Lost Tribe: Issue Three.
I don’t know about you, but this past month was crazy for me. I found myself gravitating towards the familiar in an effort to find comfort. I listened to The College Dropout from start to finish twice, watched re-runs of New Girl (a guilty pleasure), and drank more California Cabernet Sauvignon instead of searching for a French Bordeaux (which was my original plan). And that’s alright. I found two more good ones that I’m excited to share.
I already covered the basics of California Cabs in Issue One, so look there if you’re new to it. Otherwise, I’ll just get to this month’s wines.
Oh – also, these are two of my favorites so far in terms of ~ aesthetics ~.
Smith & Hook - 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
Price Point: $20
Tasting Notes: Blackberry, black cherry, cocoa, vanilla spice
Music Pairing: Family Business - Kanye West
This one really falls into the sweet spot of price and quality for me…and I have some numbers to back up the claim.
Vivino, which is a great app, lets users easily rate wines. Using the data from the app, they published this article which shows the correlation between price and rating. In order to get a good bottle, which they define as a rating of 4.0 (out of 5), you need to pay an average of $32.48. The Smith & Hook has a rating of exactly 4.0 after over 18,000 user ratings. That means it costs 40% less than the average bottle with the same rating!
I liked it. I did the math. I’m buying more. I think this will be a good one for casual get togethers with real friends (no fake friends.)
Bear Flag - 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon
Price Point: $28
Tasting Notes: Pressed-leaf, raspberries, blueberries and ripe blackberries
Music Pairing: Slow Jamz - Twista, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx
I think a lot of you will like this wine, but I’m actually including it because it isn’t one of my favorites. Hear me out though…
I’ll remember this bottle because I could tell that it was a “good” wine, but I also recognized that I wasn’t enjoying it as much as some others that I’ve tried.
The term “jammy,” which I’ve seen while reading about wine, came to mind. The internet says that jammy wines are lower in acid, creating a sensation similar to fruit jams, and is usually caused by using grapes that are very ripe. It makes sense that I didn’t love it since I tend to like more savory, acidic wines.
I checked the winemaker’s notes which say that they cut specific shoots “…to impart a signature style of ripeness…” Decanter’s review also includes the descriptor “ripe blackberries.”
Aha! That was enough evidence for me to feel validated. If you try it I’d love to hear what you think and if the ripeness comes through for you too.
