In honor of #winechat–which just makes my pancreas ache–well, let me clarify: TWITTER pretty much as a WHOLE makes my pancreas hurt–and tonight’s subject being Santa Barbara County Cabernet Sauvignon (yes I spelled that out for the 99% of people involved in the #winechat because clearly from reading some of the questions if I said “SB cab” or “SYV cab” I’d get a glazed look), I looked around downstairs at the various SB cabs I own, BUT! the problem tonight seemed to be a dinner-plan involving orecchiette with a simple tomato-cream sauce and cab with tomatoes is one of the very very few wine-rules I adhere to fairly religiously. As luck would have it, a half-case of this Koehler presented itself. 50/26/20/4 Sang/GR/cab/CF. It would have to do. Transparent ruby with thin clear edges. Clean, pleasant fruit strong in the nose and really not much else. Black pepper and pine-bark in the background. It opens up to a nice little strain of mint, herbaceousness and sweet oak with a little air, which is good, because here-to-fore I considered this a very little, unsophisticated wine. Rich and round in the mouth with a clear eucalyptus and obvious grenache gameyness. Uncomplicated tannins run things out with just a touch of alcohol. A ripe, round, balanced red wine showing you don’t need massive extraction and concentration to make a really good bottle of wine.
2009 KOEHLER Quartette Red Blend SYV 14.5
