Crush - Cab/Merlot

Price: $14.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

Not my typical picture this week, but it will have to do as I had trouble finding one online. While I wouldn't say this is going to become the routine from now on, again my wife stopped by the wine store on Friday afternoon, and picked up a couple of bottles from the Cabernet aisle. No particular reason that I tried this one first, but I thought it was an interesting looking wine, so I popped open the cork and dug in. We decided on some pizza for dinner, so I sat down with a bottle of wine and a couple pieces of pizza with ham and spinach. Not a bad Friday evening in my book.

From the get-go, this was a nice looking wine. A dark red color, where you could see the Cabernet really shine through. It seemed a little thicker than most wines, but could very well have been my imagination. When I brought the glass up for a smell, my only reaction was wow. It had a great aroma that just oozed fresh fruit. This glass of wine was surely headed in the right direction. As I went to take a sip, the smell was still stuck in my head, and I think my expectations were a bit high. The interesting thing is, my initial reaction after the first sip was kind of muted, but the more I drank this wine, the better it seemed to get. It really had a very flavorful, fruity taste with a hint of blackberries. The wine was very smooth, and with nice tannins. I actually liked it so much after a couple of glasses, that I looked for it again the next day at my favorite wine store, but unfortunately, it wasn't on the shelf. I will definitely head back to where my wife picked up this bottle to another round. In fact, if my wife keeps bringing home winners like this one, maybe her stop at the wine store on Friday to pick out my weekly wine will become the routine.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Very fruity, very yummy)

Bonterra - Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $13.99
Region: California
Year: 2007

The wine I'm reviewing tonight was from a couple of weekends ago. I know I am going to give away my overall impression of this wine, but what I was really waiting for, was to finish off the bottle before sitting down to write about it. The problem was, I never did end up finishing the bottle, which is a first in a very long time. Anyway, when I got home from work one Friday evening, my wife had already stopped at the wine store and picked up a couple of bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon for me. The first one she picked because it had a good rating on one of the little signs they hang up, and this one she picked up because it was organic. When given the chance, and without over-spending, we like to try different organic foods & drinks. I have had a couple of other organic wines with pretty good success, so I was happy to give another a try.

I ended up having the first bottle she bought my on Friday, and finished it up on Saturday, but when Sunday evening rolled around, we sat out on the deck after dinner and popped open this bottle of wine. It was a very pleasant Sunday evening, so we just sat down, relaxed, and had a nice chat over some wine. The color of the wine was right up my alley. A nice dark red wine, with a purple hue. It was at this point that things started to head down hill (with the wine anyway). When I ace the wine a swirl, and a couple of quick sniffs, I just didn't think it was overly pleasant. Sometimes I like a nice earthy smell, but this one was so earthy, it reminded me of dirt. Not something I look for in a wine. So, at this point, I was just hoping against hope that this was just an anomaly, and the taste would come crashing through. Unfortunately, it was more like crashing down. There wasn't much I liked about the taste. The smell definitely influenced the taste, and not in a good way. I thought the overall texture was rough, and the taste was somewhat tart. As I mentioned when I started out, I never did end up finishing this bottle of wine. If I have some wine left over from the weekend, I usually find a night during he week to have a glass or two. I'm not sure if I was just too busy, but I tend to think it never crossed my mind for a reason.

Rating: 2.0 corks (I'll pass)

Grayson Cellars - Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $9.99
Region: California
Year: 2009

I promise it is not my intention to review a wine every other week, but it seems that has been happening more and more lately. It isn't that I am running out of material, for that is the furthest thing from the truth, but finding the time lately has been a bit of a challenge. Anyway, I had two new wines this past weekend, so here goes the first. Each of these wines my wife actually bought for my one her way home from work. I didn't indicate that I wanted anything in particular, but she bought me a couple of bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. It ended up being a normal Friday evening with pizza and wine... Just the way I like it.

Right off of the bat, this wine strayed a little from the typical California Cab, as the color was a bit light. It almost reminded me of a middle of road Merlot, but it was had nice clarity & a pleasant color. It veered back towards the typical with the smell. I gave it a few swirls, took a few quick sniffs, and got a nose full of a full-bodied red wine. It had a very nice fruit aroma that called for another sniff. So far, it was a little of the expected, and a little of the unexpected. So, I really wasn't quite sure what to expect when I took a sip. Of all the things I could have expected, what I ended up getting was not one of them. To me, this was a very unique tasting Cabernet. While I got an initial flavor of bold fruit, it was quickly followed by a stream of vanilla. Again, not what I would have expected, but very distinct, and very enjoyable. It still had all of the normal structure of a decent Cabernet, with slightly chewy tannins, but the taste was what kept me coming back for more.

Rating: 3.75 corks (A very unique, tasty Cab)