The Desert WIne Guy - 2006 Monastery Tvrdos, Cabernet Sauvignon

   Hey guys today we are truly in for a treat and an education. A treat because of the wine we are tasting and an education because of where our wine is made, which is a 13th century Monastery. Yes you read it right, a monastery. To start off with let me tell you about how I came across our wine. I was doing some shopping at the local Whole Foods grocery store here in Las Vegas the other day and as I usually do I went over to the wine section looking for a wine to review for this blog. I saw all the usual bottles and labels BUT then I came across our review wine, the 2006 Monastery Tvrdos (http://www.tvrdos.com/en/) Cabernet Sauvignon I instantly knew that this was the one. The label alone intrigued me and I picked  up the bottle and discovered that it was from an actual  monastery. O.k I'm hooked this is the one. I bought this wine on a Thursday and couldn't wait to taste it. I was so excited that I placed it over my other pending reviews. Before I get to the actual review let's talk a little bit about the Monastery.
   Monastery Tvrdos is an actual monastery located in Herzegovina which is actually in Bosnia. It is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina located in southeastern Europe. The Monastery dates back to the Middle Ages. The Monastery was founded by Czar, Saint Constantine and his mother Saint Helen. It was destroyed at one time and later became the endowment of the Serbian King Milulian at the end of the 13th century. There was a time when Serbian Monks used the Monastery to make the tradition of Serbian wine making. The Monastery is today a Serbian Orthodox Church. Today the Monastery actually has two cellar's. One of the cellars is made of stone and dates from the 15th century. The grape known as Vranac is aged there in barrels that are over one hundred years old. Vranac is a black skinned grape  that is related to Zinfandel by the way. Close to the old cellar is a modern up to date one. The Monastery today makes Vranac & Zilawka as well as the more familiar wines such as Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and of course the grape of our subject wine, the $20 2006 Monastery Tvrdos Cabernet Sauvignon.
   Alright everyone here we go. This wine was chilled for about 20 minutes prior to opening it. This was just enough time to put a slight edge on the wine but not make it, what I would in any way call cold. The one thing I did immediately notice is that there really was no bouquet to this wine. There was a slight Blackberry / Oak aroma but nothing really to speak of. This did disappoint and surprise me slightly especially after tasting the wine.  This  also happens to be a corked wine which we all know  I like. The first pour of our wine strikes your eye as a dark, red berry almost Burgundy color. After giving our glass a few swirls the taste has a rich powerful blackberry forward taste followed by a hint of Cherry and Current. There are also a good amount of Tannin's which add to and compliment this beautiful Cabernet, another surprise for a wine bottled in 2006 especially and at this price. I should add that this wine also has a hint of almost a jammy sort of flavor to it but in a very good way. One word that popped into my mind while first drinking this wine was "interesting". While the Blackberry was the first flavor I tasted it was a perfect start to the wine and was complimented by the perfect mix of all the wines other flavors
   To sum this wine up lets start by saying that it is on my all time favorites list. I will be buying two more bottles to put away since this wine will hold up for a good few more years. without any problems. Knowing where and by whom the wine is made I feel adds to the enjoyment of this wine. This wine retains it's full bodied flavor to the very end. It doesn't drop off at any point and it leaves a pleasant, though slightly dry taste in your mouth. I do recommend that the wine be decanted for approximately a half an hour since the wine opens up beautifully into a powerhouse Cabernet. If there is going to be some food eaten along side this wine I recommend eating something along the lines of mildly spicy food such a a nicely spiced Lamb or Sausage. In fact with the summer coming it is screaming for barbecue. Recommendation......get a bottle of this wine, now!!

                                                                                                        The Desert WIne Guy