Tag Archives: cabernet sauvignon

Sena 2015, Aconcagua Valley, Chile

23 Saturday Mar 2024

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The penultimate wine at our 35th virtual tasting- medium ruby to garnet colored with a high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose had medium (+) intensity aromas of barnyard, Sweet Baby Rays (from a fellow taster!), capsicum, cardamom, licorice, coffee, bramble, blackberry, smoke, leather, vanilla, baking spices and green pistachios.  Quite a complex array of aromas!  The palate was dry with medium acidity, a full body and medium (+) tannins that were fully integrated.  Flavors of tobacco, coffee, cranberry, bramble, blackberry, leather, vanilla and creamy milk chocolate that led to a medium (+) length finish.  Everyone loved this wine- they should.  It was $140 and got 100 points from one pro.  For me, it fell short on the finish so I gave it 19/20 on our score sheet.  Technically speaking it got 94 points and therefore it is a 3 star wine.  Lovely and age-worthy, this is an iconic Chilean blend that is right up my alley.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Trapiche Oak Cask Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Mendoza, Argentina

13 Wednesday Mar 2024

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Deep ruby colored with slight staining and a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  Ugh nose has somewhat muted aromas of black plum, blackberry, cedar, charcoal and baking spice.  The palate is dry with a medium body and medium tannins.  The lush black fruit is laced with baking spices and charred wood notes.  I get a hint of coffee and a licorice note.  The finish is surprisingly long for what started out as a fairly basic wine.  What it lacked in complexity on the nose, it makes up for on the palate with some decent structure and ripe fruit.  89 points from me for this $10 effort gets it 4 stars.  Drink till 2026 with burgers, pizza, grilled steak or even some charcuterie.  Salut….

Chateau Poujeaux 2018, Moulis-en-Medoc, France

11 Monday Mar 2024

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Deep ruby colored with minor staining and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of cassis, tobacco, cedar, black plum, camphor, mint, black coffee and iodine.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a full body and medium (+) tannins that are chalky and crunchy.  Flavors of ripe blackcurrant, black plum, tobacco, cedar, coffee and that sanguine iodine note caress the tongue and carry on to a longish finish.  I like the tannic structure- it’s grippy yet lets the fruit do its job.  I like the flavor profile, it’s a classic Left Bank Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Lovely stuff that gets 92 points from me and for $34- 5 stars.  It’s open for business now if you like ’em a bit dry and astringent, or you could wait.  This beauty will last till 2035.  I’m charring up some Sirloins with a pepper sauce.  Salut….

Gato Negro Cabernet Sauvignon Unknown vintage, Chile

20 Tuesday Feb 2024

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Another of the lost ‘garage’ wines my buddy brought over.  The back label was missing so I have no vintage information.  The cork was pretty dry and fell in to the bottle when I tried to insert the corkscrew.  The color is medium garnet with copper highlights and medium viscosity (12% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of dusty earth, desiccated red cherry, slightly cooked capsicum, mint, dried blackberry and burnt sugar.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that are still quite bristly.  A light body was to be expected.  Flavors of dried black cherry, dusty bramble, stewed blackberry, bitter chocolate and dried prunes.  The bitterness is a bit cloying and carries on to the medium length finish.  This is not a very pleasant wine to drink but after being subjected to such harsh storage I am stunned that a $6 bottle of unknown age has withstood the test of time.  I revisited after a few hours and actually enjoyed the second glass.  I’m impressed tbh.  I might pick up a recent vintage to check out.  BTW- I looked up the label and think this might be a 1998 or earlier bottle.  That’s 26 years old my friends.  Drink now?? Lol.  Salut….

Chateau Les Ormes-de-Pez 2017, Saint-Estephe, France

18 Sunday Feb 2024

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Medium garnet colored with slight staining and medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).   The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, charcoal, blackberry,  acai berry, mint, licorice, a slight green note and warm baking spices.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium tannins and medium body.  The tannins are integrating nicely and make for a silky mouthfeel.  Flavors that I love in Left Bank Bordeaux come out of the glass- cassis, leather, pencil shavings, licorice, blackberry and baking spice.  The finish is classic for the region- slightly tart, long and a touch dry from the fantastic tannins.  I first became a convert of this wine when we visited Lynch Bages and got to try this as part of the tasting.  For $40, I am impressed with the quality of this Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend.  91 points from me and 5 stars.  It is open for business now but will cellar nicely till 2030.  I’m pairing with Sunday roast.  Salut….

Chateau Ksara Red 2018, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

18 Thursday Jan 2024

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Deep ruby, bordering on inky garnet with slight staining and high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose of this Cab Sav/Merlot and Petit Verdot blend has medium intensity aromas of vanilla, mint, black cherry, cassis, açaí, black raspberry, leather and espresso.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium (+) tannins and a medium body.  The palate starts off with açaí berry, followed by the cassis, black raspberry, vanilla and mint.  The tannins are very polished and chalky leading to a nice mouthfeel.  The finish is medium in length and tends towards the raspberry, leather and vanilla.  The structure of this wine is really approachable which is nice.  I find many Lebanese wines that are age worthy need a few extra years before the pieces integrate into a nice drinking wine.  This one is performing nicely and will continue to do so till 2032.  I would pair it with grilled kebabs, some roast Lamb or Filet Mignon with peppercorn sauce.  I paid $22 and would give this beaut 91 points making it a 5 star wine in my books.  Salut….

Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon NV, California

12 Friday Jan 2024

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I bought this 3 Liter box wine to use for a red wine gravy base- it was $16.   I have hopes/faith it will perform decently.

Bright purple and opaque but when I poured the first glass, it foamed up considerably.

After 5 minutes it subsided into a regular looking glass of wine with deep hues and medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose of this ‘California’ Cabernet Sauvignon has medium intensity aromas of candied cherry (not my fave), red twizzlers, cherry cola, black raspberry and black pepper.  The palate is off-dry (surprise, surprise) with medium acidity, medium (-) tannins and a medium body.  The flavors echo the nose on this wine that has a slightly tart finish which is short in length. I know it only runs the equivalent of $4 per regular sized bottle but I had hopes, which were dashed as soon as I smelled the candy.  It’s not good.  75 points at best, the rest gets made into gravy.  1 star and a major pass.  Salut….

Vasse Felix Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Margaret River, Australia

06 Saturday Jan 2024

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Closing out the 34th Virtual Wine Tasting was this 100% Cab Sav from Margaret River in Western Australia.  I wanted to introduce the group to a whole new region and style that this versatile grape can achieve.  We noted a deep ruby color with high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose hit us with an intense aroma of green pepper right off the bat.  Getting past that we smelled cassis, blackberry, black plum, smoke, baking spices, licorice, mint and that telltale- eucalyptus.  The palate was dry with medium acidity, medium (+) tannins and a full body.  The green pepper is much subdued and melds in with the ripe dark fruit, cassis, oak notes and eucalyptus.  A medium length finish closed out the tasting.  I scored it 17 points with a + symbol after it making this my WOTN.  At $40, this 93 pointer gets 5 stars from me until I tasted it again later.  It kept getting better, richer, more focussed.  I will revisit the remnants tonight – looking forward to that!  It needs a Filet steak with creamy gratin potatoes to do it justice.  This one will drink well until 2030.  Salut….

Chateau Ksara Cuvee Speciale Cabernet Sauvignon Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

03 Wednesday Jan 2024

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Deep ruby colored with minimal staining and high viscosity (13.5% ABV). The nose has dusty aromas of black plum, blackberry, baking spices, black raspberry and Cassis. There’s a touch of charcoal on the very end as well. The pallet is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are very silky and powdery. Medium to full bodied- the wine has flavors of Cassis, plums, black raspberry, baking spices, vanilla and a touch of eucalyptus. It finishes a touch tart, but I’m liking that refreshing aspect.  It’s a medium length affair that is enjoyable with some licorice, dark fruit and ripe raspberry to end. 90 points from me for this $22 bottle makes it a five star wine to drink till 2028.  Salut….

Clos St. Thomas Les Emirs Rouge 2014, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

30 Saturday Dec 2023

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Medium garnet colored with high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose of this nine year old wine has aromas of beautiful baked plums, black cherry reduction, cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa, coffee, toasty oak and a hint of menthol.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are well integrated and very polished.  Mostly tertiary in nature the flavors consist of baked dark red fruit with vanilla, baking spices, cocoa and coffee with a hint of cracked black pepper on the mid palate.  The tannins are sublime, making for a great mouthfeel.  The flavors carry on and on with a long finish promised and delivered.  Delicious and at peak, this wine is showing the power of its terroir and the skill in winemaking.  93 points from me for this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache.  I trekked all the way to the city to pick up every bottle they had which at $19 per was a great price.  5 stars, drink till 2028.  Salut….