Draper Valley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

My Experience:

The last of our Draper Valley Vineyard "sample pack", the this is the first time I've had anything related to venerable Cabernet Sauvignon grape, so needless to say I was... expectant may be the best word.

I swirled it and gave it a sniff, and it turns out the scent is much stronger and easier to pick up than say, the relatively drab Chardonnay. I picked out Raspberry or blackberry, and of course grape. Even while drinking it these scents came through strong.

It seems the sweetness is fairly consistent between all of the Draper Valley Vineyard stuff, So this is also sweet like a juice, but seems sweeter than the rest. It is less grapey and more fruity than the Pinot Noir, with a hint ot strawberry, or maybe raspberry, and is smoother and less acidic than the Pinot, as well as having a bit lighter mouthfeel than the Pinot. It seems none of Draper Valley Vineyard's stuff has legs, but this did have a long fruity aftertaste, with a touch of a tingle to it.

It ended up too sweet for the spanish chorizo & dried tomato pizza we had, as it's strong flavor overwhelmed the bready crust. It would have been better with a bigger food, like steak or burgers. The sweetness might have also paired better with some of the spicy chineese food we had recently. I then cut it with some water, maybe 20 water 80 juice, which helped tone it down for the mild pizza we had.

I think all these juices need to be served slightly colder than their respective wines.

I also chilled some of these, and it nuked the taste, but left the sweetness and aftertaste. As usual, no hint of tannins.

We later did a taste test with all four of the Draper Valley Vineyard drinks we go, one cup straight, another cut with 1 part water 3 parts juice.

Cut with water it's more bitter (as was the Pinot Noir from Draper Valley Vineyards) and perhaps a touch more savory than sweet (but just a minor change.) Made me think of raspberry, pomegranate, and maybe grapefruit. Without food, I preferred the uncut drink.

Works as a wine Alternative: Yes, minus the sweetness.

Did I like it: Yes, but not so much as the Pinot or Riesling. 7 out of 10.

Would I Recomend it: I love trying out these varietal grapes, and I think it could even be fun for wine drinkers as it's interesting to taste the unadulterated grape. So yes.

Who Might Like it: Still a juice, but a premium, fun, interesting one. Very fruity, complex for a juice, give it a try if that sounds good to you.