The Sweet Partner in Crimeand I decided to make an evening of our Cabernet Sauvignon tasting. Our samplesfor the evening:
Beaulieu Vineyards (BV) 2006 Coastal Estates CabernetSauvignon – USA– $8-10
Chateau Gauthier 2006 Médoc Bordeaux – France – $12-14
Cousiño-Macul 2007 Antiguas Reservas CabernetSauvignon – Chile– $11-13
Tannic wines like cabernets,especially when young (and anything less than five years old is considered youngfor a cab), almost always need to be decantedbefore drinking. Decanting is WineSpeak for getting some oxygen into the wine.One of those pretty glass decanters is helpful but not necessary. For mostcabs, open the bottle 20-30 minutes before you drink.
If you want to experience theflavors of a classic French red, this Bordeauxhas them. Even an inexpensive Bordeauxlike the Chateau Gauthier has the complexity for which this region is known.The nose has "The Old World Funk," best described as an"earthy" scent (the SP in Crime called it "agricultural").The initial taste is "wet", but the tannins of the cabernet quicklycatch up. There's some more of that "earthy" taste. The finish isvery interesting. If you read enough wine reviews, you'll see mentions of"leather" and "cigar box." I finally understood what theymeant after tasting this wine, which finishes a bit dry. (Note: almost all Bordeaux are made of ablend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This one is cabernet-sauvignondominant.)
The BV was a huge contrast.The nose is very clean and extremely fruity. The flavor was much fruitier, witha lot more body. (Some would call this "jammy.") The finish wasbarely dry. The tannins were almost completely covered by the fruit.
The Cousiño-Macul was, again,a contrast. Before I let it breathe, the nose almost smelled like asphalt. Aftera bit, that morphed into fruit and tobacco scents. There's also little of that"Old World" scent. The body of thewine was in-between the others and the finish was the driest. The flavorsweren't overpoweringsome fruit, some tannin, and a little chocolate.
Big ol' reds like cabernetsauvignon go hand in hoof with steak. Steak and potatoes is a classic pairingwith cabernet, which is precisely why we chose this menu. With the three winesbefore us, we tried them with the steak.
The Bordeaux immediately jumped to the forefront.The earthiness of the wine was a perfect complement to the beef, potato, andgarlic flavor. The fruit came out as we ate. I could see this with any kind ofgame or anything earthy like mushrooms. The Chilean wine also paired nicely.The tannin in this wine, more so than the earthy flavor, cut through the fat inthe beef and made a pleasant combination. However, I think this wine reallywould stand out in a meat dish that has a little bit of spice, like achimichurri sauce.
The BV didn't fare quite aswell. The best thing about this winethe fruitinesswas lost against theflavors of beef and cheese. This wine wouldn't be a bad pairing with somethinga little sweet and spicy, like barbecue sauce or a dry rub of some kind. Butwith straight steak and potatoes, it was a surprisingly poor match. BV needslight meats, rich pastas, or something along the lines of chicken teriyaki.Honestly, I think that I could find better pairings for all of those entreesthan a cab. However, all is not lost. The BV is certainly the best "end ofday glass" of wineeasily the most drinkable on its own.
At the end of the evening, wesat on the front porch to enjoy the gorgeous weather. And, as we usually do, webrought out the dark chocolate. The BV didn't go well. The French wine wasgood. However, the Chilean and chocolate married into a wonderful creamyflavor.
Next, over to chardonnay tosee what we can discover. Class dismissed…
