Brutocao Cellars makes a couple of different Cabernet Sauvignon releases. Today I'm looking at their 2005 Hopland Ranches release which is their largest production Cabernet Sauvignon. 900 cases of this wine were produced. 15% of the wine spent 20 months in 
new oak. The wine was bottled fined but unfiltered. The retail price is $22.
The nose of this Brutocao Cellars Cabernet is huge with significant cloves, cedar and oak notes coming out immediately. Taking the first sip you're hit with an avalanche of bright cherry fruit that carries through the rich and mouth-filling mid palate. Earth, spice, and mushroom are also present and stay with you through the finish which also features a touch of licorice and candied cherry. Throughout this wine pepper notes abound.
Soft tannins are present bu for a 2005 Cabernet this wine is incredibly smooth. It's drinking very well now and my initial impression is that this one was built to drink in it's youth. That said, this wine changed so much and so many times in my glass over the course of an evening that it may have some evolution in the bottle ahead of it.
What impresses me most about this bottle of wine is how drinkable it is right now for a Cabernet this young and in this price range. As with the other wines from Brutocao Cellars I have looked at this Cabernet is made to go with food. It's silky enough that it'll pair with a wide array of things. Grilled meats and hard cheeses are just a couple of options. Enjoy it slowly and watch in evolve.
Coming Tomorrow: Brutocao Cellars 2004 Syrah, Feliz Vineyard Select
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