Inca Cabernet Malbec 2005

I am a sucker for Argentine wines, malbec in particular. In fact, I had such a fantastic sojourn through the Mendoza Valley just after the harvest that I often choose malbec in hopes that it will trigger those now fading memories of the dusty terrain and sweeping views of the Andes. This wine just did not do it for me.
The Inca Cabernet (80%) Malbec (20%) blend is from quite a different region altogether: the Calchaqui Valley, nestled high in the mountains in the Salta Region of northern Argentina. But the climate isn't the problem. I think they just spent more time manipulating this wine rather than giving it the structure to come into its own. Had it been bagged or its label disguised, I might have described it as a fruit forward, smooth, round red with ripe berry flavors and a vegetal twist--green pepper and dill--quite reminiscent of a California Cabernet Franc. Were it not for the far-too-creamy mouth-feel I might have mistaken it for a merlot. It just wasn't what it purported to be. A perfectly decent wine for $10, but I probably won't buy it again.

Is a Bottle of Cabernet Worth $500?

We think some wines may be worth $500, but it's always hard to justify a bottle that expensive when a wine at $30-50 will score just as high. Last week, a study by the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the California Institute of Technology reported that the price of a bottle of wine can influence a drinkers' palate. 

"If a person is told they are tasting two different wines and that one costs $5 and the other $45 when they actually are the same wine, the part of the brain that experiences pleasure will become more active when the drinker thinks they are enjoying the more expensive vintage.". 

Halloween Wine: Casillero del Diablo Cabernet

Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon
Year: 2005
We Paid: $10
ABV: 14%
Website

From the Concha y Toro Winery in Chile comes a series of wines featuring a devilish legend. The Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep (dare we say it?), blood red color. Its spicy currant fruit and velvety texture are devilishly seductive. It is a concentrated and elegant wine available for about $10 a bottle. We're pretty sure this wine is from, "the house of the devil." It's perfect for a Halloween wine and the website alone is worth a look.

Concha y Toro 2006 Casillero Del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon - Red Wine at Wine.com

Root 1 Cabernet Sauvignon

Here's another one for the list of wines we haven't tried yet but we're itching to (OK, not literally itching - maybe just a bit tingly). We've heard good things from friends and found good write-ups - looks like we're going to have to get on getting a bottle, eh? Plus, one customer reviewer had us at "spicy, smoky, wonderful."

Deep, dark cherry color, with an expressive bouquet of currants, vanilla, black and red berry fruits. Toffee, tobacco and bittersweet chocolate also stand out on the nose. Soft and supple in the mouth, the ripe fruit is balanced by smooth oak and its creamy texture is dominated by rich, ripe berries and a dark chocolate finish.

Pair this wine with ripe cheeses, like Emmental or Brie. Artfully accompanies grilled meats, spicy dishes and savory flavors of pepper, sage and thyme.

at Root 1 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

Clos du Bois 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

We've just finished a bottle of this wine and at $19+ bucks a bottle, it's just making it under the Cheap Fun Wines radar. We think it's good - but at $19 you've got to love a wine right? Well, several of us did really love it. It has a very deep flavor with big spicy flavor. Not bad and worth a try if you like a bigger wine.

This Cabernet has a black, deep, ruby red color. Its scents of ripe blackberry and cassis are followed by intense and powerful flavors of spice and black cherry on the rich and juicy palate. Concentrated blackberry and cassis fruit mingle with hints baking spice, licorice, and smooth tannins on the back palate and persist through the lingering finish.

At Clos du Bois 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Red Wine

Evil Cabernet Sauvignon Review

Yesterday we let you know about Pure Evil Chardonnay, but we didn't menton one thing...its labelmate Evil Cabernet Sauvignon. How dare we you say? We must be a little bit evil. Yeah, that's it.

Continue reading: "Evil Cabernet Sauvignon Review"

Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Excelsior 2004
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Origination: South Africa
14.5% ABV
We Paid: $9 (MSRP: $9)
More Info

We picked up a bottle of Cabernet last night as we headed over to game night with our friends. We weren't looking for anything too high shelf - in fact we set a price cap of ten bucks. We were there to play games, not review wine, so we didn't want to take over the focus. We figured we'd share a bottle, get some notes from our friends, and share them with you. Turned out the bottle got more attention than we'd expected, and people were pleasantly surprised with what they found in this South African red.

Tasting Notes:
They Say: We found some tasting notes that describe Excelsior Cabernet as "dark plum red in color with a nose of black currant, plum, earth and spice. Medium-full in body, it is dry with moderate acidity and soft, ripe tannins. It offers rich, intense flavors of plums, black currant and toasty oak."

We Say: After the requisite calls of "Excelsior" from our nerdy brethren at game night (y'know, from when Bart joins the nerd club) we sat down to sipping. We all were struck by how the high alcohol content came through in the nose, followed by plum and berries. The initial taste was a tart plum, with berries and cherries and a slightly bitter finish. After it sat in the glass for a few minutes it definitely mellowed out and lost the bitterness, replacing it with a smokey flavor that impressed us.

Bottom Line: For nine bucks, this was a great deal. You don't have to worry about decanting it but you'll do well to let it sit in the glass for a few minutes. Everyone was shocked that it cost less than ten dollars, and we all thought it was a great value for what we paid. If you can find it, we recommend you pick up a couple bottles.

Cabernet Could Help Fight Alzheimer's

Reports have gone out recently that drinking as little as a glass or two a day of Cabernet Sauvignon could help fight Alzheimer's Disease. No report on how high quality the wine has to be so we'll stick to our cheap fun ones, but we'll definitely be upping our intake.

The authors of the study said, "This study supports epidemiological evidence indicating that moderate wine consumption, within the range recommended by the FDA dietary guidelines of one drink per day for women and two for men, may help reduce the relative risk for AD clinical dementia."

The researchers used 11-month-old transgenic mice with AD-type в-amyloid (Aв) neuropathology, to look for improvements in cognitive loss and AD-type neuropathology after red wine consumption.

from All Headline News

OK, so they did their research on mice - at least you have an excuse for a couple glasses of wine a day right?

Wynns "Coonawarra Estate" Cabernet Sauvignon

We've had Coonawarra Estate wines before, and we really liked them. We found a flattering write up of their 2003 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon - the MSRP on the stuff is $14, but apparently it tastes far more expensive than it is. Check out some tasting notes about the wine below.

For decades, literally, "Wynns" has been an advertisement for Cabernet that overperforms. There's no way you can mistake the aroma: blackberry jam, currant jelly, creme de cassis, pipe tobacco, warm oak spice. This is Cab with a capital "C." No blockbuster, it still has enough heft and length to wrestle a big juicy steak to the floor. Its length and complexity are false testimony to a much more expensive wine, a lie we can happily live with!

from DetNews.com; check out the official Wynn's site