Fragrance of familiarity...Black plum, brown sugar, leather
Smooth swallows…I grabbed this from Total Wine’s Featured Cabernet Sauvignon section. I’ve slowly made my way through the sub-20 dollar bottle that they place in this section, but I hadn’t sampled this particular wine yet. As soon as I got it home I poured myself a glass and slowly sipped. First impression: this is a very balanced wine both in flavor and texture. The attack is quite smooth with equal parts sugary fruit (blackberry and black plum) and strong herbaceous flavors (grass, leather and straw). The mid-palate holds firm tannins, evenhanded alcohol heat and tingle and perfect astringency. The finish is long and the least balanced part of this wine as the flavors, fruity and savory, fight for prominence. Neither actually win out, though the fruit comes on first with more plum added to currant and black cherry. The savory flavors hit with cut grass, tobacco, sage and dirt. This is a medium bodied wine that sometimes feels like a full bodied red wine; but in reality it doesn’t have the weight to drive it all the way into full bodied territory. The aftertaste is somewhat oaky but also has hints of plum and bitter fruit skins.
Overall, this is not what I’d expected from a Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon. It has more in common with a well balanced Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit here isn’t as forward, and the lack of spice box flavors left my palate longing for a different wine. What this wine does offer is a nice, smooth Cabernet Sauvignon with a fair price point. This particular bottle only merits a fair QPR even though it’s very balanced, it’s priced about a dollar or two above what I’d really want to pay for this wine. It does much better when paired with grilled red meat, even hamburgers; so if you do pick up this bottle make sure to pair it accordingly.
Precept Wines
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