2005 simi alexander valley cabernet sauvignon

http://www.simiwinery.com





the bottom line - fruit bomb! oak and green veggies on the nose, followed by a mid-pallet of luscious sweet cherry and blueberry. A crescendo of oak and fruit on a long elegant finish.







alcohol - 13.5%
total acid - 6.2 g/l
final pH - 3.65
Blend - 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petite Verdot

aroma - cedar, broccoli, oak
flavor - fruity sweet raw sugar, blueberry, cherry with a nicely balanced long finish.
price - $16.86
verdict - 88, WS82

2005 beringer third century north coast cabernet sauvignon

beringer.com

the bottom line - the mass market cabernet effort of the oldest continuously operating winery in the napa valley. i found it interestingly complex, but distractingly over oaked.

alcohol - 13.9 %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - n/a
production - n/a

aroma - bright fruit, pepper, cherry, vanilla with green vegetable notes.
flavor -nicely acidic mouth feel with fruity, earthy flavors. The finish presents over the top oak that leaves and unpleasant lingering aftertaste.

price - $13.99
verdict - 85

2004 rodney strong sonoma county cabernet sauvignon

http://www.rodneystrong.com/

the bottom line - a light fruit forward cab with balanced oak. the bitter tannic finish is a problem.

alcohol - 13.8%
residual sugar - .02%
total acid - .60 g/100 ml
final pH - 3.54
blend - 93% cabernet sauvignon, with merlot and cabernet franc

aroma - oaky, cherry and dark fruit.
flavor -lively cherry fruit and a nice acid on the pallet. moderate and balanced fruity, oaky finish but unripe bitter tannins ruin the finish.
price - $15.99
verdict - 84

2005 montoya cabernet sauvignon

no web site as far as I can find. I couldn't even find a cabernet label image!

the bottom line - i picked this up because it was advertised as the #1 selling wine at total wine in norfolk, va. It is a nice medium bodied cabernet. a nice flavor profile if oak is your thing.

alcohol - 14.2 %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - n/a
production - n/a


aroma - cherry, cinnamon, pepper, oak, green
flavor -sweet. cherry, vanilla, slightly bitter on the mid pallet with a chocolate cherry vanilla oak finish. medium body, nice acid structure, a bit too much oak.
price - $12.99
verdict - 86

2005 cline red truck

http://www.redtruckwine.com/

the bottom line - more like a green scooter than a red truck.
alcohol - 13.5 %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 100% cabernet sauvignon

aroma - green pepper, asparagus, oak and vanilla nose
flavor -light body, flat on the mid-pallet with an oakey vanilla finish
price - $10.46
verdict - 83

2004 clos du bois north coast cabernet sauvignon

http://closdubois.com/

the bottom line - this was really disappointing for a $16 bottle. some interest on the nose, but one dimensional and flat on the pallet.

alcohol - 13.5%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - n/a

aroma - strawberry starburst, cherry, green pepper
flavor -fruity flat forward with a moderate tannic finish.
price - $16.49
verdict - 84

2004 charles shaw cabernet sauvignon california

I was at trader joe's today and picked up a bottle of two-buck chuck aka charles shaw cabernet sauvignon. Apparently this wine retails for $1.99 on the west coast but in virginia expect to pay $3.29.

the bottom line - sugar bomb. sweet cherry, flat, light finish with lingering sweetness. barely drinkable.

alcohol - 12.5%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - n/a




aroma - alcohol
flavor -fruity cherry, berry
price - $3.29
verdict - 65

2005 fetzer valley oaks cabernet sauvignon

http://www.fetzer.com/

the bottom line - california cab blend. unoffensive, but somewhat lacking in coherent structure. not great, but a very good value at the $7.49 price point.


alcohol - 13.7%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - .62/100 ml
final pH - 3.50
blend - cabernet, merlot, syrah, carignane

aroma - green, oaky, starburst
flavor -light, fruity, blackberry soda, a bit flat up front, warms up in the middle with a nice (although somewhat bitter) long black cherry soda, oaky, tannin finish.
price - $7.49
punt - 35 mm
verdict - 83

2004 martin ray angeline cabernet sauvignon

martinraywinery.com

the bottom line - a lot going on in this wine, but weak in the mid pallet, not balanced with an over the top oak finish.

alcohol - 13.9 %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - 0.65%
final pH - 3.89
blend - 94% cabernet sauvignon, 5% zinfandel, 1% syrah

aroma - floral, green, sweet
flavor - cherry, blueberry, vanilla, moderate body, moderate tannins, long vanilla oak finish
price - $12.99
punt - 22 mm
verdict - 83

2001 woodbridge red dirt series cabernet sauvignon

http://www.woodbridgewines.com


the bottom line - lodi, california cabernet. lacking in body and complexity. A weak cabernet from nose to finish.


alcohol - 13.5%
residual sugar - 0.05%
total acid - 0.55%
final pH - 3.74
blend - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

aroma - juicy, light alcohol
flavor -light, sweet cherry, jammy. moderate tannin finish - dirt
price - $8.99
punt - 22 mm
verdict - 80

2004 blackstone california cabernet sauvignon

http://www.blackstonewinery.com/


the bottom line - california blend of 86% cabernet sauvignon and 14% syrah. this is an unoffensive yet uninteresting wine. weak nose and simple flavor notes with a woody finish.





alcohol - 13.5%
total acid - 7.30%
final pH - 3.44

aroma - fruity, raspberry, cola
flavor -medium body - sweet cherry, jammy. light tannin finish - over-oaked
price - $8.99
punt - 25 mm
verdict - 84

2004 cellar no 8 cabernet sauvignon

the bottom line - fundamentally sound but lacks complexity.




alcohol - 13.9%
appearance - reddish purple in the glass - clear
aroma - cherry and spice
flavor - thin - cherry, citrus . moderate balanced finish
price - $9.76
punt - 34 mm
verdict - 85.