X Winery 2004 California Cabernet Sauvignon

For Christmas, my younger brother sent C. and me a half-dozen bottles of wine through mywinesdirect.com (though we haven’t looked into continuing the service since our wine stash is big enough as it is, and just getting bigger). The ones we’ve opened so far have been uneven in quality, but this one is enjoyable enough that I’d definitely consider paying a visit to X Winery.

Most of the California Cabernets I’ve tasted have been on the big, oaky, aggressive side – wines that my gut instinct would tell me to cellar for 5 – 10 years, at least, to soften the tannins. This particular Cab, young though it is, is already pretty well-balanced. The tannins are present but not huge, the nose is toasty-spicy, and there’s fruit as well as some rich cedar on the palate. I still think it would benefit from another few years, but I’m not sorry we opened it!

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Tags: X+Winery,, Cabernet+Sauvignon