The second selection for Cabernet week is from Guenoc in Lake County California. Guenoc
is a sub label of Langtry Estate & Vineyards. Lake County is an up and coming area in California about 60 miles north of San Francisco. Some interesting wines at very fair prices are emerging from this area.
Guenoc's 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Petite Sirah. This wine spent 20 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels. The nose of the Guenoc Cabernet has lots of dark blackberry fruit and a touch of tobacco. It takes about 45 minutes in the decanter for this wine to open up fully. Once it does the first sip reveals generous spice notes, especially pepper and more dark fruit characteristics. The finish is of medium length and there is some white pepper that coats the back of the throat as it closes out. It's lighter bodied than a typical Cabernet which lends itself to pleasurable sipping on it's own. I also expect this wine to go well with pasta and red sauce as well as a variety of cheeses.
Retail price on the Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon is $12, putting it in the value category. A quick look at wine-searcher.com shows it can generally be found for under $10. It's certainly a solid value in that price category. I'd expect this wine to have at least 5 years of life ahead of it.
Coming tomorrow: Castillo de Molina, the weeks final entry in the value category.
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