-bodied cab; an excellent buy. B-

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• Dates Consumed: 10/14/96, 10/17/96
• Price: $11
• Alcohol 13%

• BW: The wine has a rich aroma and beautiful dark color. The flavor is full and balanced, with a nice nuance of cherry. It's smooth enough to quaff, yet has enough body to stand up next to a hearty meal. Very versatile and satisfying. B+
• SD: When Cliff came to visit us, he tried to curry our favor by purchasing two wines for us from the local store. We opened the other -- a zinfandel -- while he was here, but we might have done better to open this bottle -- on first tasting, it is really quite nice! Of course, this way we don't have to share (but for you, Cliff, we would). It's very smooth, a sign of the excellent workmanship of Chinese laborers (see, I remember that from a Glass Mountain sirah tasting oh-so-long ago). Abrupt start, a little hollow in the middle, but a nice finish with golden delicious apple. A good wine to complement a prime rib dinner. Repeated tastings bring out a slight metallic character. It's a good wine, and I do love the smooth character, but in the final analysis I wouldn't hesitate to share this wine rather than hoard it for myself. B-

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• Dates Consumed: 10/10/96, 10/11/96
• Price: $7.50
• Alcohol 12%
• Wine provided by Bulgarian Master Vintners

• BW: The aroma is faint, but the color is an invitingly deep dark cherry. This is a very light-bodied red. I don't think I would recognize it as a cab. On the plus side there are no off flavors and it's nicely balanced. Not much of a finish. C+
• SD: Nice color but shy nose. A cab that's soft-spoken and simple, though one detects hints of vanilla and maybe black cherry. Warm and dry, a good wine to help you relax after a hard day. With a very slight acetic quality that says "drink me soon", this wine tastes like a one of the better versions of an inexpensive cabernet -- which it is! B-

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• Dates Consumed: 10/02/96
• Price: $15 ($10 at End-O-Bin)
• Alcohol 13.1%

• BW: This cab has a sharp nose, nicely fruity and spicy. On the palate it's very dry, acidic and tannic. A few more years in the cellar might produce some welcome softening. At this point it's rather harsh for drinking without food. C+
• SD: Sharp, tannic nose: smells like a promising cab in its youth. The wine is rather smoother than the aroma predicts, though it could clearly use a few more years in the cellar. Nice taste but lacks intricate stucture, though blackberries are revealed in the finish. Try again in 1999; do not pass go; do not collect $200. C+

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• Dates Consumed: 08/96
• Price: $9 ($6 at End-O-Bin)
• Alcohol 12%

• BW: This cab has a sharp peppery nose and rich burgundy color. The flavor is disappointing, however, with the acid being out of balance and drowning out any fruitiness. A reasonable value that would be fine with food, but doesn't stand well alone. C-
• SD: Aroma is very Mediterranean: subtle smoke, olive oil and flour adorn the nose. A tasty but light bodied cab: airy, volatile, easy drinking but not serious. A bit acidic though not yet vinegary. Good price. C

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• Date Purchased: 1/95
• Dates Consumed: 5/31/95, 6/1/95
• Price: $9
• Alcohol 12.5%

• BW: The sharp tang of untamed tannins makes this young wine difficult to evaluate. It does have a lovely color and enticing bouquet. At this point it smells better than it tastes. I'm confident five more years in the bottle would work wonders. B-
• SD: An inky, swirling wine-dark sea... wafts of rich, wonderful cab-o-rama airs... Tannic, but smooth and warm. A bit young still, though well-behaved for an adolescent. You can taste the cab richness, with merlot softening the edges -- well-blended. Saltwater taffy and sawdust, just barely. Excellent overture and strong finish; a little weak in the middle. B+ On the next night, I find something mildly unpleasant in the taste... a little fishy. I feel obliged to downgrade my score. B

• Date Purchased: 6/95
• Dates Consumed: 6/9/95
• Price: $4 at local wine store
• Alcohol 12.0%

• BW: Reddish brown, rather pale for a cab. Aroma - hint of barnyard. Is this what is meant by "earthy"? Flavor - at first, it seems objectionally sour. Then, later, it still does. Not a hint of oak or complexity. It's drinkable. C-
• SD: A light vinegar cab. Surprisingly sour for such a weak taste. Drinkable -- I would want this wine when I was sitting wet and alone in the gutter, feeling sorry for myself and so full of pity that I wanted to get drunk, but not particularly enjoy myself in the process. Not gagworthy. D+

• Date Purchased: 7/95
• Dates Consumed: 7/95
• Price: $10 at wine store
• Alcohol 12.5%

• BW: Nice flowery bouquet, enticing. Appearance = cranberry juice: looks kinda wimpy but at least not cloudy. Flavor is pleasantly berryish, rather simple and light. C+
• SD: Lucious, rich bouquet on first spill. Garnet color. Good solid cab taste, firm grip and hearty body, but little complexity. An honest, simple cabernet with no mysteries. C+

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• Date Purchased:
• Dates Consumed: 8/15/95
• Price: $8 at wine store
• Alcohol 12.5%

• BW: Assertive and attractive aroma, nice color. The flavor is rather tannic and pinched up, but shows some promise of improving with age. C+
• SD: Color: dark, tempting. Nose: rich and fragrant, a little harsh. This is not a cabernet to be trifled with. Taste: a bit sour, strong but also somewhat hollow. Drink now; it's on the downhill slope. Finish: decent if unremarkable. C

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• Date Purchased:
• Dates Consumed: 09/16/95
• Price: $9 at wine store
• Alcohol 12.5%

• BW: Nice cab aroma with a note of black licorice. Medium cherry color. It seems a bit flat or maybe sour on first sip. Yes, I'm right -- not a hint of fruitiness. It's pretty stern all on its own, calling out for a hunk of brie to accompany it. C+
• SD: Color: clear brown red. Distinctive cab nose. Medium body, warm, mature, smooth: an intimate conversation with this wine will prove relaxing. Definite oak in the currents, with a hint of sage. In fact, the wooden barrel flavor is just a little too overpowering. But otherwise no flaws. A good buy. B

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• Dates Consumed: 12/09/95
• Price: $10 ($7.50 at End-O-Bin)
• Alcohol 12.5%

• BW: Good cabbie aroma and flavor, but somewhat thin. Maybe it just needs more aging though. Right now it's sharp and hollow. B+
• SD: A good cab, dry and soft, mild with a hint of oak and kiwi. Like a wood-baked cracker with a dab of margarine and a squirt of tart orange. B

• Date Consumed: 5/20/96

• BW: Great cabbie aromas and promisingly dark burgundy color. There's vanilla and licorice in the nose. Good flavor, sharp and satisying. Could be richer, but very nice for a medium-bodied red. B+
• SD: Medium-bodied cab, simple but smooth and nice. Mellow in character with a soft, warm finish. Good drinking but lacks the depth to be provoking. B-

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• Dates Consumed: 02/16/95
• Price: $9
• Alcohol 13.5%

• BW: The bouquet is full, inviting; definite anise notes and vanilla. Good rich color.
• SD: Tasty, straight forward. No flaws but for its simple-minded approach. A decent cab, but nothing jumped out in the flavor until BW mentioned anise. Now I'm getting hints of anise, fennel and burnt marshmallow crust. It grows on you! B

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• Dates Consumed: 03/95
• Price: approx. $6
• Alcohol 12.5%

• BW: Quite respectable for the price. C
• SD: Fruity, vanilla. Light beaujolais style. Tastes like every other Vendage red. Good for the price it you want a light, cheap wine. C+

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