2004 columbia crest grand estates cabernet sauvignon

http://www.columbia-crest.com/



the bottom line - a nice, balanced cab with rich fruit on the nose, nice acidity on the mid-palate, and a lingering finish of oak, fruit and tannins. this wine is a consistently great value although some with find the high degree of oak off-putting. i liked both the 2003 and 2004 although the 2004 generally gets better press.




alcohol - 13.5%
total acid - 0.56%
final pH - 3.68

aroma - vanilla, coconut
flavor - medium bodied, balanced - fruit forward cherry and green apple. nice vanilla, oak finish.
price - $8.99
verdict - 89, WS87

2004 14 hands cabernet sauvignon

http://www.14hands.com

the bottom line - a nice label but the wine is wimpy, wimpy, wimpy! This is possibly the weakest cab i have ever experienced. This wine left me wanting my $9.56 back and wondering why they made the effort to slide the 1% merlot into the mix. this wine is an embarrassment to the state of washington.

alcohol - 13.5%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - .60 g/100 ml
final pH - 3.70
blend - 99% cabernet sauvignon, 1% merlot

aroma - oaky, cherry nose
flavor -watery mouth feel with hints of cocoa. an all too brief finish of oak, chocolate, watery fruit and unripe tannins.
price - $9.56
verdict - 78

2004 greg norman cabernet merlot limestone coast

http://www.shark.com/gnestates/

the bottom line - australian cab/merlot blend with fizzing raspberry and citrus notes.
alcohol - 14.0%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 81% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot

aroma - raspberry, orange, dusty
flavor -fruity raspberry and grapefruit with a smooth lingering earthy finish.
price - $9.99
verdict - 87, WS88

2004 red diamond cabernet sauvignon washington state

http://www.reddiamondwine.com/

the bottom line - washington state cabernet blend. unchallenging and uncomplicated, but very drinkable.

alcohol - 13.8%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - .58/100 ml
final pH - 3.30
blend - 93% cabernet sauvignon, 3% merlot, 2% petit verdot, 1% cabernet franc

aroma - cherry, fruity, spice, leather
flavor -fruity cherry soda with a smoky, earthy mild tannic finish. Slight bitterness.
price - $8.49
punt - 19 mm
verdict - 84

2005 excelsior cabernet sauvignon

http://www.excelsior.co.za/

the bottom line - south african cab. nothing but alcohol and light sweet dark fruit on the nose. flat up front with fizzing black cherry on the mid pallet with a lonnnng tannic, oaky, fruity finish. the finish alone is worth the $9, but loses marks for the one dimensional nose and flavor profile.

alcohol - 14.5%
residual sugar - 3.1 g/l
total acid - .60/100 ml
final pH - 3.63
blend - 100% cabernet sauvignon

aroma - alcohol, cherry
flavor -black cherry, sweet, carbonation sensation on the midpallet with a bold tannic, oaky finish with lingering fruit.
price - $8.99
punt - 23 mm
verdict - 83, WS84

2004 georges duboeuf prestige cabernet sauvignon

georges duboeuf is a major french wine négociant, the largest bottler of wine from the beaujolais wine province. He is responsible for the production of 25 million cases of wine annually. This wine is from the languedoc-roussillon region in southern France.


the bottom line - unoffensive, unchallenging, uninteresting. A flat light bodied cabernet.




alcohol - 13.0 %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a

aroma - light fruity
flavor -light, sweet. Hi-C, flat, simple, "is that it?" finish
price - $9.99
punt - 22 mm
verdict - 82

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

2003 snoqualmie cabernet merlot whistle stop red

http://www.snoqualmie.com/


the bottom line - columbia valley blend - 70% cabernet sauvignon 30% merlot. an average wine with real problems on the finish.




alcohol - 13.9%
appearance - light red - clear
aroma - fruity, oaky nose
flavor -thin - raspberry, cherry. light tannin finish. woody - over-oaked
price - $8.99
punt - 19 mm
verdict - 79, WS85

2003 columbia crest grand estates cabernet sauvignon

http://www.columbia-crest.com/



the bottom line - very nice, well balanced medium bodied washington state cabernet.




alcohol - 13.5%
total acid - 0.57%
final pH - 3.74

appearance - dark reddish - clear
aroma - vanilla, sawdust
flavor - medium bodied, balanced - fruit forward apple. light tannin structure - nice balanced vanilla, oak finish
price - $9.99
punt - 19 mm
verdict - 89, WS83

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.