2008 Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Easy on the eyes…Intense ruby red nearly black at the core with a crimson rim

Olfactory detections…Black currant, cassis, cigar box, cedar, pipe tobacco

The yum factor…Being a Costco member has never been more pleasant than the last 3 months or so. I’ve been fortunate enough to drink some quite tasty wines and not had to pay through the nose for them. This happens to be one of those wines. I picked this up only because there was a two dollar coupon bringing the total of the wine down to about 11 bucks. Even without the coupon this is in my price range, but I wouldn’t have paid much attention to it had I not already had the coupon. Enough about my shopping habits, on to the review. Decant, decant, decant; unless you absolutely love your red wine to be heavily flavored/scented of wood (cedar, oak and cigar box aromas mainly) then you must decant this wine for at least 24 hours. Even with the aid of a Vinturi this wine was still very wood-y. I absolutely love Cabernets that feature lots of oak and cedar and this one has the perfect amount of those two flavors. Going forward I’m splitting this review into a pre-24 hour and post-24 hour review.

Pre-24 hour – The attack is heavy with a mix of blackberry, cassis, black pepper, cedar, cigar box and tobacco flavors. They are all piled on quite thick and play with my palate just as much as they play with one another. The mid-palate has a decent amount of heat and acidity from the alcohol and the tannins are quite chewy but the level of astringency is less than I’d expect. This is a full bodied wine and the finish is nice and long with mellowed flavors of blackberry, plum, tobacco, vanilla, and licorice with a backbone of wood smoke and cedar.

Post-24 hour – The amount of wood-like scents is much reduced now, though I can still smell cedar and cigar box hints they are not as overpowering as they were previously. The attack shows the same reduction in wood-y flavors now featuring blackberry, vanilla, tobacco, cedar and a lasting buttery flavor that turns into butter-like textures during the mid-palate. The mid-palate itself is far more balanced and mature than formerly; the alcohol is toned down a notch, tannins are still chewy but they don’t seem like they are on the cusp of running amok on my palate, and the astringency is more relevant though not cloying. The finish is still long and this is still a full bodied wine but the flavors on the finish have evolved some as well; licorice comes back strong with blackberry and black plum, then there are some tinges of vanilla and leather and finally a silky layer of smoke, dust, cedar and pencil lead (not pencil shavings just pencil lead).

Overall, this is a two faced wine; the pre-24 hour wine gets a good QPR and the post-24 hour wine gets a great QPR. Yes this wine is just that good. I would gladly pay 20 dollars for this bottle; and the post-24 hour flavors remind me of the Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon I have previously reviewed. It has a balance and depth I’ve rarely come across in a sub-15 dollar bottle of wine. It just tastes of higher quality grapes than I’m used to seeing in anything less than 15 dollars. I’m delighted that I purchased this bottle and saddened that it’s gone, but on my next trip to Costco I’m picking up at least two bottles; one for my cellar and one for drinking. I HIGHLY recommend this wine!

Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery

Triple Your Pleasure?

Right off the bat I want to warn you that this might be a little long due to the fact that I am reviewing three wines. Also, these wines are reviewed in the order I drank them, which for the most part is spaced out by about two week overall. Now on to the reviews.

2008 Columbia-Crest Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington

Color - Red

Nose - Cherry, oak

Taste - I've had quite a few wines that have oak featured in the nose and a few that had oak flavors to some degree, but this wine is VERY oak-y in both the nose and on the palate. I am of the opinion that those of you that drink this wine will either love this or hate it with no one in between. There is a nice fruit start to this wine and in the mid-palat vanilla-tinged oak comes on rather strong. I would normally dislike this but the oak isn't too strong and doesn't last too long, rather it covers my tongue perfectly. This flavor profile has me particularly intrigued. I'd say this is medium-to-full bodied with a medium finish. Not much heat to this and the tannins are rather subdued through they do show with certain foods. Day two brought hints of coconut, lessened oak-iness and more complexity. This is a keeper in my book. Nothing too complex, but the big oak flavor by itself is rather nice. I'd drink it frequently, especially for 6.99 a bottle. I think it's a winner and a pretty darn good wine. I'd recommend opening and sipping a glass on day one, then enjoying the rest on day two. Gains so much character, depth, and complexity after it is opened. Changes the wine to a must try.

2008 Columbia-Crest H3 Merlot, Washington

Color - Purple with a violet rim

Nose - Black Currant, tobacco, spice, hints of brown sugar

Taste - I can sum this wine up in one word - Intense. Merlot was the first red wine varietal I tried some 12 years ago, and I hated whatever cheap bottle my college buddy had on the particular day I decided to try red wine. Every since then I have shied away from Merlot except in blends. On a whim I picked this up from Costco and I am glad that I did. This wine has everything I've come to love about red wine. It's dry but not cloying. Has an amazing level of astringency. There is a very nice bite of alcohol. The flavor transitions smoothly from currant to spice (cloves I think) mixed with chocolate into a smooth long finish of smoke, dark cherry and leather. This is big and bold , full-bodied, a force to be reckoned with and has very nice tannins that don't hold back but neither do they overwhelm. This is a new favorite of mine. Costco's got it at 10.99 a bottle. I'd say that's great QPR and that this is easily a 20-25 dollar wine. This is a buy it now and drink it often wine.

2008 Columbia-Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington

Color - Dark Red

Nose - Blackberry, forest floor, vanilla

Taste - Nice and dry with dark cherry and hints of vanilla right out of the gate. This being the third Columbia-Crest wine I've had, I have come to expect good things even with their cheapest wines. This wine holds its own without a doubt. The fruit makes way to a nice semi-astringent mid-palate that has sour cherry hints with a tiny aftertaste of vanilla and fruit skins. There are some hints of clean herb, grass and vegetables, but it is right in the background and very pleasant. There is a slightly higher alcohol heat than I'd normally like, but it doesn't make this wine undrinkable. I paired this with meat lasagna and it brought out a lot more fruit and some buttery mouthfeel but lessened the intensity of this wine almost to the point of normalcy. I'd say leave this as a stand alone drinker or with steak, cheese, or other less acidic foods. A good wine with a good QPR. Nothing to rave about, but for the money it could become your "house Red". I'd buy it again because it's consistent and has definite depth without food.

Overall, I would rate each of these wines good to great. The H3 Merlot is a great wine with an amazing QPR. I like the slightly cheaper Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon more than I like the Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, but they are both good wines. As far as consistency of good-to-great product goes, Columbia-Crest comes in second only to Anakena. Thank God I finally found a North American winery that can compete with the South American wineries. I would say go out and buy the H3 by the case, pick up a bottle or two of the Two Vines, and a single of the the Grand Estates (just to try it in case your palate differs that much from mine). I don't think you will be disappointed.

Columbia-Crest Wines

2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

Color - Dark purple with a violet rim

Nose - Black currant, chocolate, vanilla

Taste - This particular Argentinian gem is actually a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. Had I known that when I purchased this I might not have picked it up, but I learned it after I sipped it for the first time and boy am I glad I didn't know that particular fact. The wine has an incredible mouthfeel and flavor. I was floored by the complexity and warmth of this wine. It is dry, there is a little heat from the alcohol, but the flavor profile is what grabs me. Vanilla-tinged black currants fade into a light chocolate flavor then finally transition into black pepper and leather. The flavors keep me captivated with every single sip. The wine is full-bodied with a wonderful long finish. There is a warmth and velvety mouthfeel to this wine with a slight butter-y texture. The wine is somewhat astringent but not in a bad way. I like the immense intensity of this wine, it's now one of my favorites.

Overall, this wine is a 20-25 dollar bottle of wine hiding at an 11 dollar price point. The Wine Advocate gave this 90 points, I'd say it's definitely deserving of a point or two on top of those 90 points. I say buy it now and every time you can find it. It's an amazing example of a great Cabernet Sauvignon under 20 dollars.

Crios de Susana Balbo

Two wines you should go out and buy right now.

It's late and I don't have a review ready to share with you tonight. So in lieu of that I will share two wines that I tasted this week and both of them are quite good. I spent some time at my local Costco this past Sunday and perused the wine section. Yes I spent a little time peaking in their wood crates of "snobby" wine, but opted on two bottles that were stacked amongst the "cheap" stuff. Here they are in no particular order.

1. 2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

This is not strictly a Cabernet Sauvignon. It is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon/5% Malbec and the blend is utter perfection. My mouth was intensely satisfied with this rich, warm Cabernet. It was full of lush fruits and warm spices. It coated my mouth like silk and left a long satisfying finish with hints of vanilla, licorice, tobacco and leather as the wine faded with time. The full-bodied wine that has a smooth, buttery mouthfeel was so pleasing I didn't want to swallow after I took a sip, and I am having a hard time as I near the end of the bottle because I'm already going into withdrawals. I will have to buy more of this soon, and you need to pick some up too.

2. 2007 Flechas de los Andes Gran Malbec, Argentina

This is not nearly the same as the above wine even though the Crios has a little Malbec in it, it exudes perfect Cabernet tendencies while this wine shows off what makes Malbec truly wonderful. It's fruity, but not a fruit bomb. It's subtle with the hints of plum, cherry, and raspberry. It transitions well in my mouth from fruit to complex flavors of pepper and chocolate. This wine went perfect with some spicy Mexican food I paired it with, and my last two glasses went perfect with nothing at all, a true testament of the wine's fantastic depth and character.


Both of these great wines can be picked up at Costco right now for under 15 dollars per bottle. The Crios was rated 90 points by the Wine Advocate, and the Flecha de los Andes was rated 92 points by the Wine Advocate. If I used 100 point systems I'd say that's about right, though I like the Crios better. Either way the QPR(Quality to Price Ratio) is off the charts here. Amazing quality for such a low price. Get them before they sell out!