2004 Clearwater Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County California. Beekman, Glen Rock, $19.99. A private label wne from North Berkeley Imports.
Deep red color, deep hue, excellent fruit and spice aromas and tastes with hints of earth and chocolate, medium mouth feel, medium tannins with a very smooth, well balanced impression, long finish with good fruit, spice and chocolate notes. No EGA. Very pretty wine, drinking very well now, and at a very good price. Joel described it perfectly for me: "This is not a high alcohol, over-ripe, Parker-style blockbuster, but it shows absolutely delicious, melt-in-your-mouth Cabernet fruit with some layers of flavor and sweet (ripe) tannins. This is not a wine that requires aging; it is ready now and a real delight." 4*.
An excellent match with a rare bison burger with Romaine and tomatoes salad. The fruit of the wine and the smooth tannins were a wonderful complement to the lightly flavored bison.
Notes:
http://www.northberkeleyimports.com/ "Silky and smooth, our 2004 Sonoma County selection shows delicious layers of rich, sweet red fruits wrapped in tannins both profound and poised. Tantalizing aromas of tobacco and vanilla bean wind ribbons around gorgeous cassis perfumes. The flavors here are powerful but not muscle-bound; Sonoma Cab is more akin to a smoldering, shapely starlet than a bodybuilder. Very elegant."
A Cellar Tracker subscriber reports: "Outstanding bottle of wine. This is declassified Silver Oak (Alexander Valley). If this is the wine that did not make the cut at Silver Oak, I am very anxious to see what the "real" bottles are going to taste like when they get bottled in a couple of years. Very nice fruits, good spice, enough tannin to suggest that this could lay down in your cellar for at least a few years."
He may be right about the tannins -- they are there but very smooth to my taste -- but the wine was drinking awfully well, and I'm not sure it needs more time.