This article reviews an inexpensive California wine from a
company located in the famous Sonoma County north of San
Francisco. Cabernet Sauvignon often considered to be
California's signature red grape, found in many wines that
break the $100 barrier, often many times over. Literally
hundreds of wineries are located in this county. Don't
expect to get a great wine at a bargain price. Actually by
surfing the web I saw several places offered this wine for
a few dollars. So perhaps I overpaid.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review
are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Fox Brook Cabernet Sauvignon, California,
2005 12.6% alcohol about $7
Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting
Note: Medium dark red; aromas of ripe cassis, black cherry
and plum, with a hint of leather; dry, full bodied, with
ripe black cherry, blueberry, chocolate and toasty oak
flavors; long finish. Serving Suggestion: Filet mignon,
marinated flank steak, roast lamb or pepper steak. And now
for my reactions.
The first meal consisted of beef stew with couscous. The
wine was pleasantly tannic and lightly acidic. It was mouth
filling with just a touch of oak. There was some pepper.
This Cab was moderately long but not very subtle.
I then tasted this wine with commercially barbecued chicken
thighs with the paprika covered skin on. The side dishes
were couscous and green beans in a tomato sauce. The wine
was round and tasted very plummy. It was moderately acidic
with light tannins. This Cabernet Sauvignon was refreshing
and fairly long. This wine and food pairing was a relative
success even though it flew in the face of that
old-fashioned and simplistic rule; white wine with white
meat. (I don't think that I would have enjoyed this wine
with a light-herbal chicken.)
My final food pairing involved pot roast, cooked with
potatoes, carrots, and onions. The wine was moderately
acidic with pleasant tannins. It tasted of plums and black
cherries and was rather short. There was a taste of
tobacco. When I perked up the meat with a jalapeno
pepper-based condiment the wine followed, it wasn't at all
overwhelmed. After adding the pepper, I got the taste of
chocolate.
I ended the bottle with two local cheeses. In the face of a
nutty, mild Provolone the wine was fruity and somewhat thin
and short. Perhaps surprisingly I tasted some bubble gum.
(Maybe I'm getting ready for the Beaujolais Nouveau season
that's just around the corner.) The next cheese was a more
concentrated Asiago. The wine started out flat but became
better over a short period of time. There was a bit of
black cherry and the bubble gum was gone.
Final verdict. I would buy this wine again, especially if
offered at bargain basement prices. But I won't tell my
wine loving friends that I am serving a Sonoma Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon. It is and it isn't.
----------------------------------------------------
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on
computers and the Internet, but would rather just drink
fine German or other wine, accompanied by the right foods.
He teaches various computer classes at an Ontario
French-language community college. Check out his global
wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly
column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about
(theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.
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