This Rampant Oenophile has long known the name Ravenswood, and favored their value priced supermarket line for Zinfandel blends and a very drinkable Chardonnay. I just learned that their slogan, which may be new, boasts "No Wimpy Wines." And, at a local Ravenswood event this past weekend, I was offered as sample of their County Wines series Cabernet Sauvignon.
The County Series Cab is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, which offers a solid consistency across bottles, but in this case did not offer the smoothness I would have expected.
Not Wimpy certainly with a strong presence and a very dry tongue, this Cabernet offered a bouquet with smoke and oak aromas, and a bit of black pepper on the tongue. The fruit flavors were too soft and somewhat overpowered by tannins and leather for my taste.
Billed as a great Barbecue wine, even offered with a bag of smoking chips for the grill made from old wine barrels, the Ravenswood Cabernet would probably benefit from bit food flavors. I defer to Friends of the Rampant Oenophile to be the final judge, especially those whose taste buds favor Cabernets. I'm sure that this wine would work at an outdoor grill dinner, but it's not one of my favorites.
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