A little imprint of Nottingham Cellars–one of my favorite Livermore wineries–hailing from an AVA of the Central Coast you don’t see very often: SF Bay. Dark dark purple red in the glass, with an interesting nose feeling more Mourvedre or even Malbec than classic ‘Cabernet’ sets of nuances. Roiled in funky, peppery dirt, with thin candy piled on top. With plentiful air, it grasps at black cherry and dense berry, but the peaty earth also expands in an electrical-fire direction.
Tasting it produces a set of flavors again a bit *odd* in terms of typical cab. A high note of plummy sweetness cheapens the fruit and the off-bitter burnt texture shines through the peppery middle. I’m being harder on this wine than it deserves–it’s really quite good–but rather easy-drinking and un-encumbered with most of the things we expect from serious Cabernet. Finish displays basically no tannin and the whole thing fades off into rather quaffable territory. It’s a simple cab, lacking a lot of texture.
2019 BELLA MONTAGNA ESTATE Cabernet Sauvignon San Francisco Bay 14.5
Stephen McConnell 