Variety: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Malbec
Region: Tupungato, Alto Gualtallary – Argentina
Cost: $18 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Deep ruby color. Strawberries and flowers aromas with spicy notes. Juicy, full body with fine tannins. Elegant with a pleasant finish. Pair with lamb and red meat dishes.
My Review: The last of my Domaine Bousquet Reserve wines. So, I just want to get this out of the way – the Cabernet Sauvignon was probably my least favorite of the three. That’s not to imply that it was bad (it wasn’t), but of the reds I preferred the Malbec, and of the three, the Chardonnay impressed me the most. None of that, however, tells you what I thought of the Cabernet on its own.
In the glass the wine showed ruby red, and on the nose I picked up aromas of bright, tart strawberry. In the mouth the wine displayed flavors of the same tart strawberries, with a hint of dried herbs towards the mid-palate. The wine showed a bit dry to me, contrary to the tasting notes that claimed it was “juicy”, but I didn’t personally view that as a fault – juicy Cabernet’s tend to come across overly fruity to me, and that wasn’t the case here, which I appreciated.
Much like the Malbec, my wife and I just sipped on the wine over a weekend, but I think pairing it with some juicy red meats, like a mid-rare NY strip off the grill, would be a great pairing; something to cut through the bright fruit notes and balance the dryness.
For $18 I still think it’s a good value, even if it wasn’t my favorite of the three (seriously, that Chardonnay was pretty impressive). We’re really close to the holidays, so any budget-friendly wine that I can recommend for sharing with friends and family is something I like to do, and this certainly fits the bill.
Editor’s Note: I received this wine as a free sample for review.
