Color - Dark red bordering on purple
Nose - Red currant, raspberry
Taste - This was a huge surprise to me when I took the first sip. I really wasn't expecting a whole lot since the bottle was less than 5 dollars. But was I ever wrong. Cherry and a little plum come right through as far as the flavors go and right on the finish I detect a hint of black pepper. This is particularly light in my mouth and very smooth. There are hints of tannins and the finish is medium with a clean almost vanilla-like aftertaste. There is a slight heat from the alcohol though it's minimal. The flavor is pretty basic Cabernet, nothing fancy though if paired with a creamy cheese or cheese based pasta sauce there are slight herbaceous notes (possible green bell peppers). Not much depth to this wine, there are aren't any major faults to it either.
Overall, this wine has one of the best Quality-to-Price Ratios I've come across. It has the basic Cabernet characteristics though they are on the light side. What makes it so great is that it tastes pretty darn good all by itself. Sure when it's paired a few more "tiny" flavors come through, but mostly this wine is a pretty good "stand-alone" wine. Don't expect to be overwhelmed, but do expect your mouth and your wallet to be happy. Pick this up on your next trip to Trader Joes.
I totally agree. We keep coming back to this wine, for the simple fact that it's not only $3.49 (!)--it's not bad!
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