Recently, I had a friend of mine recommend the Slow Press Cabernet Sauvignon to me. This winter I have been drinking mostly Malbec, Tempranillo, and other medium-bodied reds. Despite having a ton of dry fuller-bodied wines stashed away to drink, I decided to follow my friend’s recommendation, and seek the Slow Press Cabernet Sauvignon. I knew I could locate it at my local grocery store because I spotted it there a few months ago and it was within my price range. I figured it was as good of a time as any to crack it open and see how it was for myself. Cabernet Sauvignon is top wine style I’ve rated on the wine app Vivino, with Californian Cabernet Sauvignon’s making up 6% of my ratings, with 21 different wines and an average rating of 4.0 out of 5.0. The label states that their “vintners know that great wines are worth waiting for, so they’ve slowed down the winemaking process from start to finish.” They claim that this slowing of the process produces “the purest, most concentrated flavors, and smooth finish.” Slow Press also takes their grapes from three regions in California: Paso Robles, Monterey (San Lucas), and Lodi. Each of the three regions provides their own characteristics to the Cabernet. Photo courtesy of Dowellwine.com This map shows the 3 regions where the grapes are imported for the 2016 vintage of the Slow Press Cabernet Sauvignon - Paso Robles, Monterey County, and Lodi. I used my “Everyday Wine Carafe” from Crate & Barrel to “decanter” the wine for approximately 30 minutes prior to smelling and tasting the Cabernet Sauvignon. This Cabernet was a dark ruby color with a bright(er) red edges around the glass. The smell was fruit forward with smells of blackberry, raspberry, a touch of oregano and dried leaves. The taste of the Cabernet was held up with a flavor of blackberry jam which gave away to a dash of black pepper and a finish of dried roses. I know that black pepper and dried roses don’t exactly scream smooth, but it worked. There was a little dryness to the wine, but the Cabernet’s drinkability is superb. When I had another glass the next day, the black pepper and black tea came through even more and gave the Cabernet a more round, complete mouthfeel. This wine drank much smoother than other full-bodied, tannin-heavy wines, which I attribute to a mix of different region’s grapes and their “press” processing style. It was an interesting departure from the normal Cabernet that I usually drink.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the Slow Press Cabernet Sauvignon. I was initially expecting the fuller bodied red Cabernet that most other California vineyards produce. This was an unexpected departure and shattered my notion that every Cabernet from California is a robust dry red. I would recommend this wine for anyone who appreciates dark fruit with earthy flavors, but not the dry mouth feeling those wines sometimes come with. For the $11.99 price tag, this wine is definitely worth trying. Specs: ABV: 13.5% Varietal: Cabrnet Sauvignon Region: Paso Robles, Monterey (San Lucas), and Lodi regions, California, United States Bottle size: 750ml Pairings: Red meat Vivino rating: 4.0/5.0
0 Comments
|
Author20 something living in Beer City USA with an affinity for wine. Other hobbies include photography, reading, and playing my pup. Archives
March 2020
Categories
All
|