Posted by Ben in 2005, General, Other, cabernet francDec 5th, 2009 | No Comments
Original Review, August, 2008: This is second sampling of the 2005 Windsor Russian River Cabernet Franc, Sonoma County, CA. Grapes were frozen from Brehm Vineyards. First tasting was during our 2005 vintage
blending party in the fall of 2006.
Let's see how it's doing with a bit of age. In the glass, this is quite light and translucent, with colors of brick and red. Aroma is fruity, moderately bright, with a blast of medium-toasty oak. On the palate, the first note is a sweet blast of bright fruit in the middle of your mouth. That sweet friendliness slides along your tongue and to the sides of your mouth. There it delivers just a pinch of cheek-tightening acid. Flavors are rich, ripe blackberry and red cherries. Tannins seem mild, but moderate additional aging certainly seems possible. Three stars out of five on the
Spirit of Wine scale, with an additional plus for friendly approachability.
During the blending party, we said: "fruit, light aroma, nice tannin balance (*), flavorful, high tannin, alcohol (85), cherry/cab, mid tight tannin, mid fruit, mid acid, mid alcohol, richest so far".
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Updated Review, January, 2009: Medium red in the glass, seems to have picked up a bit of deepness in the middle. Aromas are now more serious, inky, with oak/alcohol overlay. On the palate, this is tight, taut, pulling at the sides of your cheek and your tongue. It's saying "feed me, feed me". It wants. What I think it wants is time. It's not a time for it to yield,
though. I'll leave the score, but definitely put it away for awhile. A pretty long while.
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Another updated review, December, 2009: Still medium red. Aromas still have a now-richer inkiness, with oak and black cherry notes, along with a brighter red berry twang. Now a yeast cherry creaminess - not sweet though - comes across in the mid-palate. Plays with the cherry fruit on the sides of your cheeks. Tannins and acids freeze-frame the taut fruit, holding it in your cheeks til the next sip. Serious stuff, now becoming drinkable. Decant opens it up even further. Yum. Classic California cabernet. Four stars now with the additional bottle age. Could be good for a few more years too. Whoohoo!
Posted by Ben in 2005, General, Other, cabernet sauvignon, kitDec 4th, 2009 | No Comments
Original Review May, 2007: This is wine made from a bag of grape juice! It is called the Selection Estate Woodbridge Ranch 11 Cabernet Sauvignon. I made it more or less following
Winexpert instructions.
I did not use the bentonite for clearing and I made it to about 5.5 gallons rather than 6 gallons. The major change I made was to add a bunch of skins from my own Lodi and Napa fermentation to potentially give this a bit more aromatic and tannin "punch". We'll see what came of all this...
Color is an even deep red. While swirling, grape juice aromas jump out of the glass. On closer examination, aroma is a mild liquor-like cherry, maybe like smelling the inside of a chocolate-covered cherry, but without the chocolate. The favor fills the mouth with a round, smooth touch, no complexity, no aromas, but big and round in the middle. Just a touch of cherry around the edges. And a finish that flits past you before you even notice.
In total, this is like some kind of mixture of wine, grape juice and new port. Not quite wine; but not quite a liquor either. Not something to write home about; but not a total abomination. For ratings, I'm stuck between two-plus and three-minus. I guess I'd open another bottle, so that's three-minus. (But, to give full disclosure, part of the reason I'd so readily open to another bottle is probably that I've got a couple dozen of them from the five-gallon batch!)
For comparison, here's what the manufacturer says about this bag 'o juice:"Our Cab has trademark black currant and cherry flavors, but its true triumph is the subtle weave of complex flavor compounds that contribute to the overall experience. Oak and tannins, pepper and spice, combining structure and rich fruit for a red wine that dazzle from first aroma to long elegant finish."
Well, that sounds a bit "je ne sais quoi" to me!
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Updated Review, October, 2008: Still a nice mid-palate, round and cherry. Not enough before or after, though.
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Updated again, December, 2009:
In the glass: Deep blood red and purple, opaque from within about a quarter inch of the glass edge.
On the nose: Poured without a decant and swirled vigorously, still has that cherry cordial element.
On the palate: Think now more like a cherry caramel, sweetness lifts up and to the top of your palate, with light acids descending.
And the finish: Seems a bit longer than I noted before, with light caramel drifting away.
In summary: Not so bad an experience overall. I'd go with three stars on the five-star
Spirit of Wine scale. It has actually held up pretty well to the four years in bottle.
