2009 Vecchia Cantina Rosso di Montepulciano, Italy

Elegance in a glass…Dark purple with a ruby rim and an ebony core

Magnificent aromas…Blueberry, mulberry, black cherry, vanilla and coconut

Joyous flavors…This is only the second Montepulciano I’ve tried since starting this blog; the first was a complete disaster this one is at the opposite end of the spectrum. I purchased this as another red wine to pair with Thanksgiving dinner, but at the last minute decided not to open this up. A few days ago I finally decided to pop the cork on this, and I was greeted with an absolutely wonderful drinking experience. The attack is silky and smooth with raspberry and semi-sweet cherry fruit flavors that are backed by leather, vanilla and burnt sugar. The mid-palate is nicely acidic with an even astringency and tannins that are smooth and balanced; overall the mid-palate is just a little too short for my tastes and edges into a medium finish. The finish is the most balanced part of this wine as the fruit flavors (cherry, raspberry and red currant) meld seamlessly with tobacco, vanilla, leather, and bittersweet chocolate. The finish is gorgeously smooth and leaves an aftertaste of burnt caramel and semi-sweet cherry.

Overall this wine is a definite winner. I believe I paid 10 dollars for this bottle; at that price this is a great QPR. This wine shows more “oomph” than most Italian reds and can be paired with a wider variety of foods. It held up well to burgers and fries, beef stew and spaghetti. Though it lost a little complexity with the hearty stew. I highly recommend this is you enjoy balanced and smooth red wines or just need something a little more complex than your usual table wine for about the same price. Pick this up by the case if you can, you won’t be disappointed.

Vecchia Cantina

2008 Cameron Hughes “Lot 233” Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Purple with a ruby rim

Nose – Black and red currant, green tomatoes, celery

Taste – Right on the attack there is a lot of dark fruit but more in the way of stewed fruit with less sugar and lots of earthy characteristics in the mid-palate and finish. The flavors start with black currant, licorice, and blackberry and smoothly transition to damp soil, forest floor, and pencil lead with perfect heat and astringency, and finally a long finish personified by burnt caramel, coffee, bittersweet chocolate and a hint of green, herbaceous vegetables. This wine is medium-to-full bodied with a nice “warmth” to it that runs through the entire wine. I prefer this slightly chilled, decanted for at least 30 minutes and paired with steak and buttered, salted vegetables.

Overall, this is more balanced but also more complex than the recent Chilean Cabs I have tried. It’s both noble and accessible with warm, deep, dark flavors that don’t smother the wine but add to the overall level of complexity and accessibility of this particular wine. I’d rate this as a good QPE with the quality definitely equal or above the price. Buy this when it’s available, in bulk if you have the funds. Simply put it’s that good of a red wine!

Cameron Hughes Wines

2009 BrisAndes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Dark red with a violet-tinged rim

Nose – Strawberry, red currant, slight green bell pepper

Taste – I purchased this while spending some quality time amongst the bottles at Total Wine for under 10 dollars. I wasn’t expecting much from this wine, I just wanted to judge it against other Domaine de Rothschild wines from South America. This one is slightly better than the Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon (not reviewed due to the loss of my tasting notes, sorry.) It has a simple nose of red berries and minimal herbaceous notes. The attack is a little darker, featuring dark cherry, strawberry and green bell peppers with behind the scenes tastes of pepper and oak. The mid-palate is nearly invisible with barely any recognizable alcohol or tannins and light astringency. The finish is medium-long and borders on the unpleasant as the berry flavors turn sour and what can only be described as “dark”. I can taste sour cherries, bittersweet chocolate, burnt molasses and leather. The aftertaste teeters on the edge of overbearing and pungent, but never really falls over. All of that having been said when tasting this wine by itself, the flavors don’t change too much when paired. I did, however, notice nice changes when I paired this with a grilled top sirloin. The rare cut of beef complimented the wine, or vice versa, very well, mellowing the sour flavors and adding a “buttery” characteristic to the finish. It wasn’t good enough to change my opinion of this wine, but it made the wine drinkable.

Overall, I would rate this a poor QPR. It tastes better than the flat and bland Los Vascos, but the flavors here don’t taste good. The overall feeling I got from this wine was that it was too young and pungent, with flavors that made me cringe especially during the finish. I wanted to like this, but even upon revisiting this wine after four days in my wine cellar it was just as unpleasant on day one. I highly advise passing on this wine; you can probably chose another wine while blindfolded and get a better wine than this.

2009 Santa Julia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

Scintillating shades of…Dark red with a violet rim

Amazing aromatics…Plum, strawberry, teriyaki sauce?

Flavors of fantastic…Not too long ago I took a chance on the Santa Julia Reserva Malbec and was pleasantly surprised, so when I saw this I just had to pick it up and give a try. I sipped a small glass about 15 minutes after I’d uncorked the bottle and came to realize I couldn’t judge this wine against the Malbec. The Malbec was a superior bottle for the price; this wine just isn’t at the same level. I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s review this wine and then I can recap. As of the first sip, I knew this was going to be a medium bodied wine and that I might even struggle to adequately find the flavors and textures because this is a very enigmatic wine. The attack comes on soft (for a Cabernet Sauvignon) and fruity; displaying strawberry, raspberry and perhaps red plum with the slightest hint of black pepper right before the mid-palate kicks in. On second thought, the phrase “kicks in” has no place when describing his wine, rather the mid-palate “slinks in” very smoothly but it “slinks out” rather quickly too leaving behind some tart alcohol flavors and light tannins but that’s about all. The medium length finish comes right on the heels of the short mid-palate and shows off sour cherry, tart blackberry, bittersweet chocolate and over-steeped tea leaves. The aftertaste smoothes out, which is nice since I was expecting more sour/bitter flavors, however I get more strawberry overlaying leather on the aftertaste; a nice end to this relatively messy red wine.

Overall, I would rate this a poor QPR. I think this cost 8 or 9 dollars and I’d have to say this isn’t worth 8 or 9 dollars. It’s a decent 5 or 6 dollar wine. It doesn’t bother me that it start a little soft and light, but it gets confused, muddled and a red mess by the end; giving me the feeling I’m drinking three different wines that have been poured into one glass. I really wanted to like this wine, I absolutely love the Santa Julia Reserva Malbec, but this didn’t even come close to the quality of that wine. Perhaps this is just a little too young, but I would recommend passing on this get the Malbec instead or just about any other Cab Sauv from Argentina at the same price and you won’t go wrong.

Santa Julia Winery

2008 Cruz Alta Chairman’s Blend (85% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah), Argentina

In living color…Deep ruby red with hints of purple throughout

Heavenly aromatics…Blackberry, boysenberry, smoke, clove

Taste sensations…I have enjoyed quite a few wines from Cruz Alta’s catalog, but I always felt they were slightly overpriced for the quality of the wine. Sure they were all good, solid wines; but I had heard them talked up as these amazing, complex wines for bargain prices. It is true that most of them fall into the value wine category, but I have enjoyed other, less expensive wines more than I enjoyed those from Cruz Alta that I had sampled. It was with all of these reservations in the back of my mind, I went out on a limb and took the advice of a Total Wine “expert wine specialist” and purchased this bottle. My palate is truly appreciative of that man’s advice. This is an immensely excellent red blend; combining elegant fruit flavors, subtle savory textures and enough heat and complexity to carry this wine through and bring me great pleasure. The attack flows over the tongue with smooth blackberry, plum, black cherry and molasses. The mid-palate carries the silky-ness of the attack with focused yet subtle tannins, delicate alcohol acidity and warmth and near perfect levels of astringency all mingled together to ground the fruit forward attack. The finish is pleasantly long, characterized by cassis, black pepper, tobacco, bittersweet chocolate and hints of wet leaves. This is a silky-smooth while at the same time somewhat “weighty”, full bodied wine. It moves from attack to mid-palate to finish like a liquid ninja gliding across the tongue and leaving faint reminders of its passing. Truly an exceptional red blend!

Overall, I have to rate this wine a good QPR. I wanted to go out on a limb and say great QPR, but it is a little pricey. However for the quality exhibited here you won’t find many other wines that can compete with this. The Anakena Ona red blend is the only one that comes to mind, all others at the 10-15 dollar mark are decidedly lacking (though still decent in and of themselves). The Kirkland Signature Rutherford Valley Meritage comes close to this wine, but doesn’t have the complexity, balance and smoothness that this wine carries. In my opinion this ties the Anakena Ona as my favorite red blend sub-20 dollars. I highly recommend this wine if you enjoy intense red wines or quality red blends from south of the border.

.2009 Cruz Alta Reserve Malbec, Argentina

Color – Deep red with a purple core

Nose – Blackberry, plum, blueberry, molasses

Taste – Upon recommendation from a Total Wine employee I picked this up. Actually several of their employees have recommended this as their best Malbec under 15 dollars, so I finally bought a bottle. This is a good, balanced Malbec. The attack is warm, with pleasant dark fruit and berry flavors particularly blackberry, dark cherry and black plum. The mid-palate has wonderful texture personified by firm tannins, perfect levels of acidity and easy-going astringency. The finish is medium-long with darker flavors and textures; sugared dark plums, molasses, tobacco, coffee and bittersweet chocolate jump to mind as I sipped the wine. This is a medium bodied Malbec, though it edges into full bodied territory just a little bit on the finish. The weight and warmth of this wine speak to its quality, while the depth and texture are nicely balanced. It’s not overly presumptuous though it shows hints of complexity in the mid-palate and finish. The aftertaste is very smooth berries and raisins with a touch of plum skins. A nice effort, nothing out of the ordinary for a Malbec but of definite quality, depth and flavor.

Overall, I would rate this wine with a good QPR. It’s not an amazing Malbec. The attack is a little subdued for my taste, the mid-palate a touch boring and the wine itself wants to be a full bodied wine but doesn’t make the cut. The finish is the only area where this wine shows its true colors, and it shines at the finish. It’s not my favorite Malbec, but it’s a good, drinkable representation of this varietal. In my opinion for half the price the Kaiken Malbec is a much better wine for the price, but this isn’t bad just not the best.

2009 Tikal Patriota (60% Bonarda/40% Malbec), Argentina

My Crystal Balls Shows…Rich, dark purple that barely fades to violet at the rim

After a Sniff or Three…Blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, vanilla

The Taste Forecast is…I just about jumped up and down with glee when I saw this at my local Costco for 17 dollars this past week. Previously I’ve only been able to find this wine at Total Wine and at a price range that was a little above that at 20 dollars.  Needless to say I didn’t hesitate to place this in my cart; the resulting shopping trip was a nightmare because I was so impatient to get home and crack open this wine. We finally reached the house; I quickly unloaded the groceries, helped my wife put them away and then uncorked this bottle. Let me first say that this bottle could double as a deadly weapon. It’s heavy, made of thick glass, with considerable width at the base. I have read many articles that also comment on the cost of bottle and labels that wineries choose for their wines; this one is seems to be in a bottle that is of a higher quality than most other red wines I’ve tried. After this had decanted for a good 30 minutes I couldn’t help myself and finally swirled, sniffed and sipped. The aromas coming off this wine are complex but they are also very fleeting, you have to search to untangle the scents because they blend together so well. On the first sip my palate was absolutely overwhelmed with massive flavors of black fruit, dark berries and savory herbs and spices. I sipped down the rest of my glass and let the bottle get some air overnight before I returned to see if it had mellowed any. My second glass went nearly as my first did; the wine had mellowed slightly but not much. So this wine is just going to be a HUGE, DEEP red wine. The attack is complex, with bold strawberry and blackberry flavors that fold into creamy vanilla which melts into what I can only describe as peppery, oaky leather. These flavors dissipate like smoke leaving a slightly cracked window into a mid-palate of pitch perfect alcohol heat and tannic astringency. The mid-palate is so smooth on this wine that is almost makes me want to say bad things about the attack and the finish; while those are both complex and pleasant the mid-palate is so extremely balanced and smooth that it almost seems to be invisible. Yet when you spend a few sips experiencing just the mid-palate; you find it isn’t invisible it is merely so evenhanded and silky that it doesn’t seem to exist amongst the massive flavors of the attack and the finish. Speaking of the finish, it’s long and luxurious. It brings back the blackberry, oak and vanilla flavors; then adds to them grape skins, bittersweet chocolate, coffee and anise. There is no doubt in my mind or palate this wine is a full bodied wine. It pours dark and thick in the glass, evinces aromas that are blended but very dark and tastes just as warm, dark and heavy as you would expect from any full bodied red wine.

Overall, this wine is right up my alley; a big, bold red wine. Actually describing this is a big and bold is doing it an injustice. This wine is enormous in flavor, amazing in complexity, varied in texture and superbly priced. Had I paid 25 dollars for this bottle I would rate it a Good-to-Great QPR, at 17 dollars it’s as if I committed highway robbery and got away with it. Don’t misunderstand me; this wine will only satisfy a small portion of the population, those of you that like really LARGE tasting/feeling wines. If you fall into that category, as do I, you will love this wine and hopefully agree with my descriptions. As it stands I plan to return to this wine soon and frequently while Costco still carries it. I also plan to cellar at least 2 bottles of this wine; I think it will hold up well to cellaring for quite some time. I highly recommend this wine; buy this now!

Tikal Wines

2008 Chateau Los Boldos Cuvee Tradition Carmenere, Chile

Color – Deep purple, nearly black

Nose – Currant, blackberry, sugared plum

Taste – I was in the mood for a Carmenere and had sampled most everything from Total Wine with a sub-ten dollar price tag; so I picked up this bottle for 13 dollars instead. I was hesitant at first due to my dislike of the Chateau Los Boldos Momentos line of wines, but figured there Cuvee Tradition offerings might be more to my liking. Was I ever right? Whereas the Momentos wines are acidic, alcohol-forward and almost overbearing; this Carmenere is smooth, flavorful and surprisingly complex. The wine sips pleasantly directly after the cork has been pulled with just a little overabundance of tannins and some sharper green bell pepper flavors; if you let it decant for 30 minutes or so the tannins calm down in the glass and the green bell peppers become just hints around the edge of the other flavors. The attack is black currant, blackberry, and molasses with minimal flavors of green bell peppers, damp earth and coffee grounds. What I notice first in the mid-palate is an intense astringency that mingles with perfect tannins and some alcohol heat, but these textures easily blend into a wonderfully long finish that is chock full of blackberry, black plum and dark cherry notes and floating at the edges flavors of vanilla, leather, cut grass and bittersweet chocolate. The wine is medium bordering on full bodied with a very pleasant berry/cherry aftertaste. This may be one of the most balanced Carmenere’s I’ve ever tasted and for the price is my new favorite from this varietal.

Overall, this is a pleasing, complex offering from a grape that is oftentimes too green or barring that too Cabernet Sauvignon-like. The QPR here is good-to-great with the flavors and texture truly being worth more than the price tag. I wouldn’t have picked this up had there been any other options in this price range that I hadn’t already tried, that’s how much I disliked the Momentos wines, but this is a winner. I highly recommend this if you like Carmenere, or just want a balanced red, sipping wine. This is a must try.

Vina Los Boldos

Revisiting an Old Friend in a New Vintage

2008 Trentatre Rosso (33.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.3% Merlot, 33.4% Montepulciano), Italy

Color – Purple with a reddish rim

Nose – Dark brown sugar, plum, fresh pipe tobacco, gingerbread

Taste – While wandering the aisles of a Trader Joe’s that was not very close to my house I found the 2008 vintage of this wine and had to try it. Previously I’ve reviewed the 2007 and 2009 but the two closest Trader Joe’s to my house didn’t have the 2008. I’d read reviews of this vintage all of them calling this the vintage to get if you like this particular blend. On the one hand I was dubious that this would be that much better than the 2007. But on the other hand I just knew it had to be better than the 2009. I popped, poured, swirled, sniffed and sipped…and found out that if this isn’t my favorite vintage of this particular wine, it is the most balanced vintage. Let this get some air (20-30 minutes worked for me) and then take a nice swirl, sniff, sip and let the magic begin. The attack is much like the nose; dark fruit (mainly plum and cherry), brown sugar/molasses and baking spices. None of those flavors truly stand out; they merely blend together nicely and then fade into a beautifully mild-mannered mid-palate. The mid-palate really only features two things, but they work together in perfect harmony; firm tannins and tingly, biting alcohol. The alcohol lasts a little longer, staying as the mid-palate segues into the medium length finish. The tingle from the alcohol evades a long finish and mixes nicely with more fruit (plums again), berries (blackberry and maybe boysenberry) and then a mélange of tobacco, bittersweet chocolate, black pepper, dust and smoke. This is a full bodied wine, with a balanced attack, playful mid-palate and deep, dark finish. The aftertaste is one of burnt brown sugar, smoke and leather, which sounds quite harsh but in reality is extremely pleasing.

Overall, I still prefer the 2007 Trentatre Rosso over this slightly younger version. I admit this is the most balanced in flavor and texture, but it’s also a little more subdued (especially during the attack/mid-palate). The finish here is sumptuous and I would drink this wine if only to get to the finish, but the 2007 is the pick for me. This is still a good-to-great QPR (I challenge someone to recommend a 6 dollar bottle that is as complex or fulfilling as either the ‘07/’08 Trentatre Rosso. I don’t think it can be done); and would recommend this bottle over just about any other Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Shiraz or red blend out there at a comparable price point. Get this one if you can find it, preferably by the case.

2008 Kaiken Malbec, Argentina

Color – Inky purple, nearly black

Nose – Blueberry, plum, vanilla

Taste – For our eleventh anniversary, my wife and I went to a restaurant we frequented during our dating years. While sitting perusing the menu, I decided to order a bottle of wine. My first choice, a Carmenere, was out of stock. I took a few more minutes and decided on this wine that I had seen quite a few places but always put off purchasing. Yes I paid three times what I would have paid at Total Wine, but I found out just how good Kaiken Malbec is; and why I should have been drinking it since I started this blog. First off this isn’t some mediocre, supermarket Malbec. This is a great big, amazing flavor, huge depth, Malbec. I am sure you can find it in some supermarkets, if that’s the case buy it now. I tasted it the first night with a plate of gyros and tzatziki; the wine tasted warm and spicy a wonderful complement to the red onions, kalemata olives and yogurt sauce. I finished off ¾ of the bottle and left it in my wine cellar for the past 4 days. Tonight I fired up the grill for some rib-eye steaks I had laying around. I went through two other wines, a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chilean Carmenere blend, before I poured the final glass of Kaiken Malbec to sample with the last quarter of my steak. How I wished I had tried this wine first. Bursting with flavors of blackberry, black plum, vanilla and clove this wine practically jumped up and down on my taste buds when I took the first sip. The mid-palate was firm, ripe tannins, elegant alcohol heat that made my tongue tingle, and dark cherry/blueberry flavors. The finish is medium in length with more dark berry flavors, along with delicate wood smoke, bittersweet chocolate, and tobacco. This is medium bodied, nudging into full-bodied just a little with warmth and texture one would expect from a really good Malbec.

Overall, this is hands down one of the best Malbecs I’ve ever tasted if not the best representation of this varietal. It has everything I love in a wine; depth, character, flavor, heat, tannins and astringency but all of those things are in perfect proportions. Normally I would shy away from non-fruit forward Malbecs, but this is a masterpiece of a wine. I would say this is a great QPR at 10 – 12 dollars a bottle depending on the store you shop at. I would advise making this your house Malbec, as it is inexpensive and amazing. A stand-alone wine or a wine to be paired with just about any dish. Keep this one in your cellar at all times.

Kaiken Wines

2008 Graffigna Centenario Malbec Reserve, Argentina

Color – Dark purple with a black core

Nose – Black currant, blackberry, brown sugar, caramel

Taste – A word of advice before we start, decant this wine for at least an hour before you begin to sip. Once you do start sipping be prepared for very strong flavors. This wine is not a fruit forward Malbec. Instead it starts with flavors of blueberry, blackberry, dark cherry, heat from the alcohol and leather. The mid-palate comes on strong with plentiful tannins, brown sugar, and muted spice box flavors. The finish is long and can seem a little harsh at times due to the tannins and heat that run through the entire wine. There are some dark fruit flavors on the finish (blackberry, plum, currant) as well as tobacco, bittersweet chocolate, and more leather. This is a full bodied wine and not an everyday Malbec as I’ve mentioned previously. There are fruit flavors but they are more even in this wine, blending with the tannins, heat and tobacco/leather flavors rather than overpowering them.

Overall, the wine is not bad when paired well and when sipped slightly chilled. As the wine warmed in my glass the tannins evened out, but the alcohol took a big step forward and really overwhelmed all of the other flavors. If you do purchase this wine (Costco for 8.99), make sure you serve it slightly chilled. This barely makes the grade for a wine that I would recommend. It has a pretty good QPR given that this wine’s quality is definitely there with a nice level of complexity and depth. This isn’t an inexpensive Malbec, but the flavors here won’t work for everyone. I won’t be seeking this out when I want a good all around Malbec, instead I will grab Alamos or Chateau Labrande, but if I am in the mood for something a little more robust and complex I’d buy this again. Let me know what you think.

Graffigna Wines

2008 Chateau Labrande Cahors Malbec, France

Color – Deep, even purple

Nose – Blackberry, wet soil, plum, compost?

Taste – I was weary of this Malbec due to my last run in with the French offering of this grape, however I was pleasantly surprised upon taking my first sip of this particular wine. It’s deep and dark in color and has interesting aromas that bring to mind very dark fruit, damp earth, and the combination of the two in what I can only describe as compost. The first flavors that come through are both fruit and somewhat savory flavors; I taste sour blackberry and dark plum mixed with bittersweet chocolate, coffee, and burnt caramel. The mid-palate has just a hint of alcohol, perfect tannins, and a nice even mouthfeel. The finish is medium-to-long with the recurring flavor of burnt caramel now joined by clean fruit skins and leather. The wine is full bodied with nice “warmth” to it as the mid-palate fades into the finish. This wine shows just how pleasant and different Malbec from France can be; it’s definitely a journey I enjoyed this time around.

Overall, I would say this wine is a good-to-great QPR. At 9 dollars a bottle and with the depth, complexity and flavors provided you’d be hard-pressed to find a better full bodied Malbec than this. I would say stock up on this while it’s available at Costco. Don’t expect to find the same flavors as Argentinean Malbec since the terroir in France provides this wine with a more savory flavor profile and a heavier “weight” to this wine. It’s still a winner, a wine I would compare to the Bodegas Flechas de los Andes Gran Malbec but for 4 fewer dollars this is one you want to find right now.

2009 Castle Rock by Cramele Recas Cabernet Sauvignon, Romania

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Black currant, blackberry, flowers

Taste – On first sip, I didn’t think I was going to like this wine. It seemed a little “candy-like” or “chemically”, but I let the wine decant a little and then tried another glass, and that’s when the wine really showed its true colors. This is a great wine. It’s quite complex coming from an 8 dollar bottle; in fact, it might be the most complex bottle I’ve tasted at this price point. The initial flavors are full of black currant, chocolate and flowers; these quickly fade into a mid-palate of perfect alcohol balanced with nice smooth tannins and raspberry hints. The finish is nice and long with flavors of plum, bittersweet chocolate, coffee and pepper. This has some interesting heat to it; the heat doesn’t show up until the tail end of the finish and it feels more like actual pepper heat rather than alcohol heat. Interesting enough this wine is more medium bodied rather than full bodied; from the nose and color I would have expected something “heavier” than that, but it’s still very good. I would say this wine is one of the better that I’ve tasted at the 8 dollar price point. I didn’t expect much from this wine, and it blew my socks off. I was expecting mediocre at best, but this actually has some depth and character to it. Don’t be surprised to find this in my cellar if you come for a visit.

Overall, I would classify this as a great buy for 8 dollars and a great QPR. Make sure you decant the wine for an hour or so, otherwise be prepared for something that tastes more like cherry cough syrup than wine. I would recommend this for any occasion; it’s a rather well rounded wine. You can’t go wrong if you enjoy Cabs with some definite depth to them. This one is a gem at 8 dollars, get some for your cellar now!

Recas Wines

2009 Maipe Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

Color - Purple with a red rim

Nose - Dusty cherries, blackberries, grass, cocoa

Taste - I was pleasantly surprised the minute this wine touched my tongue. It's big and bold, has nice texture to it, especially for a 10 dollar wine. It's remarkably complex, I can taste black currant, blackberry, with some bittersweet chocolate in the mid-palate that gives way to a quite long finish and an aftertaste of grass and cherry. The tannins are perfect in this wine as is the alcohol which balances this wine giving it just a small bite right before the finish. Full bodied with surprising depth and character for a wine at this price point, every sip was an adventure. This wine fares better with grilled meats or by itself, don't try to drink it with a lot of other foods they'll play hell with how the tannins, texture and taste of this wine work. It has a nice even mouthfeel and full body. This is a near-perfect Cab in my opinion.

Overall, this wine has GREAT QPR. This easily competes with the 20 dollar Courtney Benham having just a little less complexity but it's a lot less expensive. I'd say it's now reached my top 3 Cabernet Sauvignon's List. This wine is perfect by itself, or with a well thought out dish. Drink this wine all the time.

Chakana Wines