Decanterberry Tales - A Willamette Valley Wine Blog - cabernetsauvignon tag

Chateau Takeda, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:28:26 GMT

Boy, here's something you don't see everyday: wine from Japan. And no silly, I don't mean sake. I mean real, honest-to-goodness red wine. In this case, it's a Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon mix (the label doesn't specify the ratio). It appears that the alcohol is 11% -- pretty low. Funny to see Japanese on the back label, and then "Mis en bouteilles au chateau" on the front (basically, "it's bottled at the chateau" in French). Temples: yes. Shrines: check. Castles? Yep. And now, apparently there are chateaus in Japan too!

To start, this wine had a great nose. Vanilla. Licorice (maybe anise). Dust. Pepper. Bark. Currant. And no chemical smell at all. Just lovely aromas. The body was medium (about the equivalent of 2% milk). The taste was plum, and a bit of a Nectarine -- but without the citrus. I mean without any strong acid taste. That, with under-currents of red cherry and cayenne. It then finished just slightly lighter than expected (but not in a bad), with red cherry, and cayenne. All very subtle.

This wine was really smooth. It had a lighter finish, and was no that overly oaked and creamy. It wasn't at all sweet, and it finished with just the right amount of dryness for my tastes. I am really impressed with this considering how long it usually takes to produce high quality wines. Though, honestly, I'm not sure how long they've been at this endeavor, but I would guess that it's safe to say that the Japanese -- at least generally speaking -- are new to making wine (at least out of grapes).

Cost:

Rating: 8.5

Di Stefano, Columbia Valley, Cabernet Savignon, 2004

Mon, 04 May 2009 01:06:09 GMT

This was a wine that I picked up awhile ago at Fred Meyer's. Some guy was there and noticed that we were looking at the same Pinots. We started talking, and he highly recommended this bottle.

The nose was a strong river rock, along with plum, nutmeg, vanilla (a slight sweetness), and black cherry. Later there was cayenne, and it smelled dusty (earthy). The taste was vanilla and black cherry -- strong black cherry. And dusty. The finish was a bit tannic at first: stems, bark, and some vanilla sweetness. Later on that all mellowed out and it was black cherry with asparagus and carnation.

For a Cab (mostly at least), this was very smooth and nice. Everyone liked it.

Cost:

Rating: 8.0

(93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot)

Redhawk, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:58:11 GMT

We deliberately paired this bottle with the Arcane Cabernet (see other review). Both are Cabs. Both are produced by winemakers near Salem. However, Arcane's grapes are from the south (Rogue Valley), and Redhawk is from the north (Columbia Valley). Oh, and to be fair, Arcane was a 2006 and Redhawk was a 2005.

The Arcane was considerably "oaked" and was therefore noticeably more "sweet" with that vanilla taste (not literally sweet of course) than this wine.

The Redhawk nose was leather, manure, and pepper. Robin said it smelled like a riding saddle. And yes, again, we're using "manure" to mean something good and enjoyable.

The taste was black cherry and pepper, and it finished that way too. The wine was noticeably more earthy than the Arcane Cab. Whereas the Arcane had a better mouthfeel and was smoother.

As I mentioned in the Arcane review, the group was split on which was better. I generally prefer earthier wines, and at the beginning I thought I liked this one better.

Cost:

Rating: 7.5

Arcane Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:30:47 GMT

This was our first bottle from Arcane Cellars. Jason Silva is the mastermind behind Arcane. Before becoming a winemaker ("coming to my senses" as he described the change), he had gotten his M.A. in English Lit with a focus on medieval literature. So, I suppose he and his wines are a natural match to our medieval theme. Anyway on to the first bottle ...

The first impression was: vanilla! Clearly this wine had sat on oak for awhile. It smelled of that vanilla sweetness. And while the alcohol was high (nearly 14%), it wasn't hot. Once past the vanilla, the nose had river rock, and rose pedals. I caught hints of something like cedar. And Denise claimed to smell something like Kiwi. Both of us weren't exactly sure ... elusive aromas to be sure. And a bit later, the nose had clove too.

The taste was red cherry, and vanilla. Brian noted that it was a "bit of a fruit bomb for a Cab". And indeed it wasn't your run-of-the-mill Cab. First, it was very smooth -- the mouthfeel was really great. We drank another Salem Cab along-side this, and the Arcane was much smoother. In fact, the tannins were very elusive in the taste. You really didn't taste them until the finish.

I kept some of the wine around and tasted it again the next night. The nose at that point was decidedly: vanilla, rose, and clove. And in that order. Intriguing. The mouthfeel was still very smooth, and supple. The taste was immediately sweet from the vanilla which hung there for a second or two. Imagine a cherry jolly rancher, but without any sugar -- sort of a not-sweet hard candy. It was sort of like that. And then it went dry. Even in the taste and finish, there's that strong vanilla+rose+clove. At the very end, pepper comes through and some of the tannins. No, not that bitter stem taste exactly, but it was no longer sweet.

Overall the group was split on this wine. First, we have to mention that the Brian and Wade didn't like the label design. However, Wade, Don and myself very much liked this wine. We felt it was the best bottle of the night. Don was very emphatic about this. However, Denise doesn't like wines heavy with vanilla, so this wasn't for her. It is likely that over time, that vanilla will mellow out -- if you can patiently wait for such things. Denise didn't like it, whereas Don loved it, so the rating will have to be a compromise.

Cost:

Rating: 7.5