PASO ROBLES | CALIFORNIA | $34
Black cherry and dark berry fruit with suggestions of savory spice, caramel and earth. Focused with narrow fruit-forward flavors and prominent acidity. More depth and complexity recalled when tasting than present today. With aging, the bottom seems to have disappeared. The floorboards, it appears, have dropped out of this otherwise well-maintained roadster. 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Cabernet Franc, 12% Malbec, 4% Merlot. A good wine. (Reviewed 8/25/12)
Filed under $21 to $50, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, California
HAPPY CANYON | CALIFORNIA | $15
Full bodied with forward blackberry and black cherry fruit, plus notes of cocoa, orange zest, graphite and sage. Weighty mouth feel and a smooth texture, slightly rustic. Straight forward and to the point — a boldness that implies complexity. There is something oddly and enjoyably inefficient about this wine: great power harnessed to produce a measured effect — much like the sport that inspired the name from its play period, polo, where sides employ powerful steeds to guide a small orb into a goal. 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. A good wine and reliable value year in and year out. (Reviewed 7/14/12)
Filed under $20 and less, Cabernet Franc, California, Merlot
BORDEAUX | FRANCE | $16
Ripe, medium-bodied blackberry fruit with notes of plum, barnyard, cola and bay. A bit gamey, nicely so, and reasonably complex. Finishes full with low acid. What is exceptional is the price — readily available at $10-12. But no cheap date, this; you’ll find manners, style and charm. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. A good wine. (Reviewed 12/13/11)
Filed under $20 and less, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, France, Merlot
PASO ROBLES | CALIFORNIA | $50
A Cabernet Franc-Merlot blend presenting jammy blackberry fruit, hints of mission fig and purple plum, and notes of allspice and bay with a rich chalky minerality. Big bodied yet balanced. Somewhat rustic showing tight, puckering tannins and a bright acidic finish. Like original 501 Levi’s, there’s a break-in period needed here. The first fit is bracing; the third reveals potential. But the second glass, now that’s a very good wine. (Reviewed 11/19/11)
Filed under $21 to $50, Cabernet Franc, California, Merlot
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