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 barboursville vineyards cabernet sauvignon reserve

barboursvillewine.net

"we could in the united states make as great a variety of wines as are made in europe, not exactly the same kinds, but doubtless as good" – thomas jefferson

the bottom line - barboursville is one of the better producers in virginia. I picked this bottle up at the winery. the palladio restaurant at the winery is exceptional and i recommend touring monticello (jefferson's home) if you are in the area. jefferson was interested in wine and attempted to cultivate grapes and produce wine on his plantation.

i found this cab to be a bit light in style and the green, ashy aspects were distracting. i would have a hard time recommending it considering the price point.

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

aroma - coffee, prune, cherry cola.
flavor -light, cherry mouth feel with nice acidity. lingering oak and ash and green vegetable flavors on the finish.

price - $34.99
verdict - 84, 82 WS

2004 santa rita reserva cabernet sauvignon

http://www.santarita.com

the bottom line - not a lot to like. fruity and flat up front with a rough ride on the finish

alcohol - 14.1%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 100% cabernet sauvignon

aroma - blueberry, cherry, green pepper
flavor - fruity, flat, earthy tones and bitter tannins lead the train wreck finish.
price - $10.99
verdict - 79, WS84

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

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 chateau ste michelle indian wells cabernet sauvignon

http://www.ste-michelle.com/

the bottom line - the indian wells series is produced from fruit sourced from vineyards throughout the wahluke slope in washington state including chateau ste michelle's own indian wells vineyard. I found this cab lacking in complexity, with little up front to balance the overly tannic finish.

alcohol - 14.0%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - .59 g/100 ml
final pH - 3.68
blend - 91% cabernet sauvignon, 9% merlot

aroma - strawberry, cherry, pepper
flavor -fruity medium bodied somewhat flat on the mid pallet. the fruit battles vanilla oak and moderate unripe tannins through a long finish.
price - $16.00
verdict - 84, WS85

2004 nederburg cabernet sauvignon paarl

http://www.nederburg.co.za/

the bottom line - a south african cab. there is a lot going on in this wine. Over the top bacon, smoke and black cherry on the nose. a fruity fizzing, mid pallet with a lingering fruity, smoky, dirty finish.

alcohol - %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 100% cabernet sauvignon

aroma - smoke, bacon, cherry
flavor -black cherry, sweet, with moderate acidity on the midpallet with a lingering finish of dark fruit, smoke and tannin.
price - $10.99
verdict - 83

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 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

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

2004 nelms road columbia valley cabernet sauvignon

http://www.woodwardcanyon.com

the bottom line - nelms road is the second label of the woodward canyon winery. nelms road releases are young vineyard production or wines that didn't quite rate the woodward canyon label. I found this wine unobjectionable but too sweet for my taste and lacking in complexity.


alcohol - 14.4 %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 98% cabernet sauvignon and 02% syrah
production - 4410 cases


aroma - fruity
flavor -sweet. blackberry, raspberry, cherry, one dimensional
price - $16.99
punt - 35 mm
verdict - 85

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

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

2004 bridgman cabernet sauvignon

http://www.apexcellars.com/wines.php

the bottom line - A little north of $10 and you will likely have to search it out (2046 cases produced). this is an awesome and interesting young washington state wine. available at total wine on the east coast.


alcohol - 13.0 %
residual sugar - 0.2 %
total acid - 0.75%
final pH - 3.67
blend - 83% cabernet sauvignon and 17% merlot from outlook and cervantes vineyards.


aroma - blueberry, coffee, chocolate
flavor -light, sweet. fruit forward, medium body, very well balanced, smooth long finish
price - $12.99
punt - 30 mm
verdict - 91

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.