Source: The Wine Curmudgeon
March 28, 2012
By Jeff Siegel
How rare are these wines? Only a half dozen or so cabernets have appeared as the wine of the week on the blog in the past year — hardly a proportion that compares to cabernet’s popularity. It’s the most sold red wine, and second overall in popularity to chardonnay.
The other irony here? That many cabernets that are well made and inexpensive are produced by the huge mutinationals that get so much criticism from the wine world, like the Columbia-Crest that was a wine of the week in February. The Edna Valley ($15, sample), part of the E&J Gallo empire, fits into the same mold. In this, it’s another reminder that tasting the wine is always a good thing to do before deciding if you like it — something, sadly, that even the Wine Curmudgeon sometimes forgets.
The Edna Valley is top notch inexpensive California cabernet. It’s less fruity than similar wines, even though it’s from Paso Robles, where fruity is part of the winemaking style. Still, there is a nice a dose of what may be boysenberry, as well as almost silky tannins and a chalky, grippy finish. Given those adjectives, you can probably tell that I really liked the finish. Serve this with red meat, especially as the weather warms up and it’s backyard barbecue time.
Tags: Edna Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, The Wine Curmudgeon, Wine of the Week
The 2009 is great too. I discovered this wine at a local small town package store that does friday evening wine tastings, trying to catch the commuters as they come home from work. My first taste was in a small plastic cup! I later did a review on my wine blog after a “real” taste in a glass.