Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Red Blend (Lodi, CA)
Winery: American Vintners
Cheese: Red Leicester
Day 9’s wine is another Red Blend, this time combining the Cabernet Sauvignon with its erstwhile sidekick, Merlot. Many winemakers like blending the two, especially in making Bordeaux. The Merlot gives a rich fruitiness to the wine, while the Cabernet Sauvignon provides excellent structure with body and oaky tannins.
This dark ruby wine has a fruit forward nose, bursting with ripe cherry, strawberry and raspberry aromas.
The berry flavors extend to the palate, accompanied by a note of bell pepper. But it’s met by a pretty strong structure. Silky with a touch of vanilla and spice from the oak, the tannins add weight to this medium bodied wine.
Overall this is a pretty fruity red, perhaps the fruitiest red I’ve encountered in the set so far. But it is nicely balanced out by the tannins, so it’s not completely a “Fruit bomb” (though my wife would say there’s nothing wrong with fruit bombs, and I agree!) So I give this finely balanced wine a 4.0 (A+). I paired it with a blue cheese burger and steak fries for a little fun.
Today’s cheese is yet another repeat, the Red Leicester. I discuss this cheese in the Day 3 blog, ironically with another Red Blend. Hopefully there’ll be some different cheeses coming down the pike soon!
Ed's Wineglass Adventures 