Thanksgiving wine! Pulled a real darling out of the cellar this year. Haven’t had Vintner’s Reserve in at least 25 years, but had little choice tonight. The astonishing thing is: it’s not that bad. Oh it’s terrible–don’t get me wrong–with a vapid, vaguely wine-y nose and a bitter black briar following watered-down black cherry, licorice and leather. But it has all the markings of Sonoma Cabernet. It’s shockingly brilliant considering what you losers spend on Caymus and Prisoner and Paso Rhone blends. This wine has NONE of the reasons those wines are terrible. This wine tastes like NOTHING on your precious *Red Blend* section at the supermarket. There’s no cloying fruit, there’s no jammy stew, no obliterating oak, migrane-inducing alcohol or unbalanced tannic chub. Everything you need and NOTHING YOU DON’T is right here. Grown on “steep terraced mountain and ridgetop vineyards”. All 100k cases of it.

2016 KENDALL-JACKSON® ‘Vintner’s Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma 13.5

https://www.kj.com/