I picked up a bottle of Castle Rock Cab, Columbia Valley, at Trader Joes recently. I had previously tried a bottle of their Pinot Noir and I thought it was a good value. It turns out the Cab is also a very good value, costing $5.99.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine had given the 2006 vintage a 87, and I think that rating holds for the 2007. The flavor was overwhelmingly plum, with some cherry and tart berry, with a hint of oak. The back label states that it has had 18 months in french oak barrels, but the wine wasn't overly oaky. As I normally due, I put a small amount in my wine glass to start, and gave it a sip. It was a little closed up with a hot finish, so I broke my Vinturi and gave the wine a little air. It opened up nicely, with a better finish.
The label states that the wine is cellared a & bottled by Castle Rock Winery. Usually that means that another winery produces the wine, either under contract, or as a bulk wine. That doesn't mean the wine is of lesser quality. In fact, if the buyer has a discerning palette, the wine can be very good. Just be aware that year to year consistency can be a challenge.
If you're close to a Trader Joes, pick up a few bottles. You won't regret it. Supplies are limited, so the sooner the better. They also have a Merlot and a Zinfandel available. I plan on trying the Zinfandel next.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine had given the 2006 vintage a 87, and I think that rating holds for the 2007. The flavor was overwhelmingly plum, with some cherry and tart berry, with a hint of oak. The back label states that it has had 18 months in french oak barrels, but the wine wasn't overly oaky. As I normally due, I put a small amount in my wine glass to start, and gave it a sip. It was a little closed up with a hot finish, so I broke my Vinturi and gave the wine a little air. It opened up nicely, with a better finish.
The label states that the wine is cellared a & bottled by Castle Rock Winery. Usually that means that another winery produces the wine, either under contract, or as a bulk wine. That doesn't mean the wine is of lesser quality. In fact, if the buyer has a discerning palette, the wine can be very good. Just be aware that year to year consistency can be a challenge.
If you're close to a Trader Joes, pick up a few bottles. You won't regret it. Supplies are limited, so the sooner the better. They also have a Merlot and a Zinfandel available. I plan on trying the Zinfandel next.
1 comment:
We got Castle Rock 2007 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as a gift during Christmas 2009, kept it under cool environment until Feb 2, 2010, opened it, gave it some air. For us, this is one of the harsher Cabs, to the point of debating whether to toss it or not. We find the C-S $2 buck chuck to be far smoother. Maybe we're just not into berry-plum tasting wine, or maybe we just had a bad bottle.
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