I get excited about small producers, especially those from lesser regions. I find that the QPR on these wines can be great, and they also often surprise a jaded palate with new textures and flavours. There is, however, always a risk with seeking out the small vineyards. When you have less money, less experience and lesser land, sometimes the wine just, well, sucks.
Here we have a Carmel Valley California Cabernet - not a very common combination of region and variety. The nose seemed a little baked to me with red berries and alcohol. This was not a typical Cab nose. On the palate I found this a rather light-bodied Cabernet with some astringency on the finish and greenness in the palate. Awkwardly built and unbalanced this very woody wine just didn't work. Too bad - I had high hopes.
Fair
$40 at Steamworks Liquor Store
Monday, December 15, 2008
Gallante Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
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2 comments:
the reason small reasons sometimes have great values is the good ones are surrounded by a sea of junk. The good regions are so expensive because an idiot with $50 can find a 'decent' wine. The fun for us is the hunt - sift through the junk (hopefully on somebody else's dime) and find the gems...I didn't even know there was a Carmel Valley appellation...
Very true. That's why I like to go to stores where I trust the buyers. This place just went a notch down in my opinion :). Marquis here in Vancouver does a pretty good job with small producers, though.
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