We opened our first Cabernet of the grilling season with teriyaki steak, peppers, and onion kabobs and sausage stuffed mini pepper kabobs. The stuffed peppers were sweet and offered a nice contrast to the steak and vegetables. We’re getting back to basics with this wine pairing. I got this bottle from Bottles on Commercial St in Boston last year for $17.

colonelgrape: 78. Not a bad bottle but just not my thing. Classic jammy cab, huge dark fruit flavor, tannis were actually under control but we decanted for 30-45 mins prior to drinking. When I first started getting into wine I started with Cabernet and I would have absolutely loved this wine. If big jammy California Cabernet is your thing this bottle is for you. Over time though my palate has changed and I like wines with more structure, rustic flavors, subtlety, or finesse. If I am in the mood for a big wine I’ll go for a Chateauneuf du Pape, Barolo, Barbaresco, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or Bordeaux vs a fruit bomb California. Not all California Cabernet is this jammy but many of them are so you’ll need to do your homework when choosing a bottle.

MobyGrape: 86.  I don’t know what’s happening to my palate these days.  This was
a delicious wine, it was fruity and in an odd way it almost seemed sweet.  I don’t actually mean it was a sweet wine by any means, but we’ve been drinking so many decidedly not sweet wines, this tasted like licking a jar of Smucker’s.  We decanted it for maybe 30 min before drinking, and there were hardly any tannins to speak of, just a whole lotta fruity goodness.  Wasn’t overpowering, and for the price it was a perfectly acceptable weeknight grilling wine.

I started a new job this month and after a long recovery from our vacation and settling into our new routine we’re back to our old habbits…drinking wine and talking about it. We enjoyed this bottle with a nice medium rare top round roast and roasted asparagus with lemon juice, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. It was a nice meal and very affordable. If you’re in the mood for meat and want to spend $10 or less try a top round roast.

colonelgrape: 82. I think Moby described this wine perfectly as a Gateway wine. We first discovered this wine at a local restaurant and drank it on a regular basis for a while. We were able to find it at NH liquor stores on the way home for $17 but you can find it for anywhere from $20-23 regularly. After some time away from it and exposure to more “serious” wines this bottle came across as a huge dark fruit bomb. The tannis were hardly noticeable for a cab and there were big notes of black currant, black raspberry, and black cherry. We almost polished it off before the meal was over becuase it was drinking so easily. It’s a good wine but it’s really not a great cab…too fruity and not enough structure. If that’s what your looking for it’s spectacular but based on all the cabs I’ve tried it just doesn’t fit in. I’ve been saving a bottle of 2007 to have with something nice but I think I’m going to reconsider and just pop it one day soon. Bottom line is try it if you like fruit, easy going wines and it’s a good, gentle way to get into cabs. Once you’re into cabs though you may find you’re palate is beyond this bottle.

MobyGrape: 86. Where do I start with this one? This was one of our gateway wines we found at one of our favorite restaurants, and we thought it was such a huge bold cab that we’d never drink anything else. This time we drank it and it felt like juicy juice, I wanted the tiny little ineffective straw and everything. It was so much fruitier than I remembered, I wasn’t disappointed, just surprised. Did I love it any less? Absolutely not. Did I gulp it down like a thirsty gal who found water in the desert? You bet! If you want to ease into wines, this is a good place to start, or if you just want something that’s not too complicated and goes down easy. It’s like a scratch ticket. You don’t have to think too much, just enjoy!