Frog's Leap - Cabernet Sauvignon

                     


Name: Frog's Leap - Estate Grown
Varietal: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot
Region: Rutherford, Napa Valley, California
Country: United States
Year: 2017
Price: $74.99 (!)

Wine & Spirits Review: The unusual heat spikes throughout the summer of 2017 challenged the dry-farmed vines at Frog’s Leap, but they came through it with fruit that tastes light and bright. There’s some dimpled ripeness to its red-cherry flavors, and a little alcohol warmth in the end, but the overall impression is rich and sleek, spicy and bold. - 90

Flavors/Aromas: (Pg. 88-89) The world's most popular wine, this full, highly tannic concoction brings about flavors of black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. Napa Valley specializes in this varietal, with many bottles from there really accentuating the black cherry aspect of the blend.

My Review: So funny story... my roommate got gifted a bunch of bottles of wine by his parents, and this was the last bottle he had yet to go through. We had it after we both had already consumed other alcohol (and another substance in my case), and we thought very highly of it in the state we were in. It was only when I prepared to write this review a couple of days later that I realized this was a $75 bottle! While that knowledge would probably have precluded us from drinking it that night, I am still very glad I had a chance to try it at all, because this was spectacular. And I would not say that was because of complexity, because all that anyone who had the wine really tasted was cherry! But that (black) cherry flavor was so succulent and so full that it really carried the whole package, resulting in the best Cabernet Sauvignon I have ever had. Only much later after getting used to the cherry flavor, high tannins, and full body did I get even hints of anything else, when some mild strawberry and black pepper appeared on the tongue. In short, this is a quality of wine that has really helped me to realize why Cabernet Sauvignon is as popular as it is, and I truly hope to find something else of this caliber in the near future!

Food Pairing: N/A






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