2015 El Prado Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon

 

   So today I was at a "big box" wine & beer store and I purchased this 2015 El Prado, Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is a blend of two of my favorite red varietals which are Tempranillo 70%  & Cabernet Sauvignon 30%, the wine also has a pretty reasonable alcohol percentage of 12.5%. Topping this all off but scaring me nonetheless is the fact that the wine costs a mere $6.59 and that begs the question, why would I buy a $6.59 wine in the first place? Here is the answer to that question. When I saw this wine on the shelf in the store I was immediately interested in it as I thought it sounded like a nice combination of varietals since I believe they both can/should go superbly together providing of course that both wines were made decently to begin with. Honestly, I am really excited to be tasting this blend and I truly hope it turns out to be a great wine and that both varietals are expressed as they should be. Now, let's gets into this review by starting off talking about the wines presentation in my glass.
   Starting off here the wine in my glass showed itself with the appearance of a cherry cough syrup type red and was slightly on the watery side around the edges as well.
  On the nose the wine was mostly peppery (typical of both red varietals) but did have a slight nose of caramel as well as coco. Overall however, the nose was (unfortunately) nothing really special and all three notes faded rather quickly.

   On the Palette now the wine initially presented what came across with an ugly and definitely overly acidic and peppery dominance. Now while the peppery dominance note is also common for both varietals and I love it, the overly acidic part however should not be happening, for either varietal. Let me say this straight out right here, right now before I even get any further into this review. You would benefit greatly by allowing the wine to decant for at least a couple of hours prior to drinking. When I first opened this wine and tasted the first couple of sips I almost threw it away and had it not been for the fact that I was too lazy to get up, ( I know huh:) that is what I would have done. Thankfully however I took a break to hang out with Mrs. Desert Wine Girl who graced me with her presence in my Loft and when we got done hanging out two hours later, the wine had definitely opened up quite a bit and softened...a lot especially in the area of acidity thankfully. That overpowering acidity that ran over all the wines other notes had now toned down and was actually useful. As any worthy Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon should, this wine maintained a pretty moderate but palate leading, black pepper note after it had a chance to open up. A really nice palate note of cocoa that to me always goes hand in hand with mostly the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal but can be present in the Tempranillo varietal as well was picked up and I was certainly able to appreciate it as well. As a side note I want to tell you that I believe this cocoa note was actually instrumental in helping to tame down that over the top acidity. As I continue on with that cocoa, it also allowed for a note of black cherry to interact with a note of a cranberry type acidity which was being presented very gracefully here on the palate. Another note that I believe was effected positively by the cocoa note is one of that black pepper mentioned briefly earlier.

This cocoa note also has the ability to stand on it's own and is only complimented by the pepper. Yes folks,the pepper is number one on the palette but close yet not too far behind is indeed that Cocoa and it appears thankfully to be more than happy to take a back seat. Right about here is where the acidity that is left in the wine really begins to as it is at a level this time where it goes great with all of the notes this wine has to put out. Let's talk black cherry now because this is another note that the wine presents very nicely and that I enjoyed. Here is another note that is more than happy to take a back seat to the notes already presented. As a matter of fact none of the notes here fight one another and each sip is consistent in their agreement as to who takes the lead and what the others purpose really is which is to act as support of sorts for the each other. If you want some tannins you are looking in the wrong place because while there is a note of Black Currant the tannins are for the most part non existent. If tannins are a must in a red wine for you then I have to advise you to look elsewhere. If however you will suffice with a Black Current note instead then you are in luck because this wine is full of that and in my book this is more then good enough. There was also an ever so slight background smoothness to the wine that I think was much needed and placed in just the right place here in this wine.

This wine is in some ways what I would consider to be a big wine and the bit of smoothness actually helps out. A spice that is not of black pepper but just as nice and just as in your face in apparent throughout the wines presentation. If you are thinking the wine is overly on the peppery side, don't be as that bit of smoothness manages to work it all out.
   Well now it is that time, time to wrap this review up. After drinking this wine I want to lay out some points for you. Before I do however I would like to tell you that I very well might be biased. The Tempranillo is as I said indeed my favorite varietal and one that I gladly run to when I am looking for a red wine that is in your face, spicy and robust. To me there is no substitute however Cabernet Sauvignon can give it a run for its money.

By the way, in my opinion you can forget about the American version of Tempranillo, to me the Spanish have it down pat. Keep all this in mind as you read this review, Having layed all this out, here are my points that I would like to get across to you.

1) Both varietals as expected work nicely together.
2) As also expected the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal is dominated by the Tempranillo due to the very natures of there being more of the Tempranillo then the Cab as well as the very nature of both wines characteristics.
3) The Cabernet Sauvignon does influence the wine by presenting an underlying though nicely presented sense of smoothness & cocoa but this does not in any way deter from the Tempranillo.
4) Decant this wine for at least two hours.

 On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I give this wine 91 (90–93 Excellent highly recommended, holds to varietal standards.) points. This is certainly not a bad wine, especially for the price.

                                                                                                                  The Desert Wine Guy


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2016 Annabella - Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Selection

2016 Annabella - Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Selection

   Yesterday, I was searching for a nice restaurant to take Mrs. Desert Wine Girl to Dinner at and when I finally came across one that sounded interesting, off we went. While at the restaurant I was presented with the wine list (of course:) and as I searched that list I came across a winery name as well as a wine that I had forgotten about probably because I do not see the winery nor the wine name them for sale all that often. The wineries name is Michael Pozzan Winery (https://www.michaelpozzanwinery.com/Wines/Annabella) and the wine that I am talking about is the 2011 Annabella Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Selection. I actually ended up reviewing (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-desert-wine-guy-2011-annabella.html) and buying a few bottles of the wine as well. Before I get into today's wine review, please allow me tell you the story about that first interaction I had with an Annabella, Cabernet Sauvignon.
   Back in October of 2015, Mrs. Desert Wine Girl and I were invited to participate in a special pre-grand opening of a ritzy restaurant here in Las Vegas and of course we couldn't be rude and not go, so off we went. After we were seated and introduced to our waiter, I asked him to recommend a good Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mochael Pozzan - Wine Barrels Aging

Immediately the waiter suggested that I try a bottle of the 2011 Annabella, Cab, Special Selection which as I said, I ended up later reviewing (see above link). I figured that since I was getting comped in exchange for a review of the restaurant that I could (and would) throw caution to the wind and I ordered the bottle without even checking the price. As I already said, I ended up loving the wine so much and I began immediately to wonder just how much this wine would cost if I were actually paying for it. The next day I did some research on the wine and discovered that it actually sold for around $18 retail. That was great in my book and while I did have a very hard time tracking that particular vintage down, I finally was able to manage to find it and bought four bottles, one to review, one to give away and the two others to cellar.
   Now, we get to our review wine, the 2016 Annabella (after Michael's grandmother), Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Selection. This is indeed one of those wines that I am so very excited to review, I just hope that this vintage can at least come close to the greatness of that magnificent 2011 vintage. Let me go ahead and provide you with some background information on today's wine. Starting off here, I am pretty sure that I don't have to tell you that the wine is cork sealed. The wine comes in at 14.5% Alcohol and as I previously said, is made by the Michael Pozzan Winery which is located in the Oakville AVA of the Napa Valley. The grapes for this wine are sourced from the Napa Valley and the wine is made up of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot & 2% Merlot. The wine sat in French Oak for 12 months.

   Let me continue on now by talking about the label of this wine. Alright so I am going to begin by saying that I have never (and I do mean never) seen such an impressive looking label on a wine bottle......PERIOD! Folks, you need to look at the photo of the label above. Tell me that the label is not just......outstanding. If you have never thought about just how much a label can convey about a wine or have just blown off the label as just another piece of paper, you should now be aware of just how important it is. Take a look at the scripted fonts and the gold color of those fonts. Take a look at the placement of those fonts as well, amazing. When I very first saw the bottle presented to me at the restaurant my mind went immediately to thoughts of this wine probably has a huge price tag and, thank goodness this is free. These thoughts were followed by the absolute need to try the wine. This is part of the power or the mystique that a label can hold in general. As I pour the wine I am actually scared to get this label stained guys, that's crazy huh? As weird as it sounds, I want the bottle when it is empty to have a spotless label even as it does go into the trash. Now, this is just the front label so now I want to talk about the back label for a moment. I haven't even read the back label yet but I will tell you that I can almost bet that everything it says is important. Give me a second as I read it and get back with you. Okay so I was so right. Loads of useful information as well as a the actual meaning of the name "Annabella" which means "easily lovable and disposed to please". As I end this section of the review I want to ask you something, what are you are expecting from this wine just based upon of the label? Alright, I do believe that I have said enough about the label and it's now time to move on to the bouquet of the wine so let's get to that.

Michael & His Son, Dante

   Right off the bat I want to tell you that the wine is exposing what seems to be a super refined black cherry note and it is picked up right away as the glass is brought to my nose. A slight hint of spice as well as some cassis (Black currant) is noted here as well. The bouquet continues on with some more awesome notes, the first is of a light yet seemingly complex one of old & well worn leather, the second is of what appears to be a moderate, yet not strong note of cocoa. I certainly can't forget to mention a nice bit of blackberry that is here is well. Both the black cherry as well as that nicely presented blackberry are both coming across with what seems to be an air of confidence. All of these notes in total really contribute to the fact that I have my hopes set even higher now for a great wine and only reinforces the fact that I am super anticipating actually tasting this wine.
   Let's talk about how the wine is trying to sell itself visually now. Presentation of this wine in my glass was very simply nothing short of amazing. Visually this wine appears to be a mix of black cherry & blackberry in the glass. With a white piece of paper held underneath the glass, the writing on the paper was just barely able to be seen. The wine once again gave off the impression that it had cost a lot of money. As I continue on here, there are massive amounts legs running down the sides of my glass here and the wine actually leaves a sort of coating on the glass as well that is rather intriguing. I am left with the impression due to the combination of both the labels appearance and the wines bouquet that the wine is both inviting as well as a high class power house of a wine. These assumptions will now be either confirmed or denied as it is now time to finally, taste the wine.

Michael Pozzan - Vineyard

   I now finally get to move to the Palate presentation of this wine as I want....no, need to see what is this wine is really all about? Okay so after tasting this wine I will first tell you what this wine is not. This Cabernet Sauvignon is not about being fruit forward. This Cabernet Sauvignon is not about being jammy. This Cabernet Sauvignon is not about catering to Generation X wine lovers, and last but not least, this Cabernet Sauvignon is not about being a blackberry, blueberry dominated, jammy expression of the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal. Now that I have said all of that, let me tell you what this wine is about.This wine at first presents complex notes of both Cassis & leather right up front and seems to hold nothing back. This leather brings with it both a rustic note and is really expressed so very nicely in this wine although it actually came as a surprise even though I did pick it up on the nose. Black Pepper is presented wonderfully yet is also controlled here and this wonderful trio is simply outstandingly powerful and vibrant on the Palate. The wine is what I would certainly consider to be a juicy wine and one with an edge of enjoyable tannin's to it as well These tannin's are brambly and although they do assist in bringing about a refinness to the wine they also bring with them a bit of a palate roughness that comes into play at the Mid-Palate and is once again simply.....outstanding. If you are a Cabernet Sauvignon lover who demands tannin's be in their wine, look no further as this is that wine. This is a big & complex wine and it's flavors are really just taking control and exploding all over my palate and I am loving it like crazy. There is also a warmth of sorts to the wine and it is not a warmth of alcohol but rather of a refineness, a feeling that the juice in this bottle was aged and intended for another, much higher priced label.

Michael & His Wife, Mary Ann

   This warmth over the palate feel meshes just wonderfully with everything else this wine is throwing out. There is a blackberry note here but it is not a ripe blackberry note and as such, it does not bring any overdone sweetness or jamminess along with it which is a great thing considering how so many of today Cabs are overdone in these aspects. This blackberry note simply presents itself for what it is and what it is a note that does not wish to be in the spotlight yet also at the same time, doesn't want you to forget that it is there. If you believe that I am done describing this wine you are certainly wrong, there is so much more as the black cherry I got on the nose is rather evident here but it also comes across without it's normal sugar which is exposed in so many red wines. In this wine, brings just it's flavor. Can you imagine the fruits of both black cherry and blackberry with all their fruit taste but without what would normally be overpowering sweetness? Combine this with a note of some rather nice acidity that is apparent on the sides of the tongue and you are now getting the point of what this wine is all about. Did I mention a refinness that this wine also brings with it? Yes, I did but it does bear repeating (a few times:) because this wine simply exudes that feeling all over your palate.
   Guys, as I move to close this review, I certainly hope that I have expressed my feeling on this wine and that you give this wine a try, I do not believe that you will be sorry. If you are lucky enough to be able to find a bottle of this wine I highly recommend that you give it at least a couple of hours to decant and you will be floored at just how amazing it is. Folks, $20 for a Napa Cab at this level of perfection is simply unheard of. Ladies & Gentleman, this is what a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa or anywhere else for that matter should taste like. You can keep the jammy, fruit forward, red liquid that so many today love to call wine, As far as I am concerned, I need a real "old world" expression of the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal and this is it. I'll cut to the chase guys, this is a wine that I am cellaring. I have two bottles left and they are headed straight to the Cellar. On the Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine an amazing 96 points.

My recommendation is that if you can find it, you buy three bottles of this wine and enjoy one now and put two away for the future, I promise that you will not regret it. Please do not judge this wine by its price as $20 seems really inexpensive for a Napa Cab but have no doubts, this is the real deal. One last thing, if you are a Generation X type wine lover, look elsewhere because this is an old school, old world, Cabernet Sauvignon and will not be to your liking.

                                                                                                                                     The Desert Wine Guy

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