April Wine Night - Cabernet Sauvignon

Host

Sean & Tara

Date

April 23, 2010

Bottles

2006 Dark Side of the Moon - Jess & Evan
2006 Havens Wine Cellars - Tommy
2006 Recession Red - Nicole & Alissa
2007 Educated Glass - Jamie & Shannon
2007 Ivory Label - Sean & Tara
2007 Vino De Eyzaguirre - Lisa
2008 Gnarly Head - Katie & Tim
2008 Markovic Estates - Inna & Max
2008 Turning Leaf Vineyards - Danielle
2008 Wyatt - Kait & Donato

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found new homes in places like California's Napa Valley, Australia's Coonawarra region and Chile's Maipo Valley. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's most widely planted premium red wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s.

Despite its prominence in the industry, the grape is a relatively new variety, the product of a chance crossing between Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc during the 17th century in southwestern France. Its popularity is often attributed to its ease of cultivation - the grapes have thick skins and the vines are hardy and resistant to rot and frost - and to its consistent presentation of structure and flavours which express the typical character ("typicity") of the variety. Familiarity and ease of pronunciation have helped to sell Cabernet Sauvignon wines to consumers, even when from unfamiliar wine regions. Its widespread popularity has also contributed to criticism of the grape as a "colonizer" that takes over wine regions at the expense of native grape varieties.

The Results

WINNER: 2007 Educated Guess - 105 points out of 150
Producer: Roots Run Deep Winery
Vineyard: Roots Run Deep Winery
Country/State/Region: Napa Valley, California
Price: $19.99
Aroma: Oak
Appearance: Ruby
Body: Medium
Nose: Vanilla, Blackberry
Taste: Vanilla, Blackberry, Boysenberry
Finish: Long
Individual Points: 6.5, 7, 6, 10, 8, 7, 5, 8.5, 7, 7, 8, 8, 6, 6, 5

2007 Ivory Label - 101.5 points out of 150
Producer: Francis Coppola Diamond Collection
Vineyard: Frances Coppola Winery
Country/State/Region: Geyserville, California
Price: $17.99
Aroma: Oak
Appearance: Ruby
Body: Light
Nose: Cherry, Cinnamon
Taste: Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry
Finish: Short
Individual Points: 5, 7, 6, 10, 5, 7, 8, 7, 7, 8.5, 6, 5, 5, 8, 7

2008 Wyatt - 100 points out of 150
Producer: Polaner Selections
Vineyard: Polaner Slections
Country/State/Region: Oakville, California
Price: $12.99
Aroma: Oak
Appearance: Ruby
Body: Medium
Nose: Oak, Pepper
Taste: Vanilla, Cherry, Raspberry
Finish: Long
Individual Points: 5, 4, 6.5, 6.5, 7, 7, 9, 9, 7, 6, 8, 5, 8, 7, 5

2006 Havens Wine Cellars - 93 points out of 150
Producer: Havens Wine Cellars
Vineyard: Havens Wine Cellars
Country/State/Region: Napa Valley, California
Price: $17.99
Aroma: Spice
Appearance: Ruby
Body: Full
Nose: Blackberry, Pepper
Taste: Pepper, Cedar, Fig
Finish: Long
Individual Points: 4, 1, 7, 6, 6, 8, 7, 3, 7, 9, 10, 8, 4, 6, 7

2008 Markovic Estates - 91.5 points out of 150
Producer: Markovic Estates
Vineyard: Markovic Estates
Country/State/Region: Languedoc Roussillon, France
Price: $10.99
Aroma: Oak
Appearance: Ruby
Body: Medium
Nose: Cherry, Fig
Taste: Plum, Fig
Finish: Long
Individual Points: 5, 7, 6, 6, 9.5, 8, 4, 10, 3, 1, 7, 7, 2, 7, 9

2008 Turning Leaf - 91 points out of 150
Producer: Turning Leaf Vineyards
Vineyards: Turning Leaf Vineyards
Country/State/Region: Modesto, California
Price: $9.99
Aroma: Citrus
Appearance: Ruby
Body: Medium
Nose: Raspberry, Caramel
Taste: Blueberry, Caramel
Finish: Long
Individual Points: 3, 3, 4, 7, 7, 8.5, 6, 8, 4, 6, 9, 9, 6.5, 6, 4

2006 Recession Red - 90.5 points out of 150
Producer: Recession Wine Company
Vineyard: Recession Wine Company
Country/State/Region: Livermore & Ripon, California
Price: $15.99
Aroma: Spice
Appearance: Ruby
Body: Light
Nose: Pepper, Raspberry
Taste: Metal
Finish: Long
Individual Points: 5, 4, 5, 6.5, 8, 7, 8, 6, 7, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 6

2008 Gnarly Head - 87 points out of 150

Producer: Gnarly Head Cellars

Vineyard: Gnarly Head Cellars

Country/Region/State: Manteca, California

Price: $9.99

Aroma: Floral

Appearance: Ruby

Body: Light

Nose: Cedar, Cherry, Vanilla, Tabacco

Taste: Flowers, Cherry, Vanilla, Blueberry

Finish: Long

Individual Points: 3, 2, 5.5, 10, 7, 8, 6, 6.5, 5, 5.5, 5, 6, 7.5, 7, 6, 2

2006 Dark Side of the Moon - 86.5 points out of 150

Producer: Wines That Rock

Vineyard: Mark Beaman Winemaker

Country/State/Region: Mendocino County, California

Price: $14.99

Aroma: Herbal, Spice, oak

Appearance: Ruby

Body: Light

Nose: Cedar, Vanilla, Cherry, Black Currant

Taste: Vegetable, Blueberry, White Pepper, Cherry

Finish: Short

Individual Points: 5, 4, 6.5, 7, 7, 5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 8, 2, 6, 5, 5

2007 Vino De Eyzaguirre - 57.5 points out of 150
Producer: Top Wine Chile S.A. - Peralillo
Vineyard: Top Wine Chile S.A. - Peralillo
Country/State/Region: D.O. Colchagua Valley, Chile
Price: $12.99
Aroma: Herbal, Spice
Appearance: Ruby
Body: Medium
Nose: Vegetable, Cherry, Plum, Mint, Pepper
Taste: Pepper, Mold, Musk, Cabernet Franc
Finish: Long
Individual Points: 2, 2, 4.5, 2, 5, 4, 3, 5, 3, 3, 5, 6, 4, 3, 6



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Comments

Haha, funny joke, you guys, saying that the worst wine tasted like a Cabernet Franc. I'd like to take this moment to gloat over the fact that my 2006 Isonzo Del Fruili Cab Franc is still the reigning champ with an average of 8.4 out of 10. This is most likely completely due to the fact that Tim won't give a score higher than a 5.