Saturday, January 16, 2010

Chateau Ste Michelle Cold Creek Cabernet

Chateau Ste. Michelle
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cold Creek Vineyard
Columbia Valley
Woodinville, Washington, USA

2006
14.1%
$19.99 -- Costco, Austin, TX

Color: Dark purpley garnet
Nose: Sage, blackberry jam, Dr. PepperTM
Body: Medium
Front: Espresso, black tea
Middle: Black currant cream
Back: Licorice, leather, firm tannins
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork

This one's going to be a bit tannic for most folks I reckon, unless it's given a long time to open up, or a year or two in the cellar. I do think it'll age, but I'm going to leave it open for about four hours tonight as I drink it and see. This is my service to the world.

If, however, you like the gritty and earthy Cabernets, you might like this one without any cellaring. The pizza I had tonight wasn't up to the challenge of this wine, which looks sweet but is a bit of a bully at this point.

Note: Day 2, the nose opened up to more fruit, but the palate, while acquiring a little blueberry, didn't really more complex or rich. With a year more, perhaps it would flower?