2009 Spiral Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color – Red with a pinkish rim

Nose – Strawberry, grape juice

Taste – I had read good things about this wine prior to purchasing my bottle. Not overjoyed reviews, but reviews of this that rate it a good buy in both the price and flavor department. Having sampled this wine, I don’t know that I agree with those reviews. I didn’t think this wine was terrible; it’s a drinkable, inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon. My problem is that this wine’s flavor is lacking of almost anything you can find in a good, inexpensive bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. From the pour this wine looks, smells and tastes “light”. What I mean by that is that its light in color, the nose is nearly non-existent, and the flavors (really just one flavor, strawberry) show up right away and then disappear. I am not saying this is a bad wine, far from it, it’s an OK wine, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it. The attack is made up of strawberry-ish flavors that remind me of communion wine that run for the hills immediately after they touch the tongue. They are replaced with some tingling acidic sensations that might be tannins with a meager dose of heat from the alcohol in the mid-palate. The finish is very short and the communion wine flavor comes back with some dark fruit jamminess. This wine is light bodied with a mouthfeel slightly heavier than water. It’s not an unpleasant wine to drink and you can sail through a bottle by itself, but it’s far from being a memorable wine.

Overall, I’d say don’t bother with this one. Sure it’s not bad, but that doesn’t mean it’s good either. It’s an average inexpensive wine without the nasty flavors that you find in most inexpensive wines. If you are looking for something a little more complex go for the Trentatre Rosso (even the 2009 vintage is superior to this). If you want something a little more fruit forward Tres Pinos Three Pines Cuvee is a better bet. And if you want a Cabernet Sauvignon at nearly this price but with much higher marks Alexander & Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon is the way to go. You can get all of these wines (including the Spiral Wines Cabernet Sauvignon) at Trader Joe’s between 5 and 9 dollars.